Luke 4.16-19


Once again we are looking at why Jesus came. This morning's text points us
in a direction that we don't normally consider. Here, we see Jesus beginning
His ministry with a declaration of who He is and why He has come. He is
God's Messiah, and He has come for the sake of the poor. This fits with
another place where the question of Jesus' identity and mission came up.
There John the Baptist sends two disciples to Jesus with the simple and
straightforward question, 'Are you the Messiah or should we look for
another?' Listen to Jesus' answer. 'Go and tell John what you have seen and
heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached
to them.' [Luke 7:22] Jesus has come for the poor. This is an important
theme for Luke. Our text and several others with this theme are only found
in his Gospel and not the other three. Listen to one of these unique
passages. 'And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, "Blessed
are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who
are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now,
for you shall laugh."' [Luke 6:20-21] What makes this especially interesting
is what Jesus also says just a little further in the same context. 'But woe
to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who
are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you
shall mourn and weep.' [Luke 6:24-25] And it's only Luke who has these words
of Mary. '...he has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has
sent empty away.' [Luke 1:53-54] And then there is the parable of the rich
man and Lazarus, again unique to Luke. Our text, then, fits, doesn't it? We
have here a clear statement of Jesus' mission. Luke might summarize that
text and the other texts by saying, 'Jesus has come for the poor.'

Now, there is a problem with this. None of us is poor. A few here might not
have a lot of money, but none of us qualifies as poor. That leads, then, to
this question. Isn't the Gospel for us also? Didn't Jesus come for us, too?
Now, you may not know this but there have been those who have taught that
the answer to that question is a very clear, 'NO!' Jesus didn't come for the
rich; only for the poor. They followed this up with a program for socialism.
That isn't right. But there is something going on in our text that we need
to deal with.

The key lies in understanding what Jesus was pointing to when He talked
about the poor in our text. In the Scriptures 'poor' is not merely an
economic term. We often hear of the plight of the poor in the Psalms. 'This
poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his
troubles.' [Psalm 34:6] 'All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you,
delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy
from him who robs him?' [Psalm 35:10] 'In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue
the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. ... he
lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the
poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. The helpless are
crushed, sink down,and fall by his might.' [Psalm 10:2, 9-10] It wouldn't be
right to say that economics has nothing to do with it, but the key is that
this has to do with something more than just an economic situation. The poor
are those in great need, and yet they are without the resources to deal with
that need. They are 'helpless'. This inability to deal with the situation is
often associated with economic poverty. And so, consider the ministry of
Jesus as He deals with the poor. These are the people who are suffering
because of the accursed fallenness of this world, the attacks of Satan, the
results of their own sins as well as the oppression of others. And so we see
Jesus caring for them: healing the sick, casting out demons, restoring the
lame, preaching the Gospel to them and at times being something of an
advocate for them before their religious oppressors. Seen this way, our text
makes a lot more sense. Jesus has come for the needy, for those confronted
by the darkness of this life who do not have the resources to deal with any
of it. He has come for the poor.

We still haven't answered that fairly important question. What about those
who are not poor? What about us? Didn't Jesus come also for us? Well yes, He
came for us too, but there is still a problem. 'And Jesus looked around and
said to his disciples, "How difficult it will be for those who have money to
enter the kingdom of God!" ' [Mark 10:23] You see, there is a significant
difference between those with some money and those without any. Those with
some money have options. A problem hits and the money provides some
opportunity to make adjustments to soften the blow. The money provides some
resources to deal with life. So take this as a minor example. Life in the
household has been getting increasingly crazy. It's normally a bit too much
but now the holidays, with all the special preparations, are looming. Add to
this that the kids are coming down with something, and that more things have
been added to the to do list today than have been taken off. The husband
comes home, sees the house is a wreck, the kids are at each other, his wife
is not a happy camper and dinner isn't even close to being started. So, what
does he say? 'Pizza anyone?' Let me be clear. There's nothing wrong with
this. But it illustrates that when you have a little money, you have
options. There are ways to soften the blow. And this is only about a day
that is a little crazy and not about some serious crisis. There is a
difference between those who have a little money and those who have none.
So, let's consider blind Bartimaeus whom we read about last week. He's
begging for that day's food. But the prospects don't look good. He's blind
and he lives among a people who are not doing too much better than he is.
What does he do? He cries out to Jesus. 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on
me!' The poor know that they have no options. But those with some money are
different. 'A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in
his imagination.' [Proverbs 18:11] His money provides a little protection, a
wall between him and the harsh world – at least in his imagination. Now,
it's just a little bitty step between being aware that your money provides
you with resources, with some options, and depending on your money to
protect your from the problems of life. There's the rub.

Let's pull this together a bit. According to our text, for whom did Jesus
come? He has come for those who are poor and know it; those who, regardless
of the economics of the situation, know that they do not have the resources
to deal with this life. They know that and cry out to Jesus as He passes by,
'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Now, it's still true that those who
have some money, people like you, will find it difficult to enter the
kingdom of God. Having some money masks the reality of your need. It gives
you options. The temptation to live as if your bit of money will provide a
wall of protection is great. And so, there is a warning from the Apostle
Paul. 'As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty,
nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly
provides us with everything to enjoy.' [1 Tim. 6:17] Why would he write that
unless the danger is real? Incidentally, Paul's prescription for these folk
is that learn how to be generous. After all, there are lots of brothers and
sisters in Christ who could use a little money. And as you think through
what all of this this might mean for you, consider what it might mean for
your children. The common goal for parents these days is that their children
end up situated well as adults so that they always have a little money in
the bank for the surprises of life. Could that possibly put them in a place
of greater danger; of greater difficulty of entering the kingdom? Is there a
way of avoiding that danger? Remember that having money is not a sin. It's
just that it has the potential of more danger for the soul.

So, what do you do at this point? Do you need to repent? That's a real
question that you might, in all good conscience, answer with a clear, 'No'
because you really do understand your poverty. But it is a question to be
asked. Here's a little test. What if tomorrow you found out that you've lost
your job? How would you respond? A bit anxious? Would you panic? This isn't
a question about what you would say or how you would act. It's a question
about your heart. What would be going on in your heart? Would your heart
tell you not to worry because there's that money you've put aside for just
this possibility? If that's what it would be telling you, then maybe that's
an indication that your sense of safety is tied to having options and
resources, the ability to deal with life, instead of it being tied to Jesus.
Now, some of you will answer, 'No, I don't think I'd panic. I might be a
little nervous but there'd be no panic because I know from Scripture and my
own experience that Jesus will provide what my family and I would need. We
may need to make some big changes and life might get a bit 'interesting' for
a while, but I know that He will take care of us if that were to happen.'
And that is the answer of the poor, those who know that they are without the
resources to deal with life. Jesus has come for the poor because they
understand their need and, because of that, they depend on Him.