The Sermon on the Mount - William Brassey Hole

In the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...

alone, Jesus follows the

beatitudes The Beatitudes are sayings attributed to Jesus, and in particular eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mirr ...

with a set of ''woes.'' Thus He starts by saying that

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

for the sake of God is the cause of all good, and that

hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...

and Crying, weeping will not be without the reward. Next He denounces the opposite to these as the source of condemnation and punishment. These woes are universal and differ from the woes of the Pharisees.

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Commentary

The sense of the word woe (Greek: Ου̉̀αὶ, Latin: væ) is commented on by a number of church fathers. John Chrysostom states that it is, "always said in the Scriptures to those who cannot escape from future punishment." Pope Gregory I, St. Gregory likewise notes that it "oftentimes in Scripture denotes the wrath of God and everlasting punishment." The woe of the rich, echoes the words from the Magnificat in Luke 1:53, "He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away." So also in the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus Jesus states that the rich, having received their consolation in this world, will have none in the next. Paul also speaks ill of wealth in 1 Timothy 6:9, "for the love of money is the root of all evil." In terms of being full, Basil of Caesarea, St. Basil writes, "to live for pleasure alone is to make a god of one’s stomach" (Phil. 3:19). St. Gregory writes that from the single vice of gluttony come innumerable others which fight against the soul. "Subdue this one vice, and you shall tame many others, because innumerable desires from lust, which follow gluttony. Even though they hold out the promise of enjoyment, they lead to everlasting misery." Because of the woe of laughter, it was forbidden by Basil of Caesarea, St. Basil in his ''long rules'', since "this is a life of penitence and sorrow, but the future one of joy and gladness." St. Augustine notes that "Christ is never said to have laughed, although He often wept." Cornelius a Lapide cites the Book of Sirach, writing, "mirth in moderation, however, is not forbidden to the followers of Christ. 'A fool lifteth up his voice with laughter; but a wise man doth scarce smile a little.' (Ecclus. 21:20, KJV), 'Laughter, I said, is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?'" (Eccles. 2:2, NIV). The final woe against being well spoken of, is against the former blessing promised to true prophets, who for the sake of the gospel suffer persecution (Luke 6:22). Likewise St. Paul writes, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Gal 1:10, KJV)Biblia: Gal 1:10
/ref> Cornelius a Lapide notes, "he who preaches false doctrine and things pleasing to the carnal mind, causes his hearers to continue in wickedness and commit many sins, and therefore will receive greater damnation."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:four woes of Jesus, The 4 (number) Gospel of Luke Christian terminology Doctrines and teachings of Jesus Judaism in the New Testament Sayings of Jesus

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Commentary

See also

References