The Gospel reading this past Sunday was Luke 6:17-26. It’s a place in Jesus’ teaching where you are to be warned: “Buckle up, buttercup.”

I like to back up to Luke 6:12. Jesus had spent the night in prayer. When Luke specifically points out Jesus spending time in prayer in his gospel, there is something significant that follows.

Here he spends the night in prayer and the next day he calls the 12 to him. Then, he goes down to a “level place” and begins to teach. Where Matthew settles this into what we call the Sermon on the Mount and has the “blessings,” Luke notes blessings… and woes.

The way of the Kingdom is not for the comfortable. It is not for those at ease. And he is talking to the religious of his day.

What I am fascinated with in this passage is who shows up. I had this note by this passage:

When the Kingdom is at work, the margins show up. WHEN THE KINGDOM IS AT WORK, THE MARGINS SHOW UP. We tend to want the healthy, the intelligent, the hard working… but often what shows up are the sick, the poor, the incapable. LOVE THE MARGINS.

Pay attention to the Kingdom. Allow the power of God to flow through. The margins will show up. BLESS the margins! SEE what God is doing!

In a day where American Christianity is leaning into power and prioritizing their “love” as to who they care for first… there are some “woes” coming our way. We need a fresh wind of the Spirit to blow through our messed up priorities.

The marginalized were spiritually hungry and physically beat up. They heard words of life when Jesus was around. When he wasn’t around, people who had heard him would repeat his words. Deep hunger stirred in the marginalized. So when word gets around that Jesus is nearby, the marginalized show up.

They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases (v. 18).

Jesus healed their diseases, driving out harassing spirits, and making sure people were made whole.

In v. 12 we had Jesus spending the night in prayer. In v. 19 there is this powerful corollary:

…power was coming from him and healing them all.

In a day when we are cutting off aid to the poor of our world… we need Jesus. We need the sermon on the plain again. And we need to understand there are some woes coming our way because we have not listened to the cries of the marginalized.

Where is the Kingdom found? In those who have no power and are in need of healing and deliverance.

God help us. We are shoving out the marginalized so the super rich can be more super rich.

There are woes coming to us.