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Read the Sermon: I wonder what they were thinking. I wonder what the disciples were thinking when Jesus ran this list.

If we follow Luke’s story, they are only eight verses removed from being recruited as disciples. I imagine Jesus’ statement hit them like a ton of bricks: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.”

This ministry they have said “yes” to—Jesus lets them know that the work they will be doing comes with consequences. There will be haters. He lets them know that the people will hate you just because you choose to hang around Me. This is too much, too early, I imagine.

The disciples have signed up for an “Intro to Religion” course, and Jesus is teaching “Advanced Theology.” They’re thinking to themselves, “Jesus, You say the poor are blessed, but have You seen the poor in my area? Resources are low, rent is high, and many call the streets their home. Blessed? I think that’s a stretch.

“Blessed are the hungry, You say. How, Jesus? When they’re hungry, how blessed can you be when it feels like your stomach is touching your back and you have no idea where your next meal is coming from? But You say, You say they’re blessed, Jesus. And let’s not talk about the hate, the exclusion, the reviling and defamation. Jesus, this world is cruel and lonely and challenging, among other things. How are these people blessed?”

We have the privilege of looking back and knowing just how this Christian story unfolds. I get it—I get what Jesus was trying to say—and it still challenges me. But I have to wonder if they got it. I have to wonder if they fully understand the challenge and the reality that comes with this walk. Were they able to see through the fog of the harsh realities they lived and witnessed daily?

Even today, Jesus’ wordplay and worldview in this text seems unrealistic. Why? Because we’ve all seen the guy asking for change outside of the corner store: “Brother, do you have some change that you can spare?” Or the family holding up a sign that says, “Out of work, family of five, please help.” Or the person who has withdrawn from society as a whole, deeming it too much to bear. It’s hard to imagine that some of them, if any at all, consider themselves blessed.

As you can see, these are difficult concepts to grasp. How do you approach people with such subversive statements? How do you get through to them? Of course, I could spend time interpreting what He meant or trying to figure out the meaning of what He said—I’ve done it in the past. But as I read this text this time, my attention is drawn to something else. It is not the words He spoke; it’s the body language while introducing the complex ideas for me.

Pay attention to how Luke’s Jesus moves before He says a word. Psychologists believe that 55% of communication is nonverbal, and I believe that holds true here. Did you catch it? Did you see it? If you read the Scripture too fast, you might have missed it.

But listen to how it begins: “He came down with them.” Luke is not clear about where Jesus was at the beginning of the Scripture, but he finds it important to let us know that He came down from that place to be with them.

In seminary, my New Testament professor said to the class, “I want you all to get in groups of two.” She asked one person in each group to sit on the floor while the other stood above them. She asked the person that was standing in the group to read a certain piece of Scripture. After a little while, she asked the students to switch places. Again—one student tall over the other student on the ground read the same Scripture. At the end of this exercise, she asked us, “How did that feel?”

As you can imagine, most students said, “When I was standing, I felt powerful, bold, and confident.” And for those sitting, they reported that they felt small, powerless, and vulnerable. Through this exercise, our professor was teaching us about the power of position.

In our world—whether we choose to acknowledge it or not—our position has a strong correlation with value. The higher you are up, the more value you have: the rich, the full, the reputable. And the lower you are, the less value you have: the poor, the hungry, the excluded. We’ve heard them, we’ve seen them: “I have a bachelor’s degree from… a master’s degree from the University of… a doctorate degree from…”

“Yeah, but who are you?” Jesus comes down with. Before He spoke a word, now Jesus—up until this point—has called out an unclean spirit, he has rebuked the fever of Simon’s mother-in-law, he has preached in the synagogues, cleansed a man with a skin disease, and healed a paralytic. I think it’s safe to say at this point that Jesus is kind of a big deal, as they say. His name is good in the streets of Judea, Jerusalem, and beyond.

Jesus comes down with them and stood on a level place. He did not come to them; to come to them is something different altogether. He came down with them. “With them” suggests relationship. “With them” meaning together or accompanied by—”with” suggesting intimacy. “With” letting them know that He sees them: “with” not above, not below, but equal.

He came down with them and stood on a level place. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,” the Apostle Paul says, “but to think with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” This. This is the power of position. He teaches as one of them; He ministers as an equal.

You see, when you teach as an equal, there is a mutual respect that affirms the inherent worth of others. When you speak as an equal, you create trust and empathy. When you speak as an equal, biases and stereotypes are challenged. When you speak as an equal, it removes the power imbalance that gets in the way of progress. When you speak as an equal, people feel valued and connected. When you speak as an equal, you confront your own biases and broaden your perspective. When you speak as an equal, it reduces conflict. When you speak as an equal, justice becomes real.

True story: as I’m writing this sermon, pacing back and forth as I often do when I write, I looked on the ground and see a level. A leveler (or level) is a tool that creates a level surface, making sure that no point is too high, creating a perfectly flat surface. God is truly peeking in on my study, a reminder that our goal is to be with people on the same ground—physically and mentally.

Oh, brothers and sisters, I know the view and air is good up there—standing over others, looking down on people—but come down like Jesus. Stand on a level place and be blessed. Sisters and brothers, I know the air is muggy down there, people looking down on you, but come on up with Jesus and stand on a level place and be blessed.

Amen.