Somebody Had to Go First

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Stands With Us on the Plain

In Luke’s account of the Beatitudes, Jesus does not speak from a mountain above the people, but stands among them on a level plain, eye to eye, fully present in their suffering and humanity. This setting reveals that God is not distant or detached from our pain, but is intimately involved, seeing, hearing, and understanding the struggles we face. Jesus’ solidarity with the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the rejected is a powerful reminder that God’s blessing is not reserved for the comfortable or the powerful, but is poured out on those who are hurting and marginalized. In the midst of our messiness and complexity, Jesus is with us, offering hope and presence, not from afar, but right beside us. [04:25]

Luke 6:20-26 (ESV)
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.
Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
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.
Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

Reflection: In what area of your life do you most need to remember that Jesus stands with you, not above you, in your struggles today?

Day 2: The Great Reversal—God’s Justice Turns the World Upside Down

Jesus’ words on the plain are not just comforting; they are revolutionary. He promises a great reversal, where the systems of injustice, oppression, and false virtue are upended, and the lowly are lifted while the powerful are brought down. This is not a passive hope, but an active disruption of the world’s values, a radical reorientation toward God’s justice and equity. The suffering and injustice of the present moment are not the final word; God’s justice is an impending force that will not allow evil, greed, or bigotry to have the last laugh. The hope Jesus offers is rooted in the certainty that God’s scales are different from ours, and that the world can and will be transformed. [06:13]

Reflection: Where do you see injustice or inequality around you, and how might you participate in God’s work of turning things right-side up?

Day 3: Blessing Is Not Blind Optimism—It’s God’s Presence in Suffering

Jesus does not ask those who are suffering to pretend everything is fine or to muster up a false sense of happiness. Instead, he blesses the poor, the hungry, and the rejected precisely because he is present with them, fully aware of their pain. The blessing is not a denial of reality, but a promise that God sees, hears, and values those whom the world overlooks. In a world of hierarchies and exclusion, Jesus speaks words of equity and justice, lifting the lowly and challenging the powerful. The blessing is God’s affirmation that suffering is not the end, and that those who are overlooked are precious in God’s sight. [08:17]

Reflection: Who in your community or life might need to hear and feel God’s blessing through your presence or words today?

Day 4: We Stand on the Shoulders of Those Who Went Before

None of us are truly the first to walk the path of justice, courage, or faithfulness—Jesus was the first, and countless others have gone before us, making the way a little easier for those who follow. Our calling is to continue this legacy, to make the journey toward justice and equity easier for those who come after us. Even when the path is difficult or lonely, we are part of a long line of voices and lives that have dared to speak and act for what is right. We are invited to join this chorus, knowing that our efforts matter and that we are never truly alone. [12:04]

Reflection: Who are the “trailblazers” in your faith or justice journey, and how can you honor their legacy by making the path easier for someone else today?

Day 5: Echoing Christ’s Voice—Listening and Proclaiming Hope

In a world marked by imbalance, injustice, and disorder, our calling is to listen to the voices of the suffering and the oppressed, and to echo the words and hope of Christ. Even if we feel like a lone, trembling voice, we are joined by others, and ultimately by Jesus himself, who went first. Our task is not to ignore or walk away from the pain around us, but to listen deeply and to proclaim, by word and action, that the world can be better. We are called to be echoes of Christ’s justice, grace, and welcome, even if we are the only echo in the valley. [14:45]

Reflection: What is one concrete way you can listen to and amplify the voice of someone who is suffering or marginalized this week?

Sermon Summary

In Luke’s account of the Beatitudes, Jesus stands not above the people, but among them—on the plain, at eye level, sharing in their reality. This setting is not a minor detail; it is a profound statement about the nature of God’s presence with us. Jesus does not speak from a place of distance or detachment, but from solidarity with those who are poor, hungry, grieving, and rejected. He sees, hears, and feels the suffering of the people around him, and his words are not abstract promises but a direct response to the pain he witnesses.

The blessings Jesus pronounces are not meant to romanticize suffering or to suggest that those who are oppressed should simply accept their lot. Rather, they are a declaration that the current order—where the rich, the full, and the powerful seem to have the upper hand—is not the final word. Jesus proclaims a great reversal, a radical reorientation of values, where the lowly are lifted up and the mighty are brought down. This is not just a future hope but a present reality that Jesus inaugurates by standing with the marginalized and calling out the systems of injustice.

The woes Jesus speaks are equally important. They are not curses, but warnings—an urgent call to those who are comfortable at the expense of others to recognize the calamity they are bringing upon themselves. Jesus’ words flatten the hierarchies and expose the emptiness of false virtues like greed, self-righteousness, and exclusion. The revolution he begins is one of justice, equity, and grace, and it is a revolution that continues through those who dare to echo his voice.

We are not called to be the first to speak or act for justice—Jesus has already gone before us. Yet, we are invited to join our voices to his, to stand on the plain with those who suffer, to listen deeply, and to proclaim that a better world is possible. Even if our voices tremble, even if we feel alone, we are part of a chorus that began with Christ and continues through all who long for justice and hope. Our task is to listen, to speak, and to act, trusting that the revolution Jesus started is still unfolding in our midst.

Key Takeaways

1. The setting of Jesus’ teaching in Luke—the plain, not the mountain—reveals a God who chooses solidarity over distance. Jesus stands at eye level with the suffering, sharing in their reality and responding to their pain, not as an outsider but as one among them. This challenges us to consider how we, too, might draw near to those who are hurting, refusing to remain detached or aloof. [04:25]
2. The blessings Jesus offers are not a call to passive acceptance of suffering, but a declaration that the world’s current order is not God’s final word. The “great reversal” Jesus proclaims is a promise that injustice, oppression, and exclusion will not have the last say. Our hope is rooted in God’s commitment to upend systems that harm and to lift up those who are downtrodden. [06:13]
3. The woes Jesus pronounces are warnings, not condemnations. They expose the self-inflicted calamity that comes from building one’s life on greed, comfort, and the approval of others at the expense of justice. These words invite us to examine our own complicity in systems of inequality and to seek a different way—the way of humility, generosity, and solidarity. [07:32]
4. The call to justice and equity is not a solitary journey. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, and our faithfulness paves the way for others. Even when we feel like the only voice speaking out, we are joined by a great cloud of witnesses—including Christ himself—who have dared to hope and act for a better world. [11:11]
5. Ultimately, we are not asked to be the first to blaze the trail toward justice—Jesus has already gone before us. Our task is to listen to the voices of the suffering, to echo Christ’s words of hope and transformation, and to trust that even our trembling voices can join in the ongoing revolution of God’s love and justice. [15:12]
** [15:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:21] - Reading from Luke: The Lucan Beatitudes
[01:25] - Wrestling with All Saints Sunday and the Beatitudes
[02:03] - What Does “Blessed” Really Mean?
[02:54] - The Overlooked Difference: Setting in Luke vs. Matthew
[04:07] - Jesus on the Plain: God at Eye Level
[05:22] - The Great Reversal: Justice and the Revolution of Christ
[06:36] - God’s Scales: How Value and Worth Are Measured
[07:32] - The Power of “Woe” and the Warning to the Comfortable
[08:41] - Jesus’ Words: Equity and Justice in an Unjust World
[09:07] - Personal Story: Meeting Bishop Gene Robinson
[10:44] - Standing on the Shoulders of Those Who Went Before
[12:04] - Jesus as the First Voice for Justice
[13:06] - Our Call: Proclaiming Hope in a Messy World
[14:45] - Listening and Echoing Christ’s Promise
[15:12] - Jesus Went First: Our Place in the Ongoing Story

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 6:20-26 (ESV) — 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.
Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
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.
Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

Observation Questions

In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, where is Jesus standing as he delivers his message, and why is this detail significant? ([04:07])
What are the specific groups of people Jesus calls “blessed” in this passage? What are the specific groups he warns with “woe”? (Luke 6:20-26)
According to the sermon, how does Jesus’ approach in Luke differ from the way he delivers the Beatitudes in Matthew? ([02:54])
What does the word “woe” mean in the context of Jesus’ teaching, according to the sermon? ([07:32])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says Jesus stands “at eye level” with the people, sharing in their reality. What does this reveal about God’s character and how God relates to human suffering? ([04:25])
The blessings Jesus gives are not meant to romanticize suffering. What is the deeper message Jesus is communicating to those who are poor, hungry, or grieving? ([08:17])
The “great reversal” is a theme in this passage and the sermon. What does this reversal look like, and how does it challenge the way society usually measures value and success? ([06:13])
The sermon describes the woes as warnings, not curses. What is Jesus warning the comfortable and powerful about, and why? ([07:32])

Application Questions

The sermon challenges us to “draw near to those who are hurting, refusing to remain detached or aloof.” Who in your life or community is suffering right now, and what is one concrete way you could move closer to them this week? ([04:25])
Jesus’ blessings are a declaration that the world’s current order is not God’s final word. Where do you see injustice or exclusion in your daily life, and what is one small step you could take to challenge it? ([06:13])
The sermon invites us to examine our own complicity in systems of inequality. Are there ways you benefit from or participate in systems that harm others? What is one change you could make to live with more humility and generosity? ([07:32])
The call to justice and equity is not a solitary journey. Who are some people (past or present) whose example encourages you to speak or act for justice, even when it’s hard? ([11:11])
The sermon says, “Even if our voices tremble, even if we feel alone, we are part of a chorus that began with Christ.” When have you felt like the only one speaking up for what’s right? How did you find courage, or what would help you find it next time? ([13:06])
Jesus has already gone before us in the work of justice. What does it look like for you to “listen to the voices of the suffering” and “echo Christ’s words of hope and transformation” in your own context? ([15:12])
The sermon mentions that our task is to listen, to speak, and to act. Which of these three is hardest for you, and why? What is one practical way you could grow in this area this month? ([14:45])

Sermon Clips

The revolution Jesus promised was a thing we call often the great reversal. The idea that justice was an impending force, that things were about to be turned upside down because the suffering, the torment, and the oppression of this moment was intolerable, to God. [00:05:55] (20 seconds) #GreatReversal

Jesus brought about a disruption of power centers everywhere, not just in the temple, but also in the nation. Jesus began a radical reorientation of humanity away from the earthly ways that we measure our value, that we measure our worth, that we measure each other, and toward the reality that God weighs the soul on very different scales than we do. [00:06:15] (25 seconds) #ValueBeyondEarthly

The hope that Jesus offers in this moment is a promise that the greed, and the oppression, and the bigotry, and the injustice of a moment cannot, will not, and has not had the last laugh in the life of people. That the profits of false virtues like greed, like success, like self -righteousness and separation from others, supremacy, these things are flattened under Jesus' words, made flat, powerless. This sin of corruption, this sin of injustice, this sin of abuse, these sins are the empty voices of an evil that Jesus has already defeated. [00:06:51] (46 seconds)

This sin of corruption, this sin of injustice, this sin of abuse, these sins are the empty voices of an evil that Jesus has already defeated. An evil that can only invite woe into the life of people. [00:07:25] (18 seconds) #DefeatingEvil

Jesus then offered blessings to the poor and the rejected, not because he thinks they should have some blind false hope that everything is suddenly fine, because Jesus said everything is suddenly fine. It's not blind optimism that Jesus wants to extract from someone, suffering people. He's not asking them to feel particularly blessed. He's not asking them to feel like everything is fine. [00:08:02] (22 seconds) #BlessedInReality

Jesus offered the blessing specifically because he was standing among them, because he heard them, because he understood the suffering right in front of him. He could see it and smell it and hear it. Jesus spoke words to these people that nobody would dare to speak. Words about equity in a world of caste system, and hierarchies. Words of justice in a system defined by its injustice. Blessings and woes coming from Jesus to reorganize the world. Words that would lift the lowly from their lowest places and would bring the powerful down from their most corrupt places. [00:08:24] (46 seconds)

Jesus spoke words to these people that nobody would dare to speak. Words about equity in a world of caste system, and hierarchies. Words of justice in a system defined by its injustice. Blessings and woes coming from Jesus to reorganize the world. Words that would lift the lowly from their lowest places and would bring the powerful down from their most corrupt places. [00:08:41] (32 seconds) #LeadWithLove

Looking back from now, from this moment, I realize I wasn't the first. None of us are the first. Jesus was. Jesus, the one who suffered and died was first. Jesus was the first. To speak the words of equality and justice that so many of us live for now, we have been longing for justice for centuries because Jesus triggered the longing. [00:11:48] (30 seconds) #StandForJustice

Jesus spoke with the voice of God's creation, with the voice of our beginning, the voice of the God who made justice before we even knew what it was. We stand on this plane with Jesus in a world that is marked by its imbalance and its injustice and its disorder in so many ways. And it is into this plane that we stand. It is into this place, it is into this moment, this now with all of its complexities, all of its messiness, that we are called to proclaim the exact same reorientation toward the equity and the [00:12:18] (36 seconds)

We hear the voices of the plain here, the voices of those who are suffering, the voices of those who hunger. We hear the voices of our economic inequality. We hear the voices of those that we reject and oppress. And as we hear those voices, we do not have the choice to ignore them. We do not have... We do not have the choice to walk away from them. Our only choice is the choice shown to us by Christ, and that is to listen, to listen, and then to promise the world can be better. We are called to echo the words of Christ, even if we're the only echo in the valley. [00:14:21] (43 seconds)

We are called to echo the words of Christ, even if we're the only echo in the valley. Because Gene Robinson is right. Somebody has to go first, but nobody has to go first. Jesus already did it. [00:14:57] (26 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What does Luke's setting reveal about Jesus' message?

How does Jesus' presence among the suffering redefine blessing?

In what ways does Jesus' revolution challenge worldly power?