Walking With Jesus – Jesus Meets Us, Do We Meet Jesus (Part III – Lent)

Sermon Title: Walking With Jesus – Meeting Jesus Where He Is

Good News Statement: Jesus meets us, but do we meet Jesus

Preached: Sunday, March 16^th, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 6:17-31 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke. During the Lenten and Easter Season, we are going to be walking with Jesus to the Cross, listening to his parables, deciphering his teachings, and experiencing our own resurrection. Our walk continues to by realizing that Jesus meets us where we are. Our scripture reading is Luke Chapter Six, Verses Seventeen thru Thirty-one. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.

Jesus Teaches and Heals

¹⁷ He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

Blessings and Woes

²⁰ Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor,  for yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ²² “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. ²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich,  for you have received your consolation. ²⁵ “Woe to you who are full now,  for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now,  for you will mourn and weep. ²⁶ “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Love for Enemies

²⁷ “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; ²⁸ bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

The following Sermon Series will be drawn from the words of Biblical Scholar Charles R. Swindoll, who offers commentary and thoughts on the Gospel of Luke in his book ”Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke” published in 2012 by Zondervan Publications in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012.

 

 

Introduction:

In August of 1988, a Scottish duo known as the Proclaimers released a song that five years later reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The lead single from their second album, Sunshine on Leith¸ has been featured in several movies and television shows, is still played on the radio today, and is said that the band’s earnings from this one song are “five times more than the rest of their music catalogue combined.”[1] Needless to say, this 1988 song has become a “live staple”[2] for millions of people across the world. The name of this song is “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”

The song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” according to Charlie Reid, the lead singer of the Proclaimers, “is a devotional thing about how far [a person] would walk for [someone they love].” The chorus is probably the most remembered of the song, and it goes like this, “But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” How far are you willing to walk for the person and people you love?

I was thinking about this song the other day as I was contemplating the Lent and Easter Season. Jesus walked everywhere, except when he was in a boat. He walked to Nazareth to Jerusalem every year with his parents to celebrate the Passover Meal; He walked from village to village and town to town preaching the good news; He walked all over the Galilean Region healing the sick, casting out demons, restoring sight to the blind, helping the deaf hear again, giving words to the mute, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, releasing captives, blessing the poor, and telling the paralyzed to stand up and walk. He walked by wells and places of gathering to forgive sins and to eat with Pharisees, Tax Collectors, and Unbelievers; He walked throughout the land inviting people to give up everything and to “follow him”; He walked in deserts, up mountains, into deserted places, and within the peacefulness of gardens to find restoration, isolation, and hope; and He walked, while carrying his cross, to his death on Calvary. Then three days later, He walked out of the tomb!

It is extremely evident that Jesus walked. He probably walked more than 500 miles! As a matter of fact, according to Ray Downing—a 3D illustrator and animator—“The Gospels give us a detailed accounting of these walks and destinations [within a region roughly the size of the state of New Jersey] and is [estimated] that during the three years of Jesus’ public ministry he walked approximately 3,125 miles.”[3] Besides walking to share the good news and to change the hearts and lives of many people, why did Jesus walk all those miles?

For the next several weeks, leading up to Easter, we are going to attempt to answer that question by walking with Jesus, from town to town as he takes his last step on Calvary but also takes his first step out of the tomb. And hopefully, as we walk with Jesus, it will become clear to why he walked all those miles and to why he invites us to continue to walk for him on this earth. Are you willing to walk 500 miles? Are you willing to put on those boots that are made for walking? Are you willing to walk for those you love and for the One who loves you?

Body:

On May 29^th, 2024, Lake Avenue Congregational Church, founded in Pasadena, California, in 1896, released an article on its website written by Vianney Stephanie titled “I Met Jesus, He is Real.” She begins her article with this question, “Have any of you dreamed of meeting Jesus Christ?”[4] As believers, we long for the day that we get to meet Jesus, stand in his presence, look into his eyes, and maybe see the holes in his hands and in his side. We long for the day to witness our Lord and Savior as he guides us along green pastures and still waters. We long for the day that we get an answer to all of our questions. We long for the day that we see his presence on this earth. Have you ever wanted to meet Jesus?

Our walk with Jesus to the cross and out of the tomb continues by considering those moments in which Jesus has met us where we are. Whether in dreams, on the streets, in our places of living, in our cars, or even in church, Jesus has met us. But the question I propose to you today is, “If Jesus is willing to meet us where we are, are we willing to meet Jesus where he is?” This question comes from the moment when Jesus stands on the plain, in the presence of the twelve disciples and the pressing crowds, and gives a sermon that is both challenging but also rewarding. Matthew titles this sermon the “Sermon on the Mount” while Luke titles it the “Sermon on the Plain.” Both sermons give the same message: blessings, love, goodness, and praying. But, the title of each sermon suggests an underlining message that we must take to heart. Our walk with Jesus involves us realizing that he meets us where we are and we are to meet him where he is.

 

Movement One: The Sermon on the Mount vs. The Sermon on the Plain…

Before getting into the similarities and differences between the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain, it is important to take note of what conspires just before Jesus gives his sermon in Luke chapter six. Luke writes in 6:14-16, “Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” Before Jesus gives the sermon, we are informed that he has selected the twelve disciples or as Luke notes, “the twelve apostles” (Luke 6:13).

According to Charles R. Swindoll, “Many would have seen Jesus’ selection of the Twelve as curious. He didn’t search the temple in Jerusalem for the best and brightest scholars. He ignored the schools of meticulous Pharisees who devoted their lives to strict obedience to the law.”[5] Instead, Jesus chose James and John, known to their friends as the “Sons of Thunder”[6] and who worked as fishermen. Jesus chose Andrew and his brash, outspoken brother, Simon. Jesus invited the despised Roman tax collector and collaborator Levi, who came to be known as Matthew, which means “gift of God.” Jesus picked cynical Bartholomew (a.k.a. Nathaniel [John 1:45]) and Thomas, known for his questions and doubts. He invited Simon, a Zealot, to follow him and welcomed into his midst Judas, who would become a traitor. He hand-selected working-class, uneducated, and not well-loved individuals with obvious flaws. Why would he do that? How could he do that? It is important to remember that Jesus saw his disciples not as what they were, but as what they were to become. And what they were to become people of good news and good faith. However, they had to learn what it meant to follow Jesus first. Jesus gives them instructions  to follow him through what Luke calls the “Sermon on the Plain.”

Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:17-38) is closely related to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). But there are still some subtle differences by which offer new perspectives and meanings to those who hear and read each sermon. For example, both Sermons are delivered early in Jesus’ ministry, with newly chosen disciples and large crowds present. These two Sermons of Jesus present the important basics of the spiritual life of a Christian. Both Sermons lay the groundwork for the new Christian church. Their messages are timeless, for they speak to Christians today as well as to those in the first century.

Furthermore, the Sermon on the Mount—given to a primarily Jewish audience that Jesus was attempting to avoid by walking up a mountainside—lays out the basics of obedience to God. There is an emphasis on the spiritual life of a person, their attitudes reflected in actions and outcomes. On the other hand, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Plain after a night of praying on a mountainside and a morning spent choosing his twelve disciples (Luke 6). He delivered his sermon on level ground and the Sermon on the Plain’s message is grounded in real-life issues. It encourages the poor and disenfranchised in society and warns those more fortunate that their lives will change for the worse if they don’t change their ways. Luke recorded the Sermon on the Plain for a Gentile audience, those unfamiliar of the law. Additionally, the Sermon on the Plain contains guidance in living within the world of the New Testament, which had social inequities and personal conflicts—as has been the case in all time periods of human history. Luke is passionate about explaining God’s care for people on the fringes of society: the least, the lost, and the last.

Moreover, the Sermon on the Mount has nine beatitudes, the verses that begin with Blessed are…(Matthew 5:3-11), while the Sermon on the Plain has four beatitudes (Luke 6:20-23). While the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount outline Jesus’ idea of a fulfilled spiritual life in Christ, the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Plain deal with how to respect economic and social differences.[7]

Additionally, the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain “instruct early Christians and us on several key issues,” as Russell Benjamin Miller writes in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1915. These vital issues are the duty of universal love; the equality of people; and the obligation to serve the less fortunate as a charitable spirit. As the Sermon on the Plain says, “Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back” (Luke 6:30).[8]

Needless to say, both Sermons give instructions on how we should live our life: providing universal love, doing good, paying attention to the less fortunate, noticing those who are blessed by Christ, and witnessing how Jesus finds ways to meet the people where they are. On the Mount, Jesus speaks above the people so that what he says carries farther and longer. On the Plain, Jesus speaks on the ground of the people putting himself amongst those who need to be heard and seen. But what is it that Jesus needs us to hear and see as we walk with him? Let’s break down this Sermon from Jesus.

 

Movement Two: The Sermon Explained…

Luke begins this portion of Jesus’ ministry by stating, “He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.  They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them” (Luke 6:17-19).

Luke states that Jesus came down from the mountain with the apostles, suggesting he had pulled them away from the “great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people” who were pressing upon him, almost crushing him. Jesus descending the mountain with the apostles to engage the multitudes accomplished two important objectives. “First,” notes Swindoll, “the Twelve were identified publicly as his assistants. Second, the Twelve would see Jesus’ ministry in action from a new perspective…they now stood behind him, on stage.”[9] The Twelve, much like we are called to do, are now present and physical ambassadors of and for Jesus, bearing ridicule, hate, and push back wherever they go. Wherever they go, people will see them for not who they were but for who they are becoming.

Then Luke informs us in verse 19 that Jesus has come to underscore the immense needs of Israel and the world. As Jesus moved among the people at this stage of his ministry, comments Swindoll, “[the people] jostled and maneuvered to touch him.”[10] Even without his conscious assent, healing power flowed from him to those who were in need of some sort of healing in their life. Jesus didn’t scare these people away, he didn’t tell them to stop, he didn’t cipher through the crowd to find the sickest person and heal them first, and he didn’t say “no” to them; rather he let them become healed. He let them experience, just as they were, his power. Jesus met the people where they were so that they could meet him and be healed. If you are willing to meet Jesus where he is, imagine the healing power that he could offer you.

Immediately after coming down the mountain, with the Twelve trailing close behind, Jesus turned toward the broader group of followers—hundreds, if not thousands, of men and women whom Luke calls disciples or devoted learners and renders a series of blessings and woes: “Blessed are you who are poor….Blessed are you who are hungry….Blessed are you who weep now….Blessed are you when people hate you….But woe to you who are rich….Woe to you are full now….Woe to you who are laughing now….Woe to you when all speak well of you…” (Luke 6:20-26).

The first blessing has nothing to do with financial concerns. Jesus did not mean, “Blessed are the bankrupt.” The blessings of God’s kingdom were not held in reserve for poor people only, but for those we are—as expressed by Matthew—“poor in spirit.” Jesus is blessing those who feel like they don’t have anything, who feel as if they lack connection with Christ, who feel like they are lost, last, and among the least. Jesus is blessing all those who emptied their hands of this world’s wealth in order to cast themselves into the promises of God. Are you feeling like you are “poor in spirit” today and need Jesus to bless you?

The second blessing is more complex than it appears. Jesus promises delayed gratification for those who wait. In the literal sense, those who choose not to nourish themselves on ill-gotten food suffer the pangs of hunger in the short term, but they will feast on God’s provision in the kingdom to come. Those who hunger now, who are willing to wait for God’s provisions, they will be filled with the love, grace, and mercy of Christ. Jesus is promising us, that if we hunger now, if we fight the urge to not give into the delicacies of the world and fall victim to sin, we will be fed. If we find the strength to persevere today, we will be fed tomorrow. If we don’t give up just because we encounter an obstacle, we will be fed. If we take the time to get out of the rut, embrace change and meet Jesus where he is, we will be fed. How are we fed? We are fed through prayer, through worship, by coming to church, through fellowship, through reading scripture, through living like Jesus in all that we do, and by being willing to expand for the ministries before us. We may be hungry now, but Jesus is blessing us and promising us that if we continue to follow him, we will be fed.

The third blessing, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” (Luke 6:21), promises, like the second blessing, delayed gratification. Presumably, those who weep do so for the same reason the world “groans” (Romans 8:20-23): because it “was subjected to sin”, pain, and hurt, and because it waits eagerly for redemption. Remember what Peter stated? Peter stated, we will “suffer for a little while” (1 Peter 5:10). Peter didn’t say we would suffer for forever. Peter understands that for the time being, while we live on this earth, because of sin, we will weep; but when we enter into the glory of Christ—when we feel his presence, embrace his love, and lean into his promises, receive his power and are healed—we will laugh, we will be redeemed, we will be blessed. But just because we weep now doesn’t mean that Christ has left us alone. Deuteronomy shares, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8).  There will be a time when our weeping turns into laughter, when our trials turn into triumphs, when our messes turn into messages, and when our victim turns into victory. But in the meantime, we must weep, seek forgiveness of our sins, and await the day when we can laugh again.

The fourth and final blessing offers no explicit promise of vindication but rather a warning to the Twelve and us today. Put bluntly, Jesus promised his followers they would receive hatred, social rejection, and verbal reproach while they followed him. Jesus never said that following him would be easy, but he did say that it would be rewarding. As Christians, as followers of Jesus, people will look at you differently, people will judge you, people will assume things that are not true, people will do their best to make you slip up, and people will go out of their way to tell you that you are wrong, that if God is all powerful and good then why is there so much hatred in the world, and that if Jesus died on the cross and took your sins away then why did you sin yesterday.

This blessing reminds me of a joke. An old woman was praying for God to send her groceries. Her atheist neighbor got sick of hearing her pray and went and bought her a bunch of food. The atheist brought it to her porch and she started to praise God. The atheist immediately told her, “Oh no, ma’am. God didn’t do this, I did. I’m an atheist. I was just so sick of your prayers to your fake God that I went and bought this food to prove to you that He doesn’t exist! You can thank me, not some God.” And the lady started shouting even louder, “PRAISE GOD! You didn’t just send me food, You made the devil pay for it!!” No matter what we face in life as we follow Jesus, God will find a way to bless us and remind us that we are strong enough to overcome what is before us, to rejoice and leap for joy because our reward is great in heaven. And who knows, maybe our strength and perseverance will change the heart of someone else. Our hope in God will make the devil pay for his actions!

After offering blessings, Jesus flips the tables and offers a set of “woes”—a set of warnings, a mourning of deep moaning. The first woe, as with the “poor,” indicates that Jesus cares about one’s attitude with respect to wealth. To what does one look for sustenance? Do you put more faith in your paycheck than you do in the righteousness and belief of God? Will you sacrifice righteousness for a more secure position than to sacrifice to do what is right? Those who find comfort in wealth will become poor because they have lost sight of God in their life.

The second and third woes are the opposite of the previous blessings. Those who are hungry, who think they are satisfied, and who believe they have absorbed everything they need to know about Christ, will become hungry because they have put their own satisfactions above the needs of the Lord. And for those who are laughing now—thinking that nothing can go wrong, that life is perfect—will weep and will suffer a little while. It’s through our weeping that God does God’s best work. Those who laugh before weeping feel as if they are above everyone else, and that is not the teaching of Jesus. It’s through our weeping that we come closer to Christ, the one who wept from the cross is the one who wants to turn our weeping into laughing, not our laughing into weeping.

The last woe, the last warning, is against “people-pleasing.”[11] If a disciple’s perspective on God, morality, spirituality, and the way the world works doesn’t ruffle some non-Christian feathers, there’s something terribly wrong. As disciple’s we are “treat others the way we want to be treated,” but we are also called to challenge the way people think to help them understand the glory and grace of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ. As disciples, we may not be called to be “people-pleasers”, but we are called to invite people to change their life, to open their eyes, and to open their heart to a new way of living in Christ.

From these four blessings and four woes, Jesus, standing on the same ground as the people, has met them where they are. He was witnessed their pain and brought them peace; he has heard their cry and issued comfort; he has seen their illnesses and has offered healing; and has administered light in their darkness. Jesus met the people where they are to bless them and warn them just like he does with us every day of our life. Jesus is constantly meeting you where you are to help you turn your life around, to help, support, and strengthen you, and to warn you of what is to come. Wonderful things occur when Jesus meets us where we are. But what happens when we meet Jesus where he is?

 

Movement Three: The Sermon Lived Out…

Before ending his sermon, Jesus says to those gathered, “But I say to you who are listening…” (Luke 6:27). This simple phrase is Jesus telling us to stop what we are doing, to pay attention to him, to walk toward him, to meet him on the “plain.” Then, Jesus instructs us what to do…

First, “love your enemies and do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). The kind of love Jesus called his disciples to express is agape in Greek. Agape is a distinct Christian kind of love that seeks the greatest good of another. Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus called his disciples and us to give this selfless kind of love to the most unlovable people of all: our enemies. The Greek term means, literally, “hostile ones.” These people don’t merely feel unfriendly; they act on their bad intentions. But yet, these are the people that we are called to love and to offer goodness toward. As hard as it may be at times to love our enemies, especially those who think and act differently than us, that is what we are called to do. When we meet Jesus where he is, we gain a deeper understanding of what it means to love with agape love because what we are doing is putting him before ourselves. Can you love your enemies the way Jesus loves you?

Second, “bless those how curse you” (Luke 6:28). The word “bless”, according to Swindoll, comes from the Greek term eulogeo, from which we derive our word ‘eulogy.’ Literally, it means ‘good talk’ or ‘to speak well.’”[12] It carries the idea of speaking well of someone to others, avoiding the temptation to cause harm to others through what you say. James notes in his epistle, “You must understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, for human anger does not produce God’s righteousness” (James 1:19-20). To “bless” someone was to speak well of them. Jesus wants his followers to “speak well” of everyone before God, including those who call down divine calamities and revile them in public and who could be classified as enemies. When we meet Jesus where he is, we learn to listen rather than speak, we learn the power of being blessed.

Third, “pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28). The natural response to mistreatment is to seek justice, usually in the form of retribution, retaliation, or vengeance. In a situation that causes pain, our initial response is to fight back verbally or physically; but that’s not the way of Jesus. In the Old Testament, prophets and poets wisely took themselves out of the vengeance business, resting in the promises that God would take vengeance on their behalf. Deuteronomy 32:35 shares, “Vengeance is mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

Jesus took this a step further. He not only expected his disciples to leave vengeance in the hands of God, he called for them to petition the Lord for mercy on the people who cause harm. Instead of fighting back, choose to pray—let God fight your battles for you. When you meet Jesus where he is, you are essentially separating yourself from the fight; and in turn are putting your trust in Jesus to help you with those who mistreat you.

Fourth, respond to aggression with gentleness (Luke 6:29). Jesus wasn’t calling his disciples to become the world’s punching bag. He wanted his disciples to lay aside their pride in deference to non-life threatening attacks from nonbelievers. Again, this goes back to praying for those who curse you. As disciples we are called not to fight back, but offer “the other cheek” as an act of passiveness—to give our battles to God so that he can fight them for us. If you choose to fight back, our fight might become something we can’t handle. When we meet Jesus, we in turn offer the other cheek to our enemy as we find ourselves facing the direction of Christ.

Fifth, be generous to those who are selfish: “give to everyone who asks…” (Luke 6:29-30). This gentle response to aggression included keeping a loose grip on possessions, which ultimately belong to God anyway. Paul told the people of Corinth, “For God loves a cheerful giver…” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Don’t be like the rich man found in the Gospel of Matthew who went away sad because Jesus told him to “go and sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor” (Matthew 10:21) for he had many possessions. The rich man struggled to commit himself to Christ, to follow him, because his possessions were his life. The Lord called for generosity in response to greed. In God’s kingdom, physical possessions are merely a means to an end, and He can easily replace them.

The point is to value people far more than things. The rich man valued his possessions more than he valued Jesus. When we meet Jesus where he is, we are essentially letting him know that he is more important, more valuable, than the possessions we have, the things we need to do, and the places we have to go. Essentially, we leave the world behind us and focus on Christ before us. We are called to be cheerful and generous givers for Christ and for Christ’s people.

Sixth and lastly, “treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31). Jesus summarized his teaching with what has been called the “Golden Rule.” This great standard of kindness toward others, however, is not original to him. For example, Confucius (living 450 years before Christ) once stated, “What you do not want to yourself, do not do to others.” Aristotle (living almost 400 years before Christ) shared, “We should behave to our friends as we wish our friends to behave to us.” And Plato (living between 428-348 BCE) said, “May I behave to others as they should do to me.” The principle of the “Golden Rule” has been around for centuries, but yet it is one of the toughest rules to follow in life because we live in a society that is egotistically driven.  We spend more time telling people what we want rather than listening to the needs and wants of others.

Jesus, by contrast, called for self-giving without the expectation of anything in return. “His brand of discipleship,” claims Swindoll, “requires faith, confidence that all good things come from God.”[13] When we meet Jesus where he is, rather than waiting on Jesus to meet us where we are, we are essentially putting our own wants aside and doing what Jesus would do: thinking of others instead of ourselves.

Jesus gives a sermon, standing on the same ground as the people, meeting them where they are to send a message. The message is: “If Jesus is willing to meet you where you are and to bless you and warn you, then at some point during your walk with him, you are going to have to meet Jesus where he is so that he can give you the instructions you need in order to change your life.” The bleeding woman of twelve years met Jesus in the crowd, and she was healed. The demon possessed man—living amongst the tombs, chained, and tormented—met Jesus as soon as Jesus got out of the boat and the man was cleansed and given a new life. Jairus, the religious leader whose daughter was dying, called out to Jesus and begged him to save his daughter: Jesus brought Jairus’ daughter back to life and saved Jairus’ faith. And the centurion soldier met Jesus at the cross and cried out, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39).

Throughout scripture, people met Jesus where he was and when they did so, their life was changed. Are you willing to meet Jesus where he is? Whether he is on the street, in the “deep water,” in the wilderness, in your enemy, in your fear, or somewhere that makes you uncomfortable and challenges you, are you willing to meet Jesus where he is?

 

Conclusion:

I invite you to think about the Sermon on the Plain during this time leading up to Easter. Pay attention to the realization that Jesus is not afraid to meet you where you are, to come down the mountain, to descend from heaven. Take to heart that Jesus is willing to stand on the same ground that you stand upon. Receive the notion that he wants to bless you but also warn you. Know that Jesus, in due time, will no longer let you be poor in spirit, hungry, weeping, and cursed by others but will make you rich in faith, full of the spirit, laughing with a cheerful heart, and standing on his promises. All these things happen when Jesus meets us where we are: we are blessed.

Now, when we meet Jesus where he is our life is not only blessed but it is changed. We learn to love our enemies, what it takes to do good, what needs to happen to separate ourselves from those who curse us, how we should pray for those who mistreat us, and why it is important to treat others the way we want to be treated. The Lenten Season is all about seeking forgiveness, experiencing change, and being made new for Christ. It is about learning to live on the very ground upon which Jesus walked: on the solid rock we stand for all other ground is sinking sand. It is about meeting Jesus on the cross, in the garden, and at the tomb. It is about meeting Jesus where he is so that our life will be changed.

Church, friends, this Lenten Season, we are called to meet Jesus in Galilee, in Jerusalem, in the upper room, in the presence of Pontius Pilate, on the cross, in the garden, and at the empty tomb, but are you willing to meet him in those places so that he can change your life? Jesus meets us where we are, now is the time to meet Jesus where he is and ask him, “What do you need me to do?”

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, thank you for meeting us where we are. Encourage us today to only do the same for your children but for you as well. May we spend time every day meeting you where you are so that our life will be changed by your glory and grace. In your precious name we pray, Amen.

Benediction:

This week consider the significance of how Jesus stands on the same ground as you. Ponder what it means to meet Jesus where he is. Let Jesus bless you and change your life during the Lenten Season. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth walking with Jesus to a new resurrection. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Gonna_Be_(500_Miles)

[2] “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” has become a live staple at the Proclaimers’ concerts. The duo played it at Edinburgh 50,000 – The Final Push at Murrayfield Stadium on 6 July 2005, the final concert of Live 8, to symbolize the conclusion of “The Long Walk to Justice”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Gonna_Be_(500_Miles)

[3] Ray Downing, “How Far Did Jesus Walk”, an online blog post published on February 21, 2023: https://www.raydowning.com/blog/2023/2/20/how-far-did-jesus-walk#:~:text=His%20journey%20was%20not%20a,he%20walked%20approximately%203%2C125%20miles.

[4] https://lakeave.org/story/i-met-jesus-he-is-real – Stephanie shares in her article, “As a child who never received guidance about Christianity, I didn’t know who “Jesus” was, the story, or even what Jesus looked like. I kept seeking for Him and trying to figure it out on my own. Eventually, I got to know Jesus Christ after encountering Him in dreams.” Throughout the Bible, God spoke to people through dreams. Abimelech received a dream that he is going to die because of the woman he had married (Genesis 20:3), Jacob had a dream about a ladder set up on the earth and the top reaching to heaven (Genesis 28:12), Solomon received a dream in which God asked him “Ask what I should give you” (1 Kings 3:5), Daniel had a dream regarding apocalyptic revelations (Daniel 7:1), Joseph—the earthly father of Jesus—received three dreams telling him to stay with Mary (Matthew 1:20), informing him to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13), and then letting him know it was safe to return to Nazareth (Matthew2:22). Lastly, Pilate’s wife, during the trial of Jesus, received a dream that Pilate should have “nothing to do with that innocent man” (Matthew 27:19). God speaks through dreams to reveal Himself to us. God uses dreams so that Jesus can meet us and we can meet Jesus.

Stephanie ends her article by stating, “Dreaming to meet Jesus is the closest experience I have had in my life to something bordering on the supernatural. I felt the love of Jesus, the purest, most joyous, transcendent, and unconditional love I have ever felt. It was so profound, joyous, euphoric, and overwhelming. I often cried since there was no way for me to express what it felt like. I felt like I must share it with others. Our love for Jesus is supposed to surpass everything else. I have seen Jesus in my dreams more than seven times. In my dreams, we are obligated to proclaim the Good News, because we have been chosen.”

[5] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 149.

[6] Mark 3:17, quite likely because of their bombastic tempers.

[7] One major difference between the two sermons is the Sermon on the Mount has five more beatitudes than the Sermon on the Plain. The additional beatitudes in Matthew 5:5-9 bless the meek, those who thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. These beatitudes address the spiritual nature of people listening long ago and today.

[8] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 153. Some scholars have noted that each sermon references the end times when his kingdom replaces the present world order.

[9] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 151-2.

[10] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 152.

[11] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 156.

[12] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 157.

[13] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 159.