Lent Day 11… First Sadness, Then Gladness
Today’s Lent post is from Walter Brueggemann’s devotional book, A Way Other Than Our Own.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
—Luke 6.21b, 25b
In his “woe,” Jesus reviews the “laugh now” party. The “laugh now” party consists of those who celebrate the way things are, who benefit from the way things are. The “laugh now” party is filled with buoyancy and confidence, looks extremely well fed, speaks only positively, and sleeps unhindered at night.
Jesus says of the “laugh now” sect: “You will mourn and weep.” You will have your laughter silenced. You will plunge into grief when the bubble bursts, as it surely will. You will face loss, because… Jewish control will not last and because the Empire of Rome, like every empire, will pass away soon. And you will be left bereft.
Mourning and grieving and weeping have to do with… Read More