First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-8
5Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Psalm 1
1Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! 2Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night. 3They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper. 4It is not so with the wicked; they are like chaff which the wind blows away. 5Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, nor the sinner in the council of the righteous. 6For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-20
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.] 12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Gospel: Luke 6:17-26
17{Jesus} 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 and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. 20And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22Blessed 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! 23Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 24But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”
Cursed or Blessed
As I was preparing for today’s sermon, I was taken aback by the directness of the opening verse of our Old Testament reading for today: “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength” (Jeremiah 17:5). Then when you consider the very first verse of the very first chapter of Psalms, “Blessed are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seats of the scornful! (Psalm 1:1), it’s an amazing contrast. Blessed or curse, prosperity or destruction, for us to get a firm grasp on these opening verses, we must first take note of who these passages are directed at, God’s people.
These weren’t words God directed at the heathen nations that were surrounding the Hebrew people. God through, His servants, is sending a very blunt and direct message to His chosen people. Blessed is the man, or cursed is the man. Admittedly, we don’t mind God talking about blessings, but we’re somehow shocked when we hear the opposite from God. Cursed: I did some digging into this word and it is indeed as blunt as it’s translated here in our reading. The Hebrew word arar (aw-rar’) is intended to grab our attention as much as it is to shock us; it’s meant to send a very clear message.
According to the research done on Biblehub.com, “The Hebrew verb “arar” (aw-rar’) primarily means “to curse” or “to bind with a curse.” It conveys the idea of invoking divine harm or misfortune upon someone or something. In the biblical context, it often reflects a solemn pronouncement of judgment or a declaration of being set apart for destruction.
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, blessings and curses were powerful expressions believed to influence the fate of individuals and communities. Curses were often seen as binding and irrevocable, carrying the weight of divine authority. In the Hebrew Bible, curses could be pronounced by God, individuals, or communities, and they often served as a response to disobedience or covenant violations. So why is God communicating His divine displeasure with the people of Israel?
The verb (aw-rar’) is only used 31 times in the Bible and it’s always used in reference to sin. The very first usage of this word goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. We know the story of sin entering into the world for the first time. Eve listens to satan and eats of the Tree of Knowledge and then gives it to Adam who also ate, “and their eyes were opened” (Genesis 3:7). Adam and Eve both put their trust in something other than God and gave into their desire “to be like God” (3:5).
As a result, God declares a curse upon the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field!” (vs.14). Then down in verse 17 God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” Because of our sin, God cursed His own creation, a work that He initially called “good” (Genesis 1:9). When we take today’s opening verse of Jeremiah and place it beside the fall of humankind in Genesis, we must acknowledge the correlation: to trust in anyone, including ourselves, above God is to incur the curse God that has placed on both sin and, by extension, the very creation we depend upon for our own existence.
Someone once said, there are basically two kinds of people in the world: those who divide people into two kinds of people and those who do not. God through our prophet says that there are indeed two kinds of people, one kind he calls cursed; the other he calls blessed. Jeremiah compares the life of those who are cursed to a low bush in the desert, inhabiting a parched and desolate wilderness. On the other hand, Jeremiah compares the life of the blessed, to a tree planted by the waters–that spreads its roots out by the river.
Those who are blessed of God are said to have green leaves and their fruit, or the results of their lives, are bountiful. Two kinds of people. For one, life is meaningless, empty, without hope or promise. For the other, life is purposeful, rich, loaded with promise, full of hope and good cheer. Two kinds of people. To which group do you choose to belong? A quote from Albert Einstein is poignant here, “life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it’s pointless.”
The question we need to address is, if you want to belong to the first group, the cursed, what’s required? The answer is simple, do what you want. Follow the world’s mantra, “to thine own self be true.” This quote originally comes from Shakespear’s play Hamlet, but it’s a refrain that the world has taken as a truth, and a goal. The point of the statement is that we need to stay true to who we are, our core values, our self-defined sensibilities and principles, without any concern for others’ opinions. So, if you want to be like a low bush in the desert, inhabiting a parched and desolate wilderness–if you want your life to be pointless, meaningless, empty, without hope or promise–all you need to do is, keep thinking only of yourself. There’s no need to join an organization, read a study manual, pay initiation fees, or exercise a single physical, mental, or emotional muscle. You don’t have to go on a diet, or make any well-intentioned resolutions, or care about anything or anybody in the whole world except yourself. Simply repeat the manta, “to thine own self be true” and act on that alone.
Life in the desert is the easiest kind of existence available to us, it requires nothing more than staying focused on ourselves. That’s why millions of people today live where they do–in the middle of a parched and desolate wilderness. Two kinds of people. If you want to belong to the first group, think only of yourself. Jeremiah speaks to the reason people prefer to remain part of this group, the cursed, two verses later in verse 10, Jeremiah says, the “heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked . . .”
He’s talking about our hearts. The sinful nature we were born with is continually lying to us. It tells us that we can ignore the laws of good health and abuse our bodies by gluttony, riotous living, and all sorts of things that aren’t good for us. Being true to oneself says, happiness can be bought. It tells us that we can use other people and ignore their needs and concerns. It tells us that the path to happiness is the path of least resistance. It tells us to eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.
What being true to oneself doesn’t tell us is the Gospel–that tomorrow doesn’t have to be about dying, but about having abundant life through Jesus Christ. What the corrupt heart doesn’t tell us is that in Christ, we can live a new and richer life–that there’s more to life than food, the pursuit of self-satisfaction above all else, and meaningless goals. Think about it. The sinful nature in us is continually lying about what’s real and lasting, and good, in this world. And, over time, a vast erosion can take place in our lives–an erosion of values and principles and relationships–and all that will be left will be a desert. Paul’s words to the Galatians are very poignant, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (6:7-8). Cursed, or Blessed, we have the choice.
So, if we want to join the other group, the blessed, the group that’s compared to a tree planted by the water with its roots spreading out to the river, with its green leaves and bountiful fruit, we must look beyond ourselves. Being true to God means that we must look beyond ourselves. We must begin with where our obedience lies. To be true to God, above all else, means we must first place our trust in God. It’s not enough to simply come to church, go through the motions of worshiping God, of honoring God, or fearing God, or believing in God. We must learn to trust God.
Isn’t it strange that we put on our coins “In God we trust,” yet in truth it would be more honest if we inscribed on our money, “In our military might we trust”; “In our economic superiority we trust”; “In our technological expertise we trust.” It would be very difficult to find one semblance of actual trust in God in the way we conduct our life as a nation. The same is true of our public and personal lives.
Oftentimes, in our business dealings, we find it difficult to adhere to Godly, ethical, and moral principles. Let’s face it, we’re under pressure to be more concerned about losing customers or business, than we are about our witness for Christ. And what about peer pressure: what would our friends think, us putting God first in everything? It might cost us a friendship, or an opportunity for some momentary pleasure. Despite what the world wants us to believe, our identity in Christ means that we are a Christian first, and everything else is informed by this fact. Our being a member of the Body of Christ isn’t a private matter; it’s the primary matter, and it’s 24/7. If we’re truly going to experience abundant life, as God intends, then we’re going to have to learn to trust God in all things.
Peter Marshall once wrote: “I know that God is far more willing to do things for us than we are to ask Him. And that’s a great mystery.” Knowing God is a loving Father, I have to think that God is grieved at the sight of so many of us trying to do things on our own. He longs to help us, but too often we won’t let Him, or we won’t ask. And yet, God has proven, time and time again, that He can be trusted. His love for us is everlasting. He is our Counselor and our Comforter; He is our enabler and the source of all our strength. We need to let go and let God. We need to trust Him not to take responsibility from us, just the fear, worry, and dread.
As the Psalmist wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .” (103:2). And as Jeremiah will write two verses later, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him” (17:7). We need to learn to trust God. And we need to see the possibilities God offers us. Isn’t that what hope is? To believe that even in the desert, a stream of life-giving water still flows. We may not see it with our eyes. We might not feel it with our fingers. But God promised us that it does exist, and God always provides.
Jesus told the woman at the well that He is the source of those life-giving waters. “If you knew the gift of God,” Jesus said to the woman, “and who it is that says to you, give me to drink, you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water . . . Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will be in him a well of water gushing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10-14). God has a purpose for each of us, and He longs to give us what we need to accomplish that purpose.
An unknown author tells about two devout Christian men in business together having a conversation. An important contract was expiring that was important to their business. “Dwight,” said Bob, “unless we sign that new contract within the next two months our company is finished.” Dwight, a quiet man of calm faith responded with our lesson for today: “Bob, let’s take a look at Jeremiah 17:7-8: ‘Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’ “Notice, Bob,” Dwight continued, “that this ‘blessed’ person is joyful in his soul. He trusts God in all circumstances, and he draws nourishment from his faith in God. And he produces healthy fruit; undaunted by drought.”
After spending considerable time pondering this passage, Bob said, “Yes, that’s nice, Dwight, but we still don’t have that contract!” This was Bob’s way of saying, “It’s well and good to read the Scriptures, but we’ve got a problem, and I have to face reality.” Dwight wouldn’t be put off, however. He said, “Bob, let’s take a few minutes and look at what else Jeremiah says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.’
Dwight continued, “Notice that this ‘cursed individual is cool in his heart toward God, having become dependent upon his own ability for survival. He is spiritually dry and impervious to surrounding prosperity; dwelling alone in a dying environment.” Dwight wasn’t saying that they should read their Bibles and forget their work. He was saying that they were to trust God and not worry about their business. Calm faith combined with hard work is the best way to prosper in all things. Somehow Dwight’s words struck home with Bob.
In the weeks that followed, he began to draw nourishment from his daily time of meditation on the Scriptures. As an inner peace settled in, it became obvious to all that knew him that he was changing from a withered “bush” into a healthy “tree”, someone who truly had learned to trust God and be open to the possibilities that God had in mind for him. And yes, two days before the dreaded expiration of the contract, Bob and his company signed an agreement that literally overwhelmed them with work for years to come.
Blessed or cursed, two kinds of people. The first places their trust in God and focuses their lives on serving Him. The result is an abundant life and a secure future. The second group place their trust in themselves, or others, and the result is living in a parched land, living a pointless life, a life with no hope for the future. The choice is ours. Which do we want to be, a thriving “tree” or a withering “bush?” It all boils down to this, in whom do we trust?
Amen