After Jesus came down the mountain on which He chose His twelve apostles, a large crowd gathered to listen to Him on a stretch of level ground. This “sermon on the plain” is similar to the “sermon on the mount” in Matthew’s Gospel. It sets out the basic moral standards for those who chose to live within the community Jesus is establishing.
The four blessings declare certain groups of people to be privileged recipients of God’s special gifts. God is on their side, not against them. When the coming of God’s Kingdom brings about a dramatic reversal of status, these people will be exalted.
The four woes obviously parallel the blessings in form and contact. Luke has already identified Jesus as the Messiah who has come to save the poor and lowly. The contrast between human justice and God’s justice, brought out earlier in his Gospels by references to the Old Testament, is emphasized in Jesus’ new teaching.
Jesus’ goal is not simply that His followers should avoid transgressions. He expects them to go further, to bear good fruit. What does He consider good fruit? Love your enemies, turning the other cheek, giving without expectations of return, mercy, forgiveness, repentance from your own sins, instead of judgment of others for theirs. What we are like can be known by whether you bear this kind of fruit or not. There is no question that Jesus wants His followers to bear a kind of fruit that is impossible for fallen humanity on its own. Later Luke will present Jesus speaking about the gift of the Holy Spirit, through whom there can be an interior abundance that bears good fruit outwardly.
God Bless
Msgr. Powell