Blessings And Woes

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven for their ancestors  treated the prophets in the same way. 

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.” (Luke 6:20-26)

Jesus isn’t saying it is great to be poor, hungry, sad, hated, excluded, insulted, or denounced.  There is nothing blessed about those descriptions.   He speaks of the Kingdom of God – the place where all those enduring earth-bound hardships and pain will find peace and that blessedness.  Not in that place, but in a not so nice place, the tables will be turned on the rich and comfortable who forget or ignore their obligations to help those in need of compassion, empathy, and justice.  There will be no reward, just woe according to Luke speaking for Jesus.

There will be recompense for those called evil and denounced because they believed Jesus was the Son of Man. Their belief will save them.  Our belief will save us.  Blessed are all of us who place our hope in the Lord and follow his way.

Deacon David Pierce