There were three different groups of
people: the Twelve, The larger group of disciples and the masses listening to
Jesus in this great sermon. However, Luke seems to indicate that this message was
more for His disciples. He particularly qualifies it by saying that He turned His
gaze on His disciples as He addressed the crowd. It was intended for the
disciples, but he Lord allows the rest to listen to what He was saying. In this
passage we see four sets of paradoxical statements. Luke first states it
positively in verses 20-23, then negatively in verses 24-26. There is no way
anyone can get it wrong. Luke first tells us that to be poor, to be hungry, to be
mournful and to be rejected are states of blessedness. Then He said that to be rich,
well-fed, joyful and accepted are woeful states. These certainly contradict the
reality of human experiences. How can one be poor and yet blessed, be hungry
yet full, be mournful yet happy and rejected yet be full of hilarity? How can
one be rich, well-fed, joyful and accepted yet be seen as woeful?
In some translation of the New
Testament, the word “blessed” is being translated as happy. However, we need to
know that there are distinct differences between being happy and being blessed.
It is possible to have no feeling of happiness yet be in a state of
blessedness. Jesus is not talking about the warm, bubbly feeling of elation but
rather about a state of certainty and assuredness, that all is well despite one’s
condition. This can only come about as a result of one’s rested-ness in Him.
The first paradoxical statement
states. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” There are
definitely four ways that can make a person poor. Laziness and refusal to work
that can get one into the state of poverty very quickly. Secondly, calamity or
some natural disasters that had fallen can make one poor. Thirdly, a person can be a victim of
ruthless oppression and be made poor. Fourthly, by deliberate choice, a person
can give up the comfort of material riches and become poor in order to seek God.
Such a person thinks that riches can hinder his complete trust in God so he makes
himself poor. Matthew’s version of this verse included a qualification. He said,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit….” If we accept this, it would naturally
exclude all the four categories mentioned. Matthew tells us that in saying a
person is proud, arrogant, self-centered, self-absorbed and self-sufficient, he
will find it hard to trust God completely. His focus will not be on God but on his
riches and personal capability.
In the second and third paradoxical statement,
Luke’s emphasis is on the difference between now and later. He states it this
way, ‘Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh’. Jesus
is stating what it would be like when God’s justice reigns. There must be a
different outlook for people living under the Kingly rule of Christ and those
who are not. The attitude of those outside of Christ’s rule is seen in the “I-want-it-now”
or the “Get-it-now” mentality. Such mentalities show no concern for the future
consequences for their present action. We must develop heavenly mindedness by setting
our minds on things above and not on things on earth. Jesus is saying that what
happens right now counts eternally.
The fourth paradoxical statement deals with what
we value. “Blessed are you when
men hate you, and ostracize you, and
insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.” People today think the source of happiness
is found in one’s popularity. How can rejection and being ostracized be a
blessing? Rightly interpreted, what
Christ is saying refers to those who are rejected for His sake. He is not talking
about random and indiscriminate rejection by mankind. We know that the world
will only accept its kind. When we stand and live up the principles laid down
by Christ, we will inevitably suffer some rejection by people who don’t. Christ
is promising heaven to us who would remain faithful to Him despite the rejection
we have to endure for His sake. His followers are exhorted to rejoice in the presence
of hardship. Verses 24-26 take the four positive paradoxical statements and restate
them in the negative form. They essentially teach the same truth. But this time
it is in the form of warnings. They are Jesus’ serious call to take heed to all
that He has said.
Christ holds out the promise that there’s a place
where we experience all the blessings without the residue of the fallen world. Meanwhile,
we are called to persevere in this present world despite the different value
system it has. For whatever earthly experiences we encounter, they are there to
train us for eternity. One day, we will be translated into God’s eternal realm,
to the joy of His eternal presence. There, we will enjoy Him forever, for the faithful
completion of our time here on earth.
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