Luke 6:20-26 (NRSV)
Read Luke 6:20-26 on biblegateway.com
Verse 20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Verse 21"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Verse 22"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Verse 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. Verse 24"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Verse 25"Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Verse 26"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Devotion
Are you poor? Hungry? Persecuted? Since you’re reading this on your smartphone or computer, probably not – at least, not in the way Luke is talking about. Unlike Matthew’s version of the beatitudes (which focus more on ethereal values) here Jesus is referring to those who literally experience such conditions. It’s hard to think of people whose bellies ache from emptiness or who find shelter in alleyways as ‘blessed.’ It’s harder to think of people whose lives consist of smartphones and computers and single-family houses as ‘woeful,’ especially when it hits closer to home. I want to regard my comfortable station in life as a blessing from God, not a preclusion to eternal happiness. Jesus, is there room in your family for me?
The Jesus we meet in Luke is constantly reminding us that God’s kingdom is a topsy-turvy kingdom. How can those of us who are rich, safe and comfortable serve those who are not? And what might they teach us about being blessed?
Prayer
Lord, make me see the hungry, the homeless, the poor in my own community, and move me to help them. Amen