This is the context according to Luke:
Jesus ascends a mountain where he spends “a whole night in prayer to God.”
At daybreak, he summons his disciples and chooses twelve of them to receive the title of “apostle.”
Luke then lists their names. Pay attention to one called Simon—he’s also called Peter, a name that means “rock” in Greek.
Oh, and you’ll probably notice that “Judas Iscariot” is the one who’s going to later break Jesus’ trust. Talk about your spoiler alerts!
Now Jesus gets busy in the flatlands, where a huge swarm of people along with gobs of people from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon are all “mingling together” to hear what he has “to say” and to get “access” to his powers of healing.
So, Jesus heals tons of people tormented by all kinds of unclean spirits and the sick.
There’s no doubt that he’s living up to – all of his promises initially made in his original mission statement.
When the time is right…Jesus lifts his eyes to his disciples, suggesting that what he’s about to say applies directly to them…as well as to the others…
“At first hearing the words of Jesus are simply incredible. Strange but incredible.
It would seem as though he has said that “all who are poor, hungry, mourning and persecuted” are blessed, while all those who are “rich, well-fed, happy, and honored” are cursed.
Just what was that supposed to mean?
Was he being creative?
Was there something they were missing or not understanding?
These were “hard words” to hear and to understand…
Jesus’ statements were so backwards from what we have been taught all our lives that people of all sorts have struggled to understand what Jesus is saying in this section of “blessings and woes.”
This definitely isn’t the beatitudes of Matthew that we have come to know and to love! Luke is well, different.
Totally different.
No sermon on the mount, but rather just the opposite, a sermon on the plain!
One non-Christian British psychologist, following Sigmund Freud, accused Jesus of promoting “masochism.”
Mahatma Gandhi, on the other hand, believed that the teachings of Jesus in this text held up the “highest ideal” for “how to live life.”
“Some Christians,” especially in our materialistic-modern-self-indulgent America, tend to “spiritualize” these words so that we don’t have to apply them…or take them “personally.”
“Still other Christians” say that Jesus is only giving us “a description” of how things “will be” in the kingdom of God (or the kingdom of heaven,) so we don’t have to live like this now.
Still others … argue that Jesus is just “laying down a standard” which is “so high” that we will “all recognize” – “the utter impossibility of keeping it,” and so will become aware of our own sinfulness.
The bottom line is that “the sayings of Jesus” are challenging. Hard…difficult.
They confront us “right at home,” and “challenge” everything that we hold most dear.
It seems that what he was saying is that the poor, the hungry, those who are weeping and those who are hated and despised…are actually blessed.
They know that their need of God is great. The poor, hungry, weeping and despised make room for God in their daily life. They need God. They know that they need God. They desire God. They long for God. They want God to be a part of their daily lives. They know and are aware that without God, without his direction their lives would be far worse.
God is important. God is central in their lives.
Whereas the rich, the full, the laughing the well thought of have little or no need for God in their daily lives.
The greater your need, the greater your need for God in your life…
When your needs are being met, when things are good, when you are riding high…how much at those times do you need God?
When life is wonderful, people tend to forget about God. He is no longer central in your life. You have life by its tail. You have it all. Prayer is not as important. God gets pushed away. He is set on the back burner, until needed later.
Jesus saw things differently. Those on the periphery are blessed now and will be blessed in the future. But woe to those that think they have it “all together” and do not need God.
There will be surprises. Life sometimes is a little topsey turvey…and the last will be first…
So where are you at?