“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said: Blessed are you…”
Luke 6:20-26
Jesus came to proclaim an unseen kingdom that would become visible through His gospel message, accompanied by signs and wonders. The concepts and principles He taught were often contrary to the views and understanding of the Jews of that time. Generally, they interpreted Old Testament Messianic themes narrowly in the following ways:
- God would establish a literal earthly kingdom that would end their exile from the promised land (by the first century, the vast majority of Jews did not live in Palestine).
- The promise of the new kingdom would coincide with their deliverance from the oppression of Gentile nations (e.g., Rome).
Jesus often confounded them because His message did not align with their views, nor did His identification of the true oppressor—namely, sin. Instead, He promoted a heavenly kingdom present in His Person. He tells the Pharisees (Luke 17:20-21), “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
After His resurrection, Jesus ascended back to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He sent His Spirit to dwell in His believers, forming a community of faith comprising all nations, tribes, and tongues. The Jews, and many today, still desire an earthly kingdom that features ethnic and nationalistic affiliations, along with a societal system that reinforces superiority complexes. However, only those who place their faith in Christ for salvation inherit an eternal (heavenly) kingdom established by a God who shows no partiality (Galatians 3:28-29). God offers the world a preview of His kingdom through the witness and gospel living of His believers. We, the Church, are commissioned to make His invisible kingdom visible on earth.
The “Beatitudes” describe what it means to be blessed in accordance with the values of the kingdom of God. They reveal a God who is primarily concerned with the heart (inward disposition) towards Him and obedience to His Word. In contrast, the world primarily focuses on outward conduct. The problem with this approach is that man’s definition of truth (which informs behavior and mindset) shifts to align with our many unstable and sinful inclinations. If truth is relative to man’s heart, then our ethics and morality will change like the wind.
The Beatitudes are timeless teachings that still apply to the church community today. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus juxtaposes what it means to be blessed in God against the prophetic warnings (woes) to those who reject the gospel message. Here are some highlights from our focus text:
- Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is not promoting that physical poverty is a virtue. Having money and possessions is not evil; rather, our love for them can be sinful. It is what we do with our worldly goods that can be God-dishonoring (Lk 12:15-21). Here, Jesus teaches that those who are aware of their spiritual poverty and the riches granted to them in God through salvation are blessed. Our inheritance is not focused on earthly things, but on that which is of and through Christ (Eph 1:3-14).
- Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Again, spiritual nourishment is in view here: a thirst for righteousness…a desire to draw closer to God. Jesus referred to Himself as the “Bread of Life” that has come down from heaven. Those who hunger for God feed on His righteousness and are satisfied (Jn 6:35). Faith grows our appetite (i.e., affections) for God. His Word is life-giving and endowed with resurrection power (cf. Ez 37:1-14). Bible scholar N.T. Wright put it this way: “…resurrection is not temporary resuscitation; it is, rather, the overthrow and reversal of death…”
- Blessed are those who weep now, for you shall laugh. In general, laughing is not sinful. The weeping that Jesus speaks of brings a couple of Biblical truths to mind:
- Grieving over our individual sin. This is an important step because godly sorrow leads to true repentance (2 Cor 7:10).
- Grieving over the power the wicked use to oppress the righteous (Ps 119:53, 136). Our weeping in this life will be rewarded with rejoicing in the new creation. How? The corrupt body of sin will be put away (1 Cor 15:50-58), and the enemies of God will be judged and destroyed by His Word.
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for the witness of Jesus and the proclamation of His Gospel. Jesus describes what will happen to His followers when He ascends back to heaven. Contrary to the many distortions of the Gospel that are popular in the mainstream church (e.g., prosperity, Word of Faith, etc.), having health, wealth, and possessions are not necessarily signs of God’s blessings. God provides us with some of these things according to His will, but He does not promise them, nor are such earthly, fleeting things a focal point of the Gospel (Jn 16:33). We should have realistic expectations of what being a follower of Christ in our earthly existence looks like (1 Pt 4:12-16). We are blessed and rejoice because our reward is future-oriented and wholly found in the Person of Jesus Christ.
In summary, the primary message of the Beatitudes is simply this: How fortunate and happy are those who lay their hearts solely on God by faith in Christ and therefore enjoy His favor.
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D
www.springoflivingwaters.com
1Wright, N.T., The New Testament In Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, & Theology of the First Christians (Zondervan Academic, 2019)
Beautiful message.