Blessed are you! (Luke 6c)

Blessed are you!

Luke 6:17-26
Key verse 6:20

According to the Forbes today, the richest man in the world is Bill Gates ($77.1 Billions). And Carlos Slim Helu ($68.8 B), Amancio Ortega ($63.8 B), Warren Buffett ($63.3 B), and Larry Ellison ($49.3 B) follow him. It is almost impossible for ordinary people like us to see one billion dollars in our hands even once in our entire life. They can spend every day more money than what we can earn all our life. They live in so luxurious houses that they look like they live in heaven. We look so miserable and small before such people. However, here is a great reversal. The Bible does not say that such people are not necessarily blessed. The Bible says that they are just rich, not blessed. In today’s passage Jesus rather says that such people could end up with nothing. Then our question would be, “Who is blessed then?” Jesus says that we believers are blessed. Some of you may ask, “I am not rich. I don’t have a job or my own car. And I have all kinds of problems to deal with every day. How come you can say I am blessed?” Let’s find out why believers are the most blessed in the world.

From the onset of his public ministry, Jesus engaged in preaching good news of the kingdom of God (4:43), people gathered around him. As his ministry was getting successful, however, he faced the opposition from the Pharisees. They said, “How do you dare to declare forgiveness?” “Why do your disciples not fast?” Your disciples broke the Sabbath law.” The conflict with them was brewing and Jesus knew that they would not accept his new way of salvation, which was “by faith.” Then Jesus shifted his focus to raising the kingdom people through his disciples apart from the religious leader. His disciples accepted Jesus’ new way like new wineskins. Jesus envisioned that God would establish his new people through his disciples.

In the rest of chapter 6, Jesus teaches his disciples who the kingdom people are and how to live as the kingdom people, which is aka the sermon of the Plain. In today’s passage, Jesus teaches his disciples who is blessed and who is not and why. I pray that we may know that we believers are truly blessed people and that we may live as the kingdom people continually.

I. Jesus’ disciples (17-19)

After designating the Apostles, Jesus went down with them and stood on a level place. Then he saw a great number of people there. Who were they? Why were they there?

17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

As he preached good news and healed people, a great number of people followed Jesus. They came all the way from Judea, Jerusalem, and even from Tyre and Sidon, which were gentile cities. They came there to hear Jesus and to be healed. In desperation, the people all tried to touch Jesus because power came from him and healed them all. This shows that Jesus continued to spread the kingdom of God among people, curing people of diseases, which were fundamentally caused by our sin and the corrupted environment due to our sins.

Other than such a large number of people, a large crowd of disciples was also there. A disciple was a learner or a follower of a rabbi. A crowd of people came and went soon whereas the disciples followed Jesus 24/7 wherever he went. The disciples were people committed to Jesus. Following Jesus, however, was not easy.

There was a saying in Jesus’ time, “Covered with the dust of the rabbi.” This indicates difficulty in being a disciple. Since a rabbi traveled a lot to teach, his disciples were covered with dust while walking along roads. A rabbi was not paid for his teaching. So, he and his disciples should depend on people’s hospitality for lodging and food. Jesus once said to a disciple candidate about the difficulty of being his disciple, saying, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” The disciples left their families and jobs for a long time. Besides, the Pharisees began to oppose Jesus, which was very uncomfortable and even scary to the disciples. What do you think about the disciples and their life? You don’t want to live such a life, do you? You are following Jesus to be happy not to suffer. But that was what they were and how they lived to follow Jesus. Let’s see what Jesus said to them.

II. The blessed (20-23)

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

Their poverty, hunger, sadness, and persecution referred to the suffering of their real life (rather than their inner state or spirituality, which is more focused in Matthew 5.) Jesus said, “You are blessed!” Wait a second! How come such suffering disciples are blessed? If you see homeless people in the street, you would not say they are blessed. You would not say that mourning people at funeral are blessed. But Jesus said that his disciples, who were now poor, hungry, and sad, were blessed. He even said a weird and scary thing to his disciples in verse 22.

Jesus said to his disciples that people would hate them, exclude them, insult them, and reject their name as evil. This was more difficult to bear than being poor, hungry, or sorrowful. Excommunication or ostracism means not only the separation from their community but also the loss of their citizenship as God’s people. Have you ever excluded in school, among your friends, or at work. That is so painful and scary. But Jesus said that the persecuted disciples are blessed.

By the way, Jesus did not mean that all poor, hungry, weeping, and persecuted people are blessed. Nor did he mean that poverty, hunger, sadness, and persecution are a state of blessing or happiness. Remember that Jesus was speaking specifically to his disciples who suffered while following Jesus. From human eyes, they were pitiful people. But Jesus said that they were really blessed. Why?

It is because they will be satisfied; they will laugh; and they will be greatly rewarded in heaven. They are in want but they will be satisfied and rewarded. Their reward is so great and sure that they can even rejoice and leap for joy in the middle of their suffering. Their needs will be provided and their suffering will be rewarded for sure. This does not simply mean that they will be satisfied physically. In the Bible, such suffering refers to the state of man’s corruption (God’s blessing and fullness is missing or lacking) whereas satisfaction here refers to the kingdom of God, where nothing is lacking. (See Isaiah 65:13-14 for example) In other words, they have and will have the kingdom of God because they are suffering to follow Jesus (22) through whom the kingdom of God is coming. For example, Peter, Andrew, John, and James left their boats to follow Jesus. Levi gave up his job to follow Jesus. They followed Jesus because they saw the kingdom of God in Jesus. They believed that all their problems would be solved through Jesus and in the kingdom of God.  Though they suffer now, that does not deter their perusing the kingdom of God.

Jesus was happy with their desire for the kingdom of God and their faith in Jesus. They are truly the kingdom people. Now Jesus is blessing their desire and reassuring them of their blessing, saying “Blessed are you…for yours is the kingdom of God… you will be satisfied… you will laugh…Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

Here we can learn two things:

1.       The disciples of Jesus do not necessarily live a comfortable and easy life on earth because they put their hope in the kingdom of God, not in this world.

2.       But Jesus guarantees his disciples of their blessing in the kingdom of God.

Sometimes, we wonder why we Christians suffer. Someone suffers from sickness. Someone suffer from financial problems. Someone suffers while serving a ministry. LL and RL should go to Florida and relax for the rest of their lives. But why do they still suffer, fishing, serving and babysitting? Recently, one missionary family was deported from the country where they had served for a long time. Now they have no job to support themselves in their country. How can they survive? What about their children? Why do we suffer? It is because we are the kingdom people and our hope is in his kingdom.

Jesus does not necessarily remove our suffering while we are on earth. But he assures us of the blessing in his kingdom. In some sense, we see our suffering as an evidence of our heavenly citizenship and a guarantee of our great reward in the kingdom of God. So, Jesus encourages us to rejoice and leap for joy when we suffer for his name. If we suffer for Jesus, it means that we are worthy of the kingdom of God. Though we suffer now, our reward in heaven is far greater than our suffering and loss here on earth.

So Jesus does not say, “I am sorry for your suffering.” Instead, he says, “Blessed are you for your suffering! Rejoice! You are my true disciples and the people of God.”

Even though you don’t have a job, you are blessed because you are a disciple of Jesus. Though you don’t see your fruit, you are blessed because God will bless you fruitful in his kingdom. Though you face difficulty in school and at work, you are still blessed because you are the kingdom people. Do you know that you are much more blessed than Bill Gates? The kingdom you have now is worth billion times more than what he has. He has only $77 billion dollars but you have the kingdom of God if you believe and live as disciples of Jesus.

In January, someone stole my computer. I was also discouraged by some of Bible students. When I get downcast, I often read Habakkuk 3:17-18:

“17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails    and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Then I am encouraged that I do not belong to this world and should not put my hope in this world. I should look for God’s grace and put my hope in his kingdom. Then I become thankful even for ordinary and small things that I have but took for granted rather than being discouraged by something I miss. I have Jesus. God is my joy. So I hope in the kingdom of God and my reward there.

III. The cursed (24-26)

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

All of sudden, Jesus changed his tone and declared woes to the rich, the well-fed, those who laugh, and those who are spoken well of. In Jesus’ time, richness and fame were regarded as God’s blessing. We also have a tendency to think such people are blessed. But here Jesus says that is not the case because such people incur God’s judgment upon themselves.

However, Jesus does not mean that all rich and famous people are cursed. The rich here refer to the people who seek comfort in their possession, not in the kingdom of God. Those who are well fed are people who care for themselves only. Those who laugh are people who do not concern about God’s judgment. Those who are spoken well of have tendency to seek the approval of the world. The common thing among them is that they have no fear of God but seek their welfare here on earth. Their happiness is in their richness, fame, and what they have. They are satisfied now with their own, but Jesus warned that they would end with nothing but God’s judgment. The point lies not in whether the person is rich or not but in where he puts his hope - in the kingdom of God or in this world. When Jesus said these woes, probably the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were in his mind because they enjoyed their privileges and power but rejected Jesus and thus the kingdom of God.

Sometimes what really bothers us is not our own suffering but someone’s prosperity. What if your ungodly friends get good jobs or they are promoted while you are unemployed? What if you see that unbelievers are healthy and prosper in many ways while you suffer from sickness and bankruptcy? What if a worldly Christian is recognized in the church while we live by faith but without recognition? Well, that is not easy to overcome. We wonder why God allows them to live well. Then we can be discouraged and embittered.          

King David was also discouraged and embittered once when he saw the wicked enjoy their richness and good health. (Ps 73) But soon he realized that they would perish for sure and that he should fear and trust in God. God knows what is on each person’s heart. He will punish those who seek their own glory and welfare rather than the kingdom of God. Let’s read Isaiah 65:13-14:

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. 14 My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.

This is God’s warning about his judgment on those who seek their own satisfaction on earth without God. So, when we see those people we should have pity on them and pray for them but we should continue to live by faith in Jesus, putting our hope in the kingdom of God.

In today’s passage, Jesus says about four blessings and four woes. The contrast is stark. But actually they all serve as a call for us to be responsive to Jesus and put our hope in the kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us how to live in this world as God’s people and encourages us to continue to seek God and his kingdom despite our difficulties in this world. We believers are God’s people. Our hope and desire is in the kingdom of God, so we live differently from the rest of the world. We are richer than anyone in the world because we possess the kingdom of God now. Remember you and I are the most blessed people in the world because God has given us his kingdom through Jesus. Let’s say together, “We are blessed!”