Luke 6:12-26

Be Still:  Lord, if there are things I need to see differently or changes I need to make in my life, please show me. Amen

Read:  Luke 6:12-26

Blessed are you who are poor…..blessed are you who are hungry……blessed are you who weep……blessed are you when people hate you…….. Woe to you who are rich….. Woe to you who are full…….Woe to you who laugh…….. Woe to you when people speak well of you. (vv 20 - 26)

Encounter: From Jesus choosing his twelve disciples and attracting ‘great multitudes’, we move into the Sermon on the Mount - the most radical and disturbing core of his teaching and kingdom values.

People have always wanted to be rich, happy, comfortable and well regarded. Today social media, advertising and the entertainment industry create celebrities and influencers and unrealistic aspirations for many individuals: they want to be on the latest reality TV show, to become an instant celebrity, or look like the latest (photo-shopped) online ‘beautiful’ person. 

Maybe we can understand the 'woes' Jesus talked about, if they become our priorities, but how do we understand the 'blessings' pronounced in verses 20 to 22? Are we to seek situations in which we are poor, hungry, sad and hated? Is it ‘wrong’ to be comfortably off, well-fed, happy and well-liked? 

The parallel Matthew passage (Ch 5:3-6) may help us: 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

We need to be humble, aware of our sinful nature, needs and inadequacies without God. We need to be seeking more of God’s anointing and work in our lives and others’, longing for more of his Spirit and for more effectiveness in our living and witness. 

We need to shun self-promotion (however carefully we hide this), and become more open and vulnerable, learning to put others first.

Apply: Is there a danger that we are too easily satisfied, comfortable and sometimes complacent? Do we need to be stirred up and disturbed and re-motivated? Let us recognise that we have a long way to go to become like Jesus, and be desperate for God to change us and use us for his glory.

Devote:  Please, Lord, refocus my aims and objectives to be more closely aligned with your kingdom values and with your eternal purposes and plans.