GOD’S BLESSINGS AND WOES

 

 

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

 

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:20-26)

 

I am probably foolish to offer an interpretation of Jesus’ words from His sermon on-the-plain. They are difficult and therefore invite a multitude of interpretations.

 

It’s important to note Jesus’ audience. After praying for the entire night, Jesus appointed His 12 Apostles. The afflicted multitudes had come, and all who sought healing were healed.

 

Then He looked upon His disciples and gave them a needed teaching, which they might never have heard before. From Jesus’ perspective, they were not the accursed uneducated, but surprisingly, they were the “blessed.”

 

How could that possibly be. They were poor, hungry, sorrowful, and scorned. All their lives, they had been told that they were nothing compared to the elite educated.

 

Meanwhile, the elite were the very opposite. They were rich, their bellies were full, their hearts were merry, and they were highly respected by all. They had everything, which suggested that they even enjoyed the favor and respect of God.

 

However, rather than being blessed, this latter group of people were cursed by God. Therefore, Jesus pronounced four “woes” upon these who delighted in themselves rather than God.

 

Okay, I am taking some liberty with the text by taking Jesus’ teaching as more poetic than literal. However, I think that Jesus gives us permission to do so:

 

·       He taught parabolically and hyperbolically.

·       The structure is parabolic - four blessings are followed by four opposite “woes.”

·       What He taught could not possibly be taken literally.

 

Consider the four “woes.” These cannot be regarded as literal. The first “woe” discounts the possibility of heavenly blessing for rich. However, the Patriarchs and Job had been blessed by Gd with wealth. The second seems to literally teach that there is something wrong with having a full stomach. The third claims that laughter is accursed, but this cannot be taken literally. God had even named Sarah’s promised child, Isaac, “laughter.” The fourth literally claims that we are accursed when all speak well of us. However, a positive regard by the community is a qualification for choosing elders (1 Timothy 3).

 

How then should we apply this parable to our lives? As a spiritual lesson! We need to take heart that the way that society regards us is not the way God regards us, and this should be all-important for us.

 

Scriptures warns us against taking the opinions of man too seriously:

 

·       The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. (Proverbs 29:25)

 

Instead, the opinions of man imprison and control us. Therefore, we need to graduate to trusting in the thoughts of God. Daily, I remind myself that God loves me. To demand that even our spouse tells us this daily will becoming annoying. To demand this of a friend will place an unbearable weight on them.

 

Jesus even warned that to seek the approval of men is not acceptable to our Lord:

 

·       “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)

 

Instead, He must be our first priority (Matthew 6:33). The religious elites had relegated God to the bleachers. They first would have to be humbled before they could be blessed:

 

·       “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)

 

Jesus warned that the elites would be given exactly what they had wanted – earthly rewards:

 

·       “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:5)

 

If this is so, let us rejoice in our humbled condition - the poverty of our spirit, our weakness, and neediness, lest we settle on earthly rather than heavenly rewards.