#DailyDevotion Is Jesus Worth Everything?

Luk 6:20-26  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  (21)  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  (22)  “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!  (23)  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  (24)  “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  (25)  “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  (26)  “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Jesus’ sermon on the plain is just a little bit harder to get at than the sermon on the mountain if not for the reason that in Matthew Jesus is talking about the reasons you are blessed on a spiritual realm. Luke does not get there till the fourth blessing.

Does being poor automatically qualify you for the kingdom? Is starving a necessary trait now to be fed to satisfaction in the kingdom? Is present weeping a qualification for laughing in the kingdom? In any case Jesus’ words are jarring. We know that faith in Christ Jesus is what qualifies for the kingdom of God. Will there be poor, starving, and weeping people who do not have faith in Christ and will not inherit the kingdom of God? The scriptures are pretty clear, only faith in Jesus qualifies you for the kingdom. Yet Jesus’ words certainly put a monkey wrench into the teaching of prosperity preachers and name it and claim it preachers. It would certainly seem that Job would better understand this.

I think the fourth blessing brings it all together. You are blessed when people hate you, exclude you, revile you, and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man, i.e. Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In cases this happens to you, and it does happen to thousands of Christians everyday around the world, you will often find yourself poor, hungry and weeping. When you find yourself in this state do not think God your Father is opposing you or hates you. Instead take Jesus’ words to heart. He is speaking to you here. Whatever evil you are going through on account of Christ you will be blessed, repaid, compensated gloriously on the day of Christ Jesus’ revelation.

But the four blessings are followed by four woes. Like the blessings they are centered on how we respond to Jesus as our Messiah. If we are enriched by this life, are full, laugh and are spoken well of now because we spurn Jesus’ word and Christ himself, then we can be certain on the day of Jesus’ revelation, you will receive no consolation like the rich man. You will be hungry and not be filled. You will weep and mourn because of what your sin has brought upon you. You will suffer the fate of the false prophets who loved comfort and being well thought of who will perish in the Lake of Fire.

So Jesus here is calling on us to suffer all for his name’s sake. If your worldly possessions are taken away, if you livelihood is removed from you, if you mourn over your present circumstances because of your faith in Jesus, and if all the world is against you take heart. Jesus has blessed you. You will not have lost all in vain. Jesus is coming with his kingdom. His promises are true. You will be rewarded for you faithfulness. But if you have spurned Jesus for comfort and peace in this lifetime, repent. His woes are just as faithful as his blessings.

Heavenly Father, grant us such faith in Jesus that we would risk all, even our lives for the sake of Jesus and his name, that we may receive your and his kingdom on the Last Day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.