'Looking at his disciples, he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
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.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets."'
Luke 6:20-26
The words of Jesus constantly posed bold and uncomfortable challenges to the status quo. This time was no different. In a culture dominated by the lust for happiness, popularity, and material blessing, Jesus went against the grain and stated that the poor, the hungry, and the desperate were the ones to be admired. It was almost as if He were saying the people that we try to pity are the ones we should strive to be like. How can this be?
Even as Christ-followers, we spend so much time trying to look like we have it all together - like once you accept Christ, everything's golden. We know that isn't true, but a lot of us go to great lengths to keep anyone else from finding out.
The reality is, we are to embrace our need for Him, not cover it up with false glory, perishing riches, and empty laughter. He is saying, “This need that makes you weep, keeps you hungry and thirsty, and brings mockery on your head is to be celebrated, because I have come to fill it. Blessed are you who believe Me, who do not fall away on account of Me, who weep now because of Me – because the day is coming when all tears will be wiped away and remembered no more.
“But to you who ignore this deepest desire, who go to great lengths to silence the thought that "maybe there really is something more" – woe to you, because you will never be filled.”
It seems we have a choice to make. Will we continue to act like we're just fine, or will we be honest about our desperation? Will we live the lie of self-sufficiency, or will we actively rely on Christ's all to redeem us?
