Luke 6:17, 20-26

Luke 6:17, 20-26 Blessed are you poor, but woe to the rich.

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his
disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “ Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.
The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

22 “ Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out 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
that are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “ Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. “Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 “ Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

Luke’s Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49) parallels Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) in structure, sequence, and thought.
In both cases Jesus outlines a new way of living which is counter-cultural and for some of his listeners, defies understanding.
When Jesus says, “Blessed are you
poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Does he mean those who are financially challenged are guaranteed of heaven?
No!
It is taken directly from the text of Isaiah which Jesus chose to comment on in the synagogue at Nazareth:

“ . . . The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. . .Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (Lk. 4:16-21)”
The English language doesn’t do justice to the meaning behind the word poor.
Typically we think
of material poverty, but the word as it was used in Christ’s time encompasses material, moral, spiritual and religious levels.
The rich man becomes proud of his wealth and thinks he is superior to others.
Jewish culture affirms that you were blessed with wealth because God loved you.

The rich man is powerful in the city and uses his power for his self-serving interest, even to the point of injustice.
Thinking he is self-sufficient, he does not experience dependence on God, and does not fear Him.
The poor man, who is used to being treated with injustice and disrespect, has a
strong sense of his need for God’s help.
He will be humble and trusting before God, and completely willing to keep God’s law.
This is the kind of poverty the Gospel is speaking of. It associates poverty with littleness.
3 “ Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like

children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 18:3-4).
Certainly, child like humility is of great value in our pursuit of heaven.
Poverty is linked to humility, as in the Magnificat which
speaks of Mary’s blessedness: “For He has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness . . .
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty” (Lk. 1:48-53).

Materially rich or poor, if you are poor in spirit, if you are humble, if you approach God in your littleness, then you know you need God in your life.
The spiritually poor which are either materially rich or poor, who become reliant on God, are on the right path to the kingdom.

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Luke 6:17, 20-26

by Daniel Mayne Sr. on Dec 27, 2009

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Luke 6:17, 20-26 — Presentation Transcript