Luke 6- Blessings and Woes

The thing that stood out to me most in this chapter was Jesus pronouncing blessings and woes. I find it interesting that he named some of the things that people tend to look down on and strive not to be—poor, hungry, weeping, hated by others—then called those things blessings. And then, to turn things upside down even more, he pronounced woes on those who are rich, full, happy, and well-liked by others. At first glance, you might think that Jesus was either a) bitter because he wasn’t rich or full or well-liked, or b) saying that in order to be a part of God’s kingdom, you had to be poor and hungry and miserable and hated. But I don’t think that was the case.

It seems that the more a person focuses on themselves and their “quality of life” by the world’s standards, the harder it is for them to focus on God and rely on him for a completely different (and better) type of richness, fullness, happiness, and acceptance than the world could ever offer. It can become so easy to rely on the things we have in the here and now—money, good food, the pursuit of happiness, popularity—that we completely miss out on the fact that it is God alone who can truly meet our needs, satisfy us and give us joy in all circumstances, and accept us even as broken as we are. I know that when I become focused on money and things (either having them or striving to get them), "happiness" by our country's standards, and how well I'm liked, I am so much further from feeling satisfied and joyful on the inside and from having a close relationship with God than when I am not focusing on those things. So I think that Jesus was saying that by the world's standards a person may look poor when they are actually experiencing a fuller and more joyful life than those who, by the world's standards, look rich and successful.