Luke 6:17-26
17 And then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,
18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured.
19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.
20 And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and began saying, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way.
24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.
25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to treat the false prophets the same way.
The Constitution of the Kingdom of God
The sermon on the plain
The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount across three chapters. In the Gospel of Luke, the location is not on a mountain but on a level place. Also, the message itself is presented in a more concise form. The kingdom of God that Jesus brought was not a political kingdom, but a kingdom of the heart. When the presence and reign of Jesus dwell within us, the kingdom of God is already being realized there. Jesus did not say, “the kingdom of God will be yours,” but rather, “for yours is the kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God has already been realized within us. Your surrounding circumstances may appear hopeless, but welcome King Jesus in the midst of that and act from the perspective of the kingdom of God. Today, let’s go forth with the awareness that the kingdom of God has already been realized in your heart.
Reversed values
Jesus showed that the values of the kingdom of God are fundamentally different from those of this world. (1) The view of wealth is different. People of the world pursue riches. But Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor.” The Bible does not promote poverty. However, those who store up wealth often become overconfident and no longer feel the need to depend on God. The “poor in spirit” refers to those who recognize their lack and continually walk in dependence on God. (2) The view of joy (satisfaction) is different. People of this world live in pursuit of joy (satisfaction). But Jesus said, “Blessed are you who weep now.” Those who “weep now” are believers who grieve over the reality that people are turning their backs on God and walking the path of destruction. (3) The view of gaining praise is different. This world encourages becoming famous. But Jesus said, “Woe to you when all the people speak well of you.” If you are determined to walk in obedience to God, it is impossible to be accepted by everyone. While meditating on today’s passage, I received this question from God: “To what extent are you living according to the values of the kingdom of God?” Before lamenting the powerlessness of today’s church, shouldn’t we examine ourselves to see whether we have shut out King Jesus from our fellowship?
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, please forgive me for the many times I have aligned myself to the worldly values, even while confessing Jesus as King. May the values of the kingdom of God become my own values and the standard by which I live. Lead me and transform me. Once again, I welcome King Jesus into every area of my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.