A Study In Luke - Day 12

Day 12 - Luke 6:20-23
 
20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
   for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 
God blesses you who are hungry now,
   for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
   for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

So many of these things sound horrible. There, I said it. I know we are supposed to look at these words and find the wisdom in them, but sometimes, I don’t think I want to be poor, I don’t want to be hungry and I don’t want to weep. I know that these iconic words of Jesus should be what comforts me in difficult times, but I don’t relish the idea that I will be mocked and cursed.
 
I guess what Jesus is trying to teach us here is that there is more beyond what we experience in this world and in this life. Sometimes, it is hard for us to see that. And I don’t think it is unreasonable for us to get discouraged, for us to see only what we can see in this life, and to struggle to get through some of the difficulty that we deal with in this life.

While we are given the hope of the life that is yet to come, sometimes, we have to live the life that we have here, and that can be difficult. We are to remember that others of the faith have been treated this way before us, and that is meant to give us some hope, and of course it does. However, it doesn’t really solve the problems that we are going through now. There are times I wish Jesus had just promised us that everything would go well, life would be easy, and God would bless us so richly that we wouldn’t have a trouble in this world. . .

But alas, that is not what is promised us. Rather, we are promised that there are blessings in “due time.” That time may not be in this world. We are to look at this life as an opportunity to commit and praise God through our struggles as our characters are built to be more like his.
I am glad, however, that Jesus always gives us hope for something more, something grander, and something greater.  It is not that he leaves us with nothing, but rather that he leaves us with much to look froward to. In the end, he will be proven worthy to be praised and our previous commitment and praise will not be considered wasted. In fact, as we struggle, we are learning the value of his love for us.

1. Are you familiar with these texts, or more familiar with the Matthew version of this sermon? 
2. How do you feel about what is promised us? 
3. How can you live today like you are expecting that reward in the future?