'And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way (Lk. 6:20-26) '
Jesus told the disciples how one receives blessedness from the Kingdom of God which he is inaugurating. Jesus is not speaking about the poor or the rich as classes of people. The poor are the poor in spirit and the rich are those who enjoy the material benefits and pleasures of this world without regard to the needs of others. The disciples Jesus is addressing in the crowd are experiencing or will experience trials which will test their commitment to Jesus. In the Bread of Life Discourse (Jn. 6:22-71), some of Jesus’ disciples stopped following him because what he told them was too much for them to accept; “Many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him (Jn. 6:60,66).” Those who follow Jesus, acknowledge their need for salvation and confess that Jesus is Lord are the poor who will inherit the Kingdom. Those who live in comfort and are comfortable with their present lives and do not confess that Jesus is Lord and accept his word, are the rich who will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Almighty God, we humbly ask you to teach us how to be poor in spirit, to hunger for your daily bread, to cry because of the injustices against our brothers and sisters, and to love those who hate us. Grant us the fortitude to persevere in spite of the obstacles we perceive in front of us, and the faith to believe that you will use all trials for our good and the good of others. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
Jose M. Casciaro, Santiago Ausin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Vincente Balaguer, Francisco Varo, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (2017). The Navarre Bible - New Testament. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.
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