Thursday, May 27, 2021 16:45:04
Posted By Nan
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Luke 6:17-26 This section is a powerful encouragement to Jesus’ disciples. Then, as now, they lived in a cruel world that gave little support to those who were not prepared to follow the world’s way of greed and “dog eat dog”. Yet Jesus was calling His disciples to a different way of being. A way that was gentler, more loving, more caring. To a time where being poor was not a crime. Instead He proclaimed that the poor belonged in the Kingdom of God. In different versions of the Bible poor has many meaning. Having read many different versions I believe poor is multi layered. There are the poor physically, who cannot afford a roof over their heads and food. There are the poor spiritually, who seek more because they know they do not have enough. Jesus also proclaimed that those who cried because of circumstances in their life would laugh. He reminded the people that they were blessed when people hated, excluded and insulted them. Even when people judged them and claimed they were evil because of their faith in Jesus. All were blessed. Those under such sorrow and persecution would rejoice and dance for joy because their reward in heaven was a cause for much joy. Those who are in this earth and are rich without faith in God had already received the comfort. The same with those who were well fed. Those who were happy and who were spoken well of. They had already received their reward. Jesus also reminded the people that the prophets sent by God had been poor, hungry and sad. People had hated, excluded and insulted them. They had also been rejected because of the word of God they proclaimed. They had faithfully served God and been rejected by the people. Those who were evil had money, food and frivolity. People idolised them. But God rejected them. So here is another source of Joy. The Joy that comes from God when He rewards us for our faithfulness to Him. We may never see that reward until we get to Heaven, but how great to spend eternity in Joy. |