Luke 6:17–26 (NIV)
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage
Read the Passage
Who is in the passage?
What action verbs do you see?
What other words stick out in your mind
Questions
Is Jesus talking about physical needs, spiritual needs, or both?
How do I know when I speak for God vs the selfishness of me?
Vs 17 Two groups of people
· Disciples- large crowd, many more than the twelve, these who would follow Jesus
· Great Number of people- Jews as well as possible non- Jews, or at least people who lived in more Gentile regions. Came to hear him and be healed- to make up their mind about who Jesus was
Vs 19 even to touch him would bring healing-Mark 5:25-29
Once Healing service done he teaches,
vs 20-Interesting that healing was probably more for the crowd, teaching was more for the disciples.
vs 20-26 Blessing and woes similar idea of Moses to Israel in Deut 28. Difference is consequences are more immediate in Deut.
Blessing - happy -result of divinely given salvation, a joy given by God (Luke 2:14)
poor- spiritual emphasis though alludes to physical (see 4:18) word for poor means to the point of having to beg.
is- Kingdom already yours, the other three blessings are promises yet to be fulfilled
Hunger being satisfied- described often as a banquet Isa 25:6-9
Luke 16:19-31, Luke 14:15-24
vs 21 b- weeping is the things that cause sorrow, the injustice of the world and its hurt and pain
Injustice will be removed, we will enjoy God and his creation in the way it was mean to be Rev 21:4
vs 22 -23
Notice how each hatred step is worse-
· hate- feeling but not an action
· exclude- left out but not turned upon
· insult- verbal abuse still have contact with
· rejection- cut off refuse interaction
For the blessing it has to be as a result of believing in Jesus (think 1 Cor 13:3)
vs 23 echoes vs 22- Jesus places the emphasis on rejoicing even in the midst of persecution (what Philippians is all about) you are doing what God wants not men (acts 4:18-20)
Prophets- most Bible prophets were rejected for what they said, leaders mostly listened to false prophets who would say everything is good, God will not allow anyone to hurt his chosen people
vs 24-26 is the opposite of 20-22, Blessing and curses based on how you live and what you believe. It is not about who you are in this world, it is about receiving God's blessing and living in a way of thankfulness with a hope of what is to come. Reminds me of Ps 73
vs 26- trying to please men rather than God. How do I know when I speak for God vs the selfishness of me? How do you stand for God without pronouncing judgment? vs 37
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