Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20)
As Jesus continued teaching and ministering, the crowds continued gathering and growing from all over Judea, Jerusalem, the coast of Tyre and Sidon. The people had been waiting for the promised Messiah to free them from Roman rule and reestablish them as a nation, and now standing in their midst was Jesus. His healing touch and His hopeful teaching gave them cause to believe everything was now about to change for them. And change it did, but not in the way the people were hoping or expecting.
The blessings Jesus promises in today’s passage from the pen of the good doctor Luke (6:20-23), also known as “Beatitudes,” are promised in their current condition, right then and right now. He told them if they were currently poor, currently hungry, currently mourning, currently excluded, currently reviled, and currently rejected, they were blessed beyond measure. And the reason for their current blessed condition that to the natural man would seem more like a curse than a blessing? Because of the Son of Man.
This is the lot of the Lord’s people. When we are followers of Jesus, often we will be forsaken by the world. It comes down to the difference between the values in the Kingdom of God and the values in the kingdom of man. On this side of the grave, the greatest blessing for the followers of Christ is Christ Himself. As His disciples, He suffered and so will those who are committed to following Him wherever He leads. In the words of the apostle Paul, “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).
Regardless of where this finds you today, because you are a follower of Jesus, you are blessed beyond measure in your current condition. Here is a truth that needs to be fixed in the heart – Jesus plus nothing equals EVERYTHING. And when you breathe your last, you will be received into glory where it is said, “Great is your reward in heaven.”
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 