A Jesus Analysis
As a Christian reflects on the words of Jesus Christ, it will become apparent to the person that His words typically have several lessons that could be applied. There was always the Blatant lesson, typically something all people would move towards, but other times it was something deeper, something that the observer would have to dive into for a greater understanding. One of those passages which has a deeper meaning can be found in Luke chapter 6. The foundational scripture for today is chapter 6:20-26. Here God gives us eight simple guidelines to help us understand our location in our spiritual journey. Let’s read the passage before we continue,
“And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way”
Jesus is outlining the characteristics of two groups of people. The saved and the unsaved. The four Blessed remarks and the four Woe remarks are each a spiritual marker in a person’s life. While they are each different, the Blessed and the Woes do reflect one another in a progressive order.
Our first comparison is, the poor and the rich.
“Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God” and “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
Some will tell you this is discussing the poor within a financial meaning. This could not be farther from the truth; such an idea has come from the Latin American liberation theology and has unfortunately spread. Jesus cared for the poor, not because of their financial status but because of their need for a savior. He was quick to call out those who only wanted food because they were poor, “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal” John 6:26-27. However, this does not mean Jesus didn’t understand the issues that wealth might inhibit someone from becoming a believer. Jesus told the rich man whose financial status was hindering him from following Himself to sell his possessions and give it to the poor, “Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21. Nevertheless, these markers “Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God” and “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.” Can help designate our spiritual attitude and life. To follow the Lord, one must first understand his or her spiritual bankruptcy. One must have the fear of the Lord, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the holy one is understanding” Proverbs 9:10. Why this fear you might ask? The understanding that you and I, before God are worthless and can never match His perfection. God is eternally perfect and we have never been and will never be able to save ourselves on our own accord. However, for those who recognize that God has paved a way to repay this debt through His son Jesus Christ, we can be saved. Yet, first there must be a recognition of such a deplorable state. Further more as Jesus says Woe to those who are rich, if you go about your day thinking you are alright and that you are good enough or that your status is ok than what you have right now is as good as it is going to get. You will never be sanctified in Christ if you think you have what it takes. These two markers give the first clue to the saved or not saved person. It is the initial step in both of their journeys. For both, it is a recognition of oneself on a spiritual status. One is poor and in need of God’s richness through His son, the other rich in their own actions and deeds.
Our second comparison is the hungry and well-fed.
“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied” and “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.”
As before, Jesus is not talking about food but rather something deeper, something more potent. The desire for righteousness. “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth” Psalm 119:103. “But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.” Matthew 4:4. Jesus is clearly interested in our earthly needs “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:25-26. Yet, ultimately He wants and is talking about our desire for His word, our hunger for what He wants in our life. Saved or not saved, as we continue down our spiritual journey we will find either a yearning for His word or we will find a yearning to say no to His word. A good example of a group who did not look to God’s word but rather to their own spiritual righteousness were the leaders in Ezekiel’s day. They thought themselves to be righteous enough, they thought wrong. “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?” Ezekiel 34:2. As we continue down our path we can see the growing fruition of our earlier decision to recognize our spiritual bankruptcy or believe in our spiritual richness. For here the saved is hungering for the Word of God, while the unsaved are seeking their own answers.
Our third comparison is weeping and laughing.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” and “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”
This comparison shows our progression of our decisions that come to a realization of who we are. Jesus makes it clear, that as you get a clearer understanding of who He is, you will realize how worthless you really are, “Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" Isaiah 6:5. The more I study the word, the more I find myself at a lost as to why God would love a wretch like me. For I am as guilty as Judas, as vile as Jezebel, and as evil as Satan. Yet, I am able to see that one day God will make me whole, that through His saving grace I will shout for joy and be glad for what He has done in my life. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. I was once told that the more time we spend with God the more we see our faults, and the more we appreciate God’s grace and mercy. For the unbeliever, they stand in their belief that they are right in this world, for many it is a chase on a down hill slope. Life is good and in their own eyes it should be enjoyed now. By now both have moved in their progression considerably into a new standing in their walk. For the saved, they have understood their spiritual need for God, they have hungered and desired to know Him greater and have finally understood more of who He really is and how we really do not measure up. They are finally at a point of dependence where they lean on Him for understanding and not on the world. For the unsaved, they moved from believing they were spiritually ok, belief that they knew enough and did not need to seek after what God would say to them, and finally into the idea that their life is a joyful cause. This is the most troubling of the three stages, in the first two stages there is still the level of conviction of God calling to the person to repent and turn from their ways. By the third stage, this conviction is starting to dwindle and ultimately leaving the person in void of listening to the call from God at all. “And just as they did not see fit [f]to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips” Romans 1:28-29. For the unsaved the joy of the world is finally arrived. Yet what they don’t know is one day they will realize the error of their ways, and that God is a God of pure justice.
Our final comparison is different, here Jesus is using an “outside consultation” of sorts to help provide analysis for the location of our spiritual journey. Jesus is using the relationship we have with the world to help signify our relationship with Him.
Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”And “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”
Here we have Jesus allowing another witness, not just His own words but something that can help us locate and identify other saved and unsaved individuals. It is no longer ourselves alone who see our decisions, but also the world. The world is one of the greatest witnesses in highlighting our spiritual reality for the simple potency that of being this witness. For those who are hated by the world, who stand for what is right no matter the reaction, it is like a beacon, a loud fog horn blaring that they are a Christian. Now this doesn’t mean to be annoying, or careless with our decisions. Sadly, many people have gone out and screamed, argued, and berated others, all in an attempt to drive them to Jesus and these people have done nothing more than shame Jesus’ name by their actions. A great example as to how we should act can be found in Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego who stood against what was wrong, or look at Stephen who stood firm and proclaimed Jesus Christ to all. For the unsaved, the world highlights their ability to connect and be one. For the unsaved this is the final connection marker of their spiritual journey, a slave to the world, and a slave to the master of this world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4. “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” 1 John 3:13.
Jesus is giving us a clear example of two different spiritual journeys, one alive in Him, saved and brought to life. This person will be rich due to Jesus’ richness, they will be full due to Christ’s complete fullness, they will laugh with joy for He has the will to do a good work in them. For the unsaved who is left in the end, spiritually bankrupt, hungry for the truth, but not able to find it, weeping and gnashing of teeth, it is a tragedy that they have only brought on themselves. There is a saying “what we do in life, echoes into eternity” how more accurate could that be? Our decisions now, will have an eternal impact on us. So as you reflect on your life and as you interact with others take a lesson from Jesus and see where a person is in their spiritual journey, not only will it help you understand yourself but also those around you. God is not attempting to play with your soul, neither should you, if you are not saved you should become saved, if you are saved reflect on the spiritual markers and see where you are on this spiritual journey. Always be pressing forward, always be seeking the truth, for the truth will not only set you free but will make you whole.
Hold until relieved, Our blessed Hope is coming
JL