By Tyson Thorne

August 18, 2016
 
 

The Galilean Ministry at Various Cities (4.14-9.50), 6.17-7.50 - A Day in the Life of Jesus, Part Three

The second wisdom statement (of four) features another reversal of fortune. In this case the hungry will be satisfied. That’s not the only similarity, however. The group Jesus identifies as “the hungry” also has Old Testament roots, also in Psalms (37.16-19) and elsewhere (Psalm 107.9, Isaiah 32.6-7; 58.6-7; Ezekiel 18.7,16), and that those who hunger are again “the godly”. In this passage we see that the wicked indeed prosper here and now, but the godly are more valuable because they are important to God. In a day in which famine will affect both groups, God will provide for his people.

Unlike the first wisdom statement in this series, the focus here is a future rather than immediate satisfaction. While the need will be satisfied in the future, there is a present reality that is experienced by the godly – God’s care. They may not have all they want, but they will have all they need. God can guarantee this because we are part of his present kingdom and rule, something that Jesus secured.

“Happy are you who weep now…” This is important, there is no health and wealth guarantee here. Hardships will come. Our hope is in God, both present and future. “For they will laugh” once they experience the joy of the completed kingdom. I say the “completed kingdom” for certainly there will come a day when God once more “tabernacles” (or lives) with all men, but until then we experience a present kingdom through the rule of God in our lives through the Messiah and his redemptive work.

“Happy are you when people hate you… on account of the Son of Man… for your reward is great in heaven.” Persecution is unavoidable for the practicing Christian. Our example is the apostles in Luke’s companion volume, Acts. They were hated by the religious establishment, put to death (eventually) by the Romans, and all the while they counted themselves blessed for being able to suffer alongside their savior. Jesus gives us another reason to be happy, however: heavenly rewards. We’ve addressed this elsewhere on Think-Biblically.com so we won’t dwell on it here, but it should be noted that Jesus wants us to be excited about what he has in store for us in eternity.

We’ve seen throughout these beatitudes that a common theme throughout is the Kingdom. This makes sense as it was Jesus’ mission to secure salvation for mankind and usher in the Kingdom of God. In fact, the two have a lot in common. Jesus came as a foreign king to take rule over this land, and established his rule in the hearts of all his followers. He will come again and take everything that belongs to him, separating the wicked and the righteous. Our salvation is secured, and yet incomplete. We strive to become more like Jesus through sanctification, but we will not be complete until we receive our resurrected bodies. And the Kingdom has come, and yet it too seems incomplete as the fulfillment of the kingdom is yet to come.

The “woes” are the opposite of the beatitudes and are only found here in Luke. These are provided for impact and surprise. Yep, surprise. As in our day, the people of Jesus’ time thought that those who are wealthy, who never do without, who never have occasion to despair and whom everyone appears to respect are the “blessed’ or happy ones. Jesus turns this idea upside-down. Those who rely on the Lord rather than wealth and community are those who are close to God, and God is close to them and nothing can bring greater joy.

Jesus teaches us to look at life differently than the rest of the world. Jesus understands that our eternal lives are far more important than this temporary physical existence and, as such, deserves to be our primary focus. Living for the future may seem like sacrificing happiness in the here and now, a notion Jesus rejects. There can be much satisfaction, happiness and even joy in this life when we understand it is to prepare us for a better life.

 
 
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