There are certain teachings of Jesus that make sense the first time you read them. Love your neighbor. Forgive your enemies. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Even when those commands are difficult to obey, we at least understand what He means.
But then there are teachings that stop us in our tracks.
Luke 6 contains one of those moments.
In that portion of Scripture, Jesus looks at the crowds gathered around Him and says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Then, almost without warning, He turns the whole conversation around. “But woe to you who are rich … Woe to you who are full now … Woe to you who laugh now.”
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wondered how those ideas can fit together.
How could poverty be a blessing?
How could hunger ever be a good thing?
Who in the world would want to be weeping?
The Blessing of Need
If we’re honest, none of us naturally desire those things. We don’t wake up hoping to lose our jobs, empty our bank accounts, or go days without food. We don’t ask God to send hardship into our lives, nor should we. Everything within us naturally pursues comfort, security, and happiness, because those things truly feel like blessings.
So what was Jesus talking about in Luke 6?
The answer has surprisingly little to do with money, food, or weeping and wailing. Jesus wasn’t creating a list of circumstances that are automatically good or bad. Rather, He was exposing something much deeper—the condition of the human heart.
When a person is poor, they know they need help.
When a person is hungry, they know what they lack.
When a person is brokenhearted, they are far more willing to look beyond their current circumstances for hope–because their circumstances might present none.
The feeling of need has a remarkable way of reminding us that we are not enough on our own. It strips away the illusion of self-sufficiency and leaves us with nowhere to turn except the Lord. In that sense, poverty, hunger, and sorrow often become unlikely teachers, because they awaken within us a dependence that comfort does not produce.
The Danger of Comfort
Jesus wasn’t condemning wealth any more than He was glorifying poverty. Throughout the Bible, God blessed many faithful men and women with tremendous resources. Abraham was wealthy. Job was wealthy. Lydia was a successful businesswoman. Wealth itself has never been the problem.
The danger lies in what wealth can do to our hearts.
When the pantry is full, the bills are paid, and our homes are full of laughter, it becomes remarkably easy to think everything is fine. We may never intentionally walk away from God, but little by little, our dependence upon Him fades. Prayer becomes less urgent. Our longing for heaven grows dimmer. The One who gave us every good gift slowly moves from the center of our lives to the edge.
That is the warning Jesus is giving.
It is not that riches keep people out of heaven; it’s that riches can cause people to forget heaven entirely.
A Sobering Question
For many of us, this teaching lands much closer to home than we might like to admit.
Most of us have food on our tables every day. We have homes, vehicles, entertainment, and opportunities that much of the world could scarcely imagine. There is nothing inherently sinful about those blessings, and we should thank God for every one of them. At the same time, we should also recognize the subtle temptation that comes with these comforts.
The more comfortable life becomes, the easier it is to settle into this world. We start acting as if this world is our permanent home.
Jesus reminds us that it isn’t.
One day, every one of us will stand before God. Our money, our careers, our accomplishments, and every earthly pleasure will remain behind, while our relationship with Christ will endure forever.
What a tragedy it would be to spend an entire lifetime pursuing temporary comforts only to neglect the Treasure that lasts.
Blessed are those who are rich toward God.
Blessings,
