Written ~ 10-31-2023
Luke 6:20-23
20 Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.
22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.
23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.
I’d like to look at each of these verses in The Amplified version, this translation expounds upon each verse in a very neat way. Verse 6:20,
20 And looking toward His disciples, He began speaking:
“Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever].
When we read verse 6:20 where it says, “Blessed are you who are poor…” What is the first thing you think of? Maybe someone who doesn’t have enough money and lives in poverty? Makes sense that the impoverished would be blessed with the Kingdom of Heaven. But in The Amplified version it’s actually explaining the word poor in a different way… “poor in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant.” The dictionary defines “poor” as inferior in quality or value, humble, modest, genuine, honest. So does that explanation help give you a little more insight to what Jesus is saying in verse 20? When we give our lives to the Lord and live for Him, we give up all the world has to offer in order to follow Christ. Our hearts and minds are fully trained on the Word of God. And because we have dedicated our lives to the Lord in a humble, modest way, we will inherit the Kingdom of God. So what if we were switch out the word “poor” for the word “rich.” “Blessed are you who are “rich,” for the Kingdom of God is yours.” Doesn’t quite seem right, does it? If we were talking about money and wealth as being the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, a lot of us would be left out, wouldn’t you say? That’s why in Matthew 19:23-34 Jesus says this…
23 Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it is difficult for a rich man [who clings to possessions and status as security]to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth and status] to enter the kingdom of God.”
Then if we look a little further in Luke 6, verse 24 says,
24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.”
So, verse 6:20 is talking about matters of the heart, not the physical possessions a person may or may not have. It is the condition of our hearts that allow us to inherit the Kingdom of God.
Let’s move on to Luke 6:21a,
21 “God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.” (NLT)
The Amplified version says it this way…
21 Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are you who hunger now [for righteousness, actively seeking right standing with God], for you will be [completely] satisfied.
Can you see the theme now? That these blessed things are not physical, but spiritual? So as we clarified the word poor as having nothing to do with wealth or the lack thereof, here in verse 21a, we are not talking about physical hunger. No, the “hunger” from this verse refers to our hunger for the Word of God, the filling up of wisdom, knowledge and seeking to please God in all we do. On this earth, we can not learn everything there is to know about God, we just can’t. But someday, when we step into the Kingdom of Heaven, our hunger for knowledge, for wisdom, for truth will be completely satisfied! When we read the Scriptures today, there will always be those questions that cannot be fully answered. Not until we see Jesus and our Heavenly Father face to face will our desire, our hunger for answers be completely quenched.
Now is not the time to eat, drink and be merry… Luke 6:25a says,
25 “What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.”
If all we do is fulfill our physical hunger and never look to the Scriptures for instructions how to satisfy our spiritual hunger, then we risk an indulgence that gets us nowhere. When we are filled to capacity with the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord, we can rejoice. But if we choose to have the “eat, drink and be merry” lifestyle there will be a lack in spiritual fulfillment, and that’s when an awful, unsatisfied hunger will await those who do not put their faith and trust in the Lord.
Next, let’s look at Luke 6:21b,
21 “God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.” (NLT)
The Amplified version,
21 “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are you who weep now[over your sins and repent], for you will laugh [when the burden of sin is lifted].”
When the decision has been made to give your heart and life over to the Lord Jesus Christ, your sins have been forgiven. When you go to the Lord with a repentant heart those burdens are lifted. Sorrow over those wrongdoings will turn to joy and laughter because the curse of evil has been removed from your life. So what about the person who does not give their hearts to the Lord? They live for themselves and don’t regard the truth of the Scriptures as something they need to worry about. The person whose heart is not filled with the Holy Spirit now, while still on earth, will not see the Kingdom of Heaven after death. Look at the way the world lives, they have zero respect for the Word of God, they go about their business completely ignorant of what Christ did for them on the cross and they follow the desires of their hearts. Look at verse 6:25b,
25 “What sorrow waits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.” (NLT)
The Amplified version,
25 “Woe to you who laugh now [enjoying a life of self-indulgence], for you will mourn and weep [and deeply long for God].”
Though our lives here are earth will have the constant temptation of sin and the allure of the world, as believers we have turned our hearts from those things and have the hope of Heaven. Through Christ we are forgiven from the sins that have the penalty of eternal death and with joy, we look to the future, an eternity in Heaven.
Verses 6:22-23 show Jesus telling believers the blessings that await us in Heaven after we have gone through the persecution the world will throw at us for believing and following Him. Sometimes it may not be easy to follow Christ, there will be moments non-believers will ridicule your faith and try everything they can to make you turn your focus off of Him. Let’s look at verses 6:22-23,
22 “What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.
23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.” (NLT)
The Amplified version,
22 “Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness]are you when people hate you, and exclude you [from their fellowship],and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of [your association with]the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way.”
If we are living for the Lord every moment of our days, and we are “hated” and “excluded” and “mocked” and “cursed” because we follow Jesus Christ; then we are living as we should! If we call ourselves Christians and no one challenges our faith and belief in the truth of Jesus Christ, or even question why we are different, maybe it’s because our outward lives are not shining the light of Jesus. Something to think about…
Look what verse 6:23 says! If we are “hated, excluded, mocked and cursed” we are to rejoice! Not only that, we are to leap for JOY! Why? Because then our lives show the glory of Jesus Christ living within us! And GREAT is our reward in Heaven! We can read in both the Old and New Testaments and see how the Prophets and the Apostles were treated. They were hated, some imprisoned, and many killed, just for loving the Lord. There is a warning in verse 6:26, if we continue the type of behavior that gets the praise and great accolades from the world, only sorrow awaits…
Verse 6:26,
26 “What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.” (NLT)
The Amplified version,
26 “Woe to you when all the people speak well of you and praise you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”
If you yearn for praise and great accolades, make sure it’s coming from the Lord and not the world. Don’t make the mistake of seeking out the acceptance of the world. By doing so, you could be sacrificing your walk with the Lord!
The last thing I wanted to point out, is how The Amplified version defines the word “Blessed” differently in each of the verses 6:20-22,
- Blessed = Spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired (verse 20)
- Blessed = Joyful, nourished by God’s goodness (verse 21)
- Blessed = Morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness (verse 22)
Aren’t those wonderful? So, let’s all strive to live our lives blessed by the Lord!
~AMEN~
If you ever wanted to know what is was like to be blessed by the Lord? Why not give your heart over to Him right now?
Pray this simple prayer and invite Jesus into your life…
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! “What Blessings await you…”
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.