Word@Work Luke82 - Luke 6:21
Published: Thu, 04/15/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
A VERY DIFFERENT FUTURE
Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (NIV)
Although this passage has similarities to Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, Luke says that the scene was not a mountain but a 'level place' (Luke 6:17); it is therefore called the 'Sermon on the Plain'. Jesus is teaching the crowds, and also specifically training the newly-called disciples. Ministry was not going to be a joy-ride for them. With their Master, they would have to experience hunger and sorrow; and as leaders of the Early Church, many would be persecuted to death, while others suffered all sorts of personal deprivation.
So Jesus contrasts the hardship of the apostolic lifestyle with their future hope, and He gives His personal promise to bless them in the future. Hunger and sorrow are never good, and they will not feature at all in heaven (Revelation 7:16; 21:4). But until that time, they are a part of the fallen world we live in. Satan used Jesus' hunger to tempt Him to satisfy Himself; but He said that 'man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4). So we learn that fleshly attempts to find satisfaction can never remotely match the satisfaction of obeying God's Word and receiving His blessing. Jesus wept too, for this world can never redeem itself; the apostles would share that sorrow for the lost world as well as deep grief when they thought they had lost their Master.
Full contentment and perfect joy awaits us in Glory with Jesus. It is tempting to seek it here, and Satan tries hard to convince us of our right to heaven on earth; but it cannot be ours permanently until Jesus comes back to claim us as His own, exclusively. Through 2000 years, the church has endured very difficult times only because they believed the promise of Jesus, that He would bless them with His presence and peace one day. That is the 'hope' of the believer. 'Hope' is a technical word in the New Testament which means the confident assurance that what God has promised will be personally fulfilled in His presence one day in the future.
Every Christian must hold onto that hope. It is there to enable us to persevere in the most difficult times. It is the conviction that 'Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel'. Do encourage your fellow believers, at work and in the church, who are going through hard circumstances. While we want the Lord to answer our prayer and relieve our pain now, if He does not - do you believe that He will fulfil His promise? Assuring your friend of that is a real ministry of comfort and compassion.
Prayer: Gracious Lord. Although this life is full of difficulties and personal hardship, thank You that You understand and that Jesus has experienced it too. Forgive me for moaning and complaining when I should be trusting in Your daily provision and anticipating the joyful satisfaction of Your presence. Help me to minister in truth to my friends in need; comforting them with Your promises. And may I hold to them strongly also, as a witness of Your amazing grace in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Although this passage has similarities to Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, Luke says that the scene was not a mountain but a 'level place' (Luke 6:17); it is therefore called the 'Sermon on the Plain'. Jesus is teaching the crowds, and also specifically training the newly-called disciples. Ministry was not going to be a joy-ride for them. With their Master, they would have to experience hunger and sorrow; and as leaders of the Early Church, many would be persecuted to death, while others suffered all sorts of personal deprivation.
So Jesus contrasts the hardship of the apostolic lifestyle with their future hope, and He gives His personal promise to bless them in the future. Hunger and sorrow are never good, and they will not feature at all in heaven (Revelation 7:16; 21:4). But until that time, they are a part of the fallen world we live in. Satan used Jesus' hunger to tempt Him to satisfy Himself; but He said that 'man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4). So we learn that fleshly attempts to find satisfaction can never remotely match the satisfaction of obeying God's Word and receiving His blessing. Jesus wept too, for this world can never redeem itself; the apostles would share that sorrow for the lost world as well as deep grief when they thought they had lost their Master.
Full contentment and perfect joy awaits us in Glory with Jesus. It is tempting to seek it here, and Satan tries hard to convince us of our right to heaven on earth; but it cannot be ours permanently until Jesus comes back to claim us as His own, exclusively. Through 2000 years, the church has endured very difficult times only because they believed the promise of Jesus, that He would bless them with His presence and peace one day. That is the 'hope' of the believer. 'Hope' is a technical word in the New Testament which means the confident assurance that what God has promised will be personally fulfilled in His presence one day in the future.
Every Christian must hold onto that hope. It is there to enable us to persevere in the most difficult times. It is the conviction that 'Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel'. Do encourage your fellow believers, at work and in the church, who are going through hard circumstances. While we want the Lord to answer our prayer and relieve our pain now, if He does not - do you believe that He will fulfil His promise? Assuring your friend of that is a real ministry of comfort and compassion.
Prayer: Gracious Lord. Although this life is full of difficulties and personal hardship, thank You that You understand and that Jesus has experienced it too. Forgive me for moaning and complaining when I should be trusting in Your daily provision and anticipating the joyful satisfaction of Your presence. Help me to minister in truth to my friends in need; comforting them with Your promises. And may I hold to them strongly also, as a witness of Your amazing grace in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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