The Kingdom in Luke

Luke 6:20-23 contain some similar teaching by Jesus to the beatitudes in Matthew 5:
--The poor will inherit the kingdom
--the hungry will be filled
--those who weep will laugh
--and those who get flack for following Christ will be rewarded.

Luke adds some punch by contrasting these positive attitudes with some 'anti-beatitudes':
--the rich will miss out on the kingdom
--the well-fed will be hungry
--the happy will cry
--and don't celebrate just because people like you.

Then he presents some kingdom paradoxes:
--love those who hate you
--bless those who curse you
--don't be satisfied with just a small sacrifice
--and set the example for generosity, don't wait for the other guy to do it first.

You will get what you give:
--judgment
--forgiveness
--generosity

Some more nuggets:
--check yourself out before pointing out someone else's faults.
--whatever is on the inside is what is going to come out.
--words don't prove much—it's actions that demonstrate who you really follow.
--a solid foundation and secure building are a picture of a person who lives out the words of Christ. Mere words or statements of faith are like a house with a shaky foundation. The house may be OK, but without a solid foundation of action, it won't survive the storm. Are we putting into practice the things we have heard, or are we just talking about them? Note: Jesus own interpretation of this story is not that he is the foundation, but that obedience is the foundation.

Notice the similarities between the person who built on the rock, and the one who built on sand:
--both hear Christ's words
--both build the house
--both experience the flood.

Now note the differences:
--the house on the rock pictures the person who puts Christ's words into practice, thus building the foundation on the rock, and survives the storm.
--the house on the sand pictures the person who does not put Christ's words into practice, and thus has no foundation, and his house collapses in the storm.

“And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46

Blessed are... #8

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Want to see God's kingdom come into being, to see people living in harmony? Be willing to suffer some persecution as you work towards seeing it happen.

Persecution will come from people and forces that do not share your purpose or style.
Persecution neither proves that you are right, or that you are wrong. Just expect it.

It may well come from power-hungry, proud, arrogant people who aren't pursuing peace, mercy, teachability or the other traits commended in the beatitudes.

Blessed are... #7

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Actively working to bring factions into agreement.

De-escalating violence, revenge, or retribution.

'Child of' can also be used to mean 'has similar qualities of' as in 'a child of the 80's'.

It is God's desire to bring relationships into a state of peace. Those who desire to follow him and live as his kids will want to do the same.

Peacemakers are actively involved, promoting, instigating, stirring up the best in others.

But, just in case you think this is an easy one to follow, here are some tough questions:
--Can a tank be a peacemaker?
--Can we use violence to enforce peace?
--Is there such a thing as a 'just' war?
--How do we make a stand for justice without fighting against injustice?
--Is Jesus calling us to passively acquiesce in the face of evil?
--When trying to resolve an argument, are we supposed to just give in?

Blessed are... #6

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

Blessed are the genuine, blameless, sincere, untarnished, undefiled, unmixed, transparent in understanding, will, character, thoughts and passions, for they will perceive, know and experience God.

Looking for and expecting to see good character in people will enable you to see those God-like, positive qualities within them. You will see what you look for.

C.S. Lewis in 'The problem of pain' (quoted by Brian McLaren in 'The secret message of Jesus') says: “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

Blessed are... #5

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

I forgive you for what you may have done or said that hurt me.

Mercy is more in action than in word—it is best demonstrated, not just verbalized.

Being merciful infers an openness to a different perspective—allowing someone to have a different point of view than your own.

Mercy is a generosity of spirit.

Both mercy and arrogance will engender the same in return. What you plant you will harvest. Kindness and generosity towards others will make them much more inclined to be kind and generous in return.

Blessed are... #4

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Again there is the value of recognizing a need, seeing a hole that needs to be filled.

Thinking everything is all figured out, complete, finished, means there is no room for improvement (so the unacknowledged hole still remains).

Righteousness is the state approved by God. So, a desire to have his heart and character should be right on the money.

I think this hunger is both for oneself (personal) and for the world (the kingdom of God).

Blessed are... #3

Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.

Meek doesn't particularly mean weak, it means teachable, gentle, humble, patient. It can have a sense of passivity, but I believe it is the idea of recognizing a higher authority that Jesus has in mind.

Not arrogant, not closed to further understanding, not overly confident in oneself.

They will take over the earth. Now that is as unexpected as any of Christ's upside-down teachings. Those who don't fight will win the battles.

The teachable will live to see things improve. They will see (and be) the kingdom of God infiltrating, permeating, changing life here on earth. As Jesus says a few verses later (5:13, 14), his followers are to be salt and light. Those who are open and humble will be his presence on earth, bringing out the God-flavors and God-colors (The Message) in this earth.

So why do many Christians think they have already arrived and should be teaching others, while not being open to being taught? The best attitude for a teacher is to be ready to change his mind, to have the same openness of mind that he would expect his learners to have.

Blessed are... #2

Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
Mourning points to pain, grief, something missing.

Again it infers that we know something isn't right, that everything is not OK.

The result of this mourning is comfort—the hole will be filled.

Not recognizing or caring about the void means that it will still be there, though it may not be noticed or identified.

So don't feel sad because you notice things need improving--sadness is the first step towards  a brighter day.

Blessed are... #1

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who recognize that they are needy, that something is missing.

Those who are dissatisfied.

Those who are helpless.

Will be partners in the eternal plan of God to make the world the wonderful place he always planned on.

The kingdom isn't just a hope for the future, it is very much for right now.

It's better to be poor than rich when it comes to a recognition of your need of God. “You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.” (Revelation 3:17)

Blessed are... (Intro)

The beatitudes are right at the beginning of what we call Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7). A parallel passage is Luke 6: 20–49.
Jesus doesn't give us a lot of theology. He seems more interested in example, and illustration. My good friend Ron figures that is probably quite significant in itself. (Even more interesting, according to Ron is the fact that he never asked his disciples to affirm any statement of faith, or make them conform to any particular doctrinal position.)

So, this sermon must be quite important.
It must hit on the most important things that Jesus taught.
And it probably starts with a bang—the beatitudes.

As I have been mulling over these pithy and pointed projectiles of practical precepts, I realize that they were aimed (not so subtly) at the 'excessive confidence' of the Pharisees. Those guys who had it figured out so completely that they had nothing more to do than to teach everyone else. Sound like any person or institution that you have come across? Each beatitude encourages humility, an awareness of need, a lack of arrogance.

For that reason, I think these few verses have a lot to say to us, we who are trying to bring God's Good News to our world.
As an introduction to Jesus' teaching about the kingdom (the dream, revolution, mission, party, network or dance of God), they lay a foundation for everything else he as to say.

A few general things that fit each of the beatitudes:
--they all start with 'Blessed are'. A blessing is more than a good feeling, it is an impartation.
--each of the positive behaviors/attitudes/character qualities results in something specific.
--there is at least a degree of the opposite of each beatitude also being true. Those who recognize their hunger will be filled. Those who think they are full will end up hungry. The parallel passage in Luke emphasizes this with the 'Blesseds' and the 'Woes'.
--notice how each one is an affront to the person who thinks he has already arrived.