Advent is a time of hope, and the Beatitudes in chapter 6 of Luke’s Gospel reminds us of what we can hope for.
“‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
‘Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.
‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.'”
Inspired by Hope in the Beatitudes
The Beatitudes give a promise of what is to come. If you are poor, hungry, weeping, or outcast in anyway, you can have comfort that your perseverance in those hard times will be worth it.
If you know people who are struggling, as many people do in the Holiday Season, you can have hope that they will be comforted when Christ comes. Because this passage allows us to hope for a time when the poor will inherit the Kingdom of God.
The Woes of Luke 6
On the other hand, the Beatitudes read differently if life is going easy and you have wealth and comfort.
“’But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.
‘Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger.
‘Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
‘Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”Luke 6:24-26
At first it sounds like Jesus is saying you’re in trouble if you have it good. Pausing to think about what he means, you can come to the conclusion that if you have riches, food, laughter, and good reputation, it would be good to share those things with others who don’t.
You can have these things, but they should not become so important that you cannot let them go. Then they will consume you, you will have enjoyed your reward on Earth. Therefore, you will not be needing these good things later. But if these things were all bad, Jesus would not be promising them to those without. Food, laughter, and goodness are a taste of the heavenly joy. Hoarding it here on Earth is the issue that will bring woe.
In this time of Advent, we should probably be looking for ways we can contribute to others feeling that taste of Heaven. Giving good things away can give hope, especially if they know that you are a Christian and these are a little bit of what they might experience in Heaven.
Contradiction Continued
The Beatitudes show that in the end of time, all will be flipped. The first shall be last, etc. In the rest of Luke 6, the contradiction continues with “love your enemies”.
I think loving your enemies is connected to the Beatitudes in the sense that difficult people make life harder, and those who are persecuted will have a greater reward in Heaven. We don’t need any sweetness of revenge now. Jesus promises us a hope in Heaven. If we set that example, maybe those enemies won’t remain against us.
Christianity is unique in that our enemies often are our target audience whom we are praying for conversion.
On Preparation
Advent is a season of preparation, and Luke 6 ends with this theme.
“‘Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.'”
Luke 6:46-49
It is worth it to dig deep, to put in more work, and to toil now so that your house is stronger on the day Christ comes. The way Jesus tells us to do that is to obey His commands.
Once again, we have Jesus telling us to practice humble obedience, to live for others, and to hope for a future in Heaven.
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