Blessed – Luke 6:20-26

Jason Fieber achieved financial independence and retired in his early 30’s by using dividend growth investing to his advantage.  That’s his tag line to his blog, MrFreeAt33.com, where he has written about why he’s glad he grew up poor.  His two reasons, 1) he never got used to luxury, so doesn’t need much to be comfortable, and 2) he developed a chip on his shoulder, a burning desire not to be like his parents whose lifestyles led them to poverty.  But now he’s financially independent and trying to teach others how to be independent, and making money doing it.  Is he blessed?

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

   “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

   “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

   “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

   “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn 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.

   “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

   “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

   “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

   “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.  (Luke 6:20-26 ESV)

Jesus’ message is startling.  We prefer riches to poverty and he plays on that common desire to jar us to our senses.

You are blessed if you are poor, hungry, weep and are spurned by the world for Jesus’ sake because you are not satisfied with the world and its answers.  You are hungry for God and His kingdom, and it will be yours (You are saved if this is your perspective) and your reward in it will be great.  You can have wealth and still be poor in this sense, but it is tempting to be satisfied with this world when you are wealthy.

You should be scared if you are wealthy, sated in appetite, experiencing only the good things of life, and looked up to by everyone because you have become identified with everything humans look to as a means of securing their lives apart from God.  You could be poor and come under this “woe” because you are obsessed with becoming wealthy as a means of securing your life.

The kingdom of God is at odds with the kingdom of man.  Who do you side with?  No, really?  Looking to anything in this world as your most passionate pursuit is siding with the world and won’t be blessed.