The Beatitudes

Blessed! The word means those who are happy or fortunate in the sight of God. As you read the Beatitudes, it can be challenging to see how those who are poor, hungry, weeping, or mocked can be considered happy. Yet the Beatitudes are considered the blueprint for what it means to follow Jesus. How is this possible? How can one that the world views as unfortunate be the one who is fortunate in the sight of God? It is important for us to understand the meaning of Jesus’s pronouncements as the daily living of the Christian life depends on it.

Blessings and Woes – Luke 6 : 20-26

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

General Overview

Luke’s presentation of the Beatitudes takes a different form than that of Matthew. In the Gospel of Matthew we get the “blessed” but Luke helps to illustrate precisely what is being lauded here by presenting a list of contrary “woes”. In doing this Luke is driving home the importance of the truth contained in the Beatitudes.

Blessed The Poor

It was fairly common during the time of Jesus for most people in Galilee to experience some level of poverty even if they were not totally destitute. We know, based on the offering of two turtle doves when Jesus was presented at the Temple, that the Holy Family themselves was poor. So why is it that the poor are the ones who are blessed? It is precisely because in their poverty they turn to God. They rely upon him more and thus have a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Contrast that to the corresponding woe: a warning to those who are rich. They have experience material comfort in this life. That comfort has made them less reliant upon God. Now, it is important to note that Jesus is not condemning material wealth. This particular Beatitude often gets used to make that argument. Rather, Jesus is stating that those who are rich have a tendency to rely less upon God. Their physical needs are met and they are living a life of comfort. The truth of their reliance upon God is further removed from the forefront of their mind.

Blessed The Hungry

Jesus then turns to those who are hungry. Hunger is something Jesus faced. We know for certain he went hungry when he fasted in the dessert and was tempted by Satan. It is also logical to assume that, given the Holy Family’s poverty, there were periods when he was growing up where he experienced hunger. Just as with material poverty, those who are lacking food tend to turn towards the Lord in their dependency. Note that in her Magnificat Mary specifically mentions the hungry, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.” Luke 1:53

For those who are full, a warning is issued to them. Again, having your bodily needs met is not a bad thing but when it becomes gluttonous or when we store up food and do not give generously when there are those around us who are hungry, then that is when we have entered a spiritually dangerous zone. Additionally, when we fail to realize that even in our abundance, the source of that abundance is the Lore and we must give thanks, that can also be spiritually dangerous as it can distance us from God.

Blessed Those Who Weep

Those who weep in this life will laugh in the next. Just as with the previous two Beatitudes, in grief and sorrow we often turn to the Lord for comfort. We recall he is the source of all peace and happiness. Those who are not suffering in this world often loose sight of that reality. They often view themselves at the source of their own comfort and happiness. They rarely turn to the Lord and often turn from him. For them, the next life will be sorrowful.

This does not mean that if one is happy and comfortable in this world that is necessarily a bad thing. Nor does it mean that one should seek out suffering and sorrow in this world. Christians are not called to be masochistic. Intentionally seeking out suffering is also sinful. What Jesus is trying to get us to understand is that God alone is the source of our joy. Therefore, even in suffering, we can experience immense joy.

Blessed Those Who Are Hated

Jesus’s words are revolutionary and his message is not always well received by the world. In Luke 4:24, he compares himself to a rejected prophet, “no prophet is acceptable in his own country.” The Old Testament is filled with stories of the prophets being rejected by the people. Why were they rejected? They were rejected because they were calling out the sin of the people and urging them to repent and turn back to the Lord.

When you are esteemed now that means you have become of this world. Your message is not at odds with the fallen state of the world. Thus you are not calling people out of their sin and to true conversion. Just as with the previous three Beatitudes, the focus is on one’s relationship to the Lord. Are you proclaiming the truth of the Gospel? The reaction of the world can be a good barometer to judge this from.

Tying It All Together

The Beatitudes ultimately are not a guide to our materially state of being. If one is rich and well fed, they are not called to denounce all of their wealth and go live on the streets. Likewise, is one is poor, that is not a free pass to do whatever you desire in this world because you material poverty gets you an automatic pass into heaven. What the Beatitudes point to is our interior disposition. They are instructing us, through concrete examples, what the state of our interior disposition needs to be. They are also a warning. A warning that the physical can impact the spiritual. If we become too much of this world then it can be difficult for us to remain with him and focus on the world that is to come.

The Gospel message really comes down to how well we live the most important of the Lord’s commandments:

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 9:18

Anything and everything that prevents us from living these commandments to their fullest needs to be eliminated. If materially wealth, food, esteem, or any other worldly thing interfere or impedes our ability to fully live out these commandments we need to eliminate those things. Ultimately, the Beatitudes calls us to deeper conversion. They show us the path to be fortunate in the eyes of God.

Additional Resources

1. Bible

2. Commentary On Luke

3. Additional Commentary On Luke