Beatitudes - Teaching 8
Jesus Teaches His Disciples
Blessings
"Jesus looked at his disciples and said,
“Blessed are those who are poor.
God’s kingdom is theirs.
Blessed are those who are hungry.
They will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who are crying.
They will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, avoid you,
insult you, and slander you
because you are committed to the Son of Man.
Rejoice then, and be very happy!
You have a great reward in heaven.
That’s the way their ancestors treated the prophets." Luke 6: 20-23
Poor
Jesus taught His disciples that you are blessed for the Kingdom of God is yours in your poverty. Matthew wrote, in your poverty of spirit.
Hungry
Jesus taught them, you are blessed for you will be satisfied in your hunger.
Crying Times
Jesus continued, you are blessed for you will laugh after your pain, loss, distress or sorrow.
Hated, Avoided, Insulted, Slandered
And then the meat of this teaching, Jesus told them you are blessed when you are hated, avoided, insulted and slandered because you are committed to Him. Great will be your reward.
Believers shouldn't expect a stress free, trouble free, carefree life, because for sure being committed to His teachings will for one, cause the world to avoid you.
Eventually people will hate you. Others will insult you and some even slander you and do other unjust and terrible things to you. If not, then you are still of the world or a secret agent follower of Christ.
Once you let others know you are a follower of Christ, there will be these changes.
These signs have accompanied many believers for the last 2,000 years. Many have even been subjected to assault and even put to death.
Jesus explained it this way:
The Hatred of the World
"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. But they will treat you like this on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well." John 15:18-23
Jesus' Response
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." -- as they were crucifying Him.
Wow. How did His disciples handle it?
Jesus told them, "Take heart, I have overcome the world." John 16:33b
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
And the Book of Acts plus the epistles (letters they have written to strengthen and teach the early believers) have become a record of how they were able to live this out. And even give up their lives for the cause of Christ.
As a side note: Some Christian believers are avoided and hated not only because they are followers of Christ. Of course, to some extent they are but they are also accorded this treatment because they still have their old sin nature showing. Some are obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-righteous, high browed, high nosed, look at me I'm not like these unrepentant sinners, conveniently forgetting they were once worse off than most people before they became believers. For these kind, the treatment they are receiving should be a wake up call to study the life of Christ more closely.
Jesus never really criticized anyone especially for their past mistakes, their life style choices, their sins. Jesus ate with and hang out with sinners, with simple people, with thieves, prostitutes, beggars, the sick, the demon possessed, the homeless, the destitute, the low lives of society.
The only people he stayed away from were, yes, the obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-righteous, high browed, high nosed, look at me I'm not like those unrepentant sinners type -- those who place their trust on their knowledge of Scriptures but not really knowing the Christ and that they needed Him, Pharisees. Don't be one of them.
Blessings
"Jesus looked at his disciples and said,
“Blessed are those who are poor.
God’s kingdom is theirs.
Blessed are those who are hungry.
They will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who are crying.
They will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, avoid you,
insult you, and slander you
because you are committed to the Son of Man.
Rejoice then, and be very happy!
You have a great reward in heaven.
That’s the way their ancestors treated the prophets." Luke 6: 20-23
Poor
Jesus taught His disciples that you are blessed for the Kingdom of God is yours in your poverty. Matthew wrote, in your poverty of spirit.
Hungry
Jesus taught them, you are blessed for you will be satisfied in your hunger.
Crying Times
Jesus continued, you are blessed for you will laugh after your pain, loss, distress or sorrow.
Hated, Avoided, Insulted, Slandered
And then the meat of this teaching, Jesus told them you are blessed when you are hated, avoided, insulted and slandered because you are committed to Him. Great will be your reward.
Believers shouldn't expect a stress free, trouble free, carefree life, because for sure being committed to His teachings will for one, cause the world to avoid you.
Eventually people will hate you. Others will insult you and some even slander you and do other unjust and terrible things to you. If not, then you are still of the world or a secret agent follower of Christ.
Once you let others know you are a follower of Christ, there will be these changes.
These signs have accompanied many believers for the last 2,000 years. Many have even been subjected to assault and even put to death.
Jesus explained it this way:
The Hatred of the World
"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. But they will treat you like this on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well." John 15:18-23
Jesus' Response
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." -- as they were crucifying Him.
Wow. How did His disciples handle it?
Jesus told them, "Take heart, I have overcome the world." John 16:33b
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
And the Book of Acts plus the epistles (letters they have written to strengthen and teach the early believers) have become a record of how they were able to live this out. And even give up their lives for the cause of Christ.
As a side note: Some Christian believers are avoided and hated not only because they are followers of Christ. Of course, to some extent they are but they are also accorded this treatment because they still have their old sin nature showing. Some are obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-righteous, high browed, high nosed, look at me I'm not like these unrepentant sinners, conveniently forgetting they were once worse off than most people before they became believers. For these kind, the treatment they are receiving should be a wake up call to study the life of Christ more closely.
Jesus never really criticized anyone especially for their past mistakes, their life style choices, their sins. Jesus ate with and hang out with sinners, with simple people, with thieves, prostitutes, beggars, the sick, the demon possessed, the homeless, the destitute, the low lives of society.
The only people he stayed away from were, yes, the obnoxious, self-absorbed, self-righteous, high browed, high nosed, look at me I'm not like those unrepentant sinners type -- those who place their trust on their knowledge of Scriptures but not really knowing the Christ and that they needed Him, Pharisees. Don't be one of them.
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