Luke 6:24-26
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Before you begin, recall the last two meditations on Luke 6:20-21 and Luke 6:22-23. Then read Luke 6:24-26 slowly and thoughtfully.
We have seen that the Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, is an upside-down state of being that only starts to make sense when a person begins to become like Jesus. Even though all human beings were created in the image and likeness of God, our natural ways of moving through this broken world tend to take us further away from God - blinding us to who we were meant to be. Unless we are freed from the current that carries us away from the Kingdom of Heaven, the pointless rewards we reap along the way will eventually pull us under.
Take a moment to become still. Breathe in the name of Jesus and breathe out any tension you are carrying in your body. When you feel calm and centered, consider the first two “woes,” or photographic negatives of the Beatitudes, that center around greed.
“What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.”
We were created to tame and cultivate the natural world together under the good rule of God, and we were created to share God’s abundance with each other. In God’s Kingdom there is no scarcity – there is enough for everyone’s well-being and satisfaction. Contemplate this idea for a while and talk openly with Jesus about anything that comes to mind.
Now consider the last two “woes.”
“What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.”
We can’t experience true joy unless we acknowledge and come to grips with the reality of pain and suffering. To “laugh” without a sense of what it means to be torn away from God by our rebellion is to spurn God’s incredible mercy and grace. And to continue finding our identity in the shallow praise of people is to lose our true selves forever.
Return to silence for a while and let your thoughts settle.
What might Jesus want you to realize or do today?
Will you?
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