Luke 6 | Humble Beginnings, Glorious Ends
Do you remember “opposite day”?
It wasn’t a formal thing, I don’t think, but when I was a kid you never knew when someone might spring it on you. Some kid seeking fun (or mischief, you never quite knew which) would ask a question like “Do you eat worms?” Emphatically, you’d say, “No!” And they’d say “Ewww, yes, you do! It’s opposite day!”
Groan, groan. It was hard to overcome such logic.
I confess, in today’s reading I thought of opposite day. Except this one isn’t for jokes (or mischief!).
Jesus’ message is so often full of seeming opposites, isn’t it?
- Blessed are the poor.
- Blessed are the hungry.
- Blessed are the weeping.
- Blessed are the hated.
What does all this mean? How can someone “hungry” be blessed? Or the weeping? Or the hated? What manner of speech is this? What manner of way is this?
It’s the way of our Master. Because isn’t that what He did when He came?
- Left His riches and became poor.
- Left His honor and became despised.
- Left His home in heaven and became homeless on earth.
- Left His glory and became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).
He did all this so that…
- The poor could inherit the kingdom of God.
- The hungry could be filled forever with deep satisfaction.
- The weeping could laugh forever as God Himself wipes their tears from their eyes.
This is the true reality of God’s Kingdom.
A life with Jesus starts with humility. But ends with glory! Now that’s what I call an opposite. And one we can celebrate!
As we remember His cradle, let’s also remember His throne; and rejoice that our Master modeled true humility, and paved the way for us to be truly blessed.
“…He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” Luke 1:52-53