Blessed are the poor

Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Luke 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
Luke 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Luke 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Luke 6:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
So, where do you fit in? Are you one of the blessed or one of the woes? I would dare say anyone rich enough to sit in front of a computer to read this blog (as well as the one typing it) will fall into the woes of what Jesus was saying. Really, how often is our heart grieved for those who are so less fortunate than we are? How can we be grieved when we live in a society that promotes wealth and material gain at any cost? From the time we are small children we are taught that we must do good in school so we can get high paying jobs in order to lavish ourselves in the luxuries of this fallen world. I've often told my own children this very same thing. It's almost like a bribe to get them to study and do well with the reward being extravagant homes and vehicles. We tell them that being worldly is sinful yet encourage it at the same time. Is it any wonder they consider us to be hypocrites?
You may be thinking to yourself at this moment that you are certainly not rich. Maybe not by "American" standards, but let's see how you stack up when you compare yourself with the rest of the world. There are approximately 6.7 billion people on planet earth. Over 1 billion of these people try desperately to survive on less than $1 a day. You're probably thinking that's bad, but that means 5.7 billion are doing ok right? Think again. Another 2 billion survive on less than $2 a day. To put this in perspective, almost half of the world's population survives on less money a day than we spend on an order of fries at McDonalds. An estimated 30,000 children alone die everyday from hunger and preventable diseases. We have no clue here in this land of plenty. Still think you're poor?
Let's break down these verses a little farther. Luke 6:20: Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Having no luxuries of the world, how much more would one of these 3 billion poor souls appreciate Heaven? Luke 6:21: Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Many people in central Africa alone walk for miles just to retrieve buckets of water suitable for drinking. Everyday is  a struggle just to live. When was the last time you missed a meal? I'm sure mothers weep for their starving children and much sorrow afflicts the hungry. While we laugh at the table as we gorge our bellies. Luke 6:22-23: Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Did you know Our Christian brothers and sisters are murdered, tortured, raped, and imprisoned in many countries everyday? Between mid 2008 and mid 2009 it is estimated 176,000 Christians were martyred for their faith. Don't believe me? Just click on the International Christian Concern link on the left side of this blog and read these stories for yourself. We don't even know what persecution is here in America. Can you immagine the joy these believers are going to feel when they are able to praise and worship God freely and without fear at last? While we here who have this freedom already are to caught up in our daily worldly duties to truly realize just how pittiful our feeble attempts to squeeze God in here and there truly are. Luke 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Though you surely desire more, if you are reading this, you are rich. Luke 6:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. This verse should terrify us. Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Another warning of worldliness. The world loves it's own.
To those reading this, it is not my intention to condemn us all to hell. It is my intention however, to bring to light what Jesus tells us about His love for the poor. In Matthew 25:37-46. Jesus says: 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Above, in verses 37-40, Jesus blesses those who have helped the poor and afflicted just as if they had been merciful to the Lord Himself. Notice what happens to the wicked who turn a blind eye to those in need in vs 41-46. Again, Jesus shows us that denying the poor and afflicted is the same as denying the Lord Himself. They are sent away to everlasting punishment.

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We simply can't ignore the plight of the poor and downtrodden and honestly call ourelves followers of Christ. To whom much is given, much is required. We are too blessed in this life to not help in some way. Pretending this doesn't exist is no escape or excuse. Thousands die everyday while we day dream of a bigger and better everything. We whine and cry when our neighbor gets a new car and we still drive an 10 year old clunker. Why me Lord? I want a new car too! It's not fair, I work harder than he/she does. Do you see the foolishness of this spoiled brat attitude we posess? Brother K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, says in the slums of Bombay India, there are over 100,000 children living on the streets not even knowing who their parents are. Children nursing from dogs because there is nothing to eat. Sound gross? What if you were that child? Just a couple of more verses and I will stop. Matthew 19:16-22: 16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother, and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
Are we truly willing to give up our great posessions to follow Christ? These verses should cut us all to the bone. Why? Because we've been taught all of our lives that we have all of this material wealth because we are shown favor and are blessed more than other suffering believers by God. Try justifying this belief to the child nursing from a dog. I do believe God wants His children to prosper and be happy, but not for our own self fulfillment. I believe He blesses us so we can bless others. Not for our own self righteousness, but for His glory.
 Suppose one of these poor souls who live on less than $2 a day prays every day for God to send help and he never receives it. Was it because this person lacked faith? Or was it because God was willing to allow one of us to bless this brother or sister and instead we turned a blind eye? Could this be why Jesus condemns those who turned a blind eye so harshly in Matthew 25? Something for us all to think about.
Written by Kirk