Luke 6:17-26
Blessings and Woes
Read the passage
17Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.
18They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by unclean spirits were healed.
19The entire crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.
20Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.
23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.
24But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
People come from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon to hear Jesus and be healed. His power brings relief from disease and unclean spirits. Then he looks toward his disciples and tells them who is blessed.
He names the poor, hungry, weeping, and those rejected because of the Son of Man. The kingdom is theirs; hunger will be filled and tears will give way to laughter. Rejection for his sake places them alongside the prophets and comes with a great reward in heaven. Their present pain is real, but it does not give the final verdict on their lives.
The woes are just as direct. The rich have received their comfort; those full now will hunger, and those laughing will mourn. Universal praise can put a person alongside the false prophets rather than the faithful ones. The things people most often use to measure a good life can leave them terribly unprepared for what is coming.
Jesus does not ask his hearers to admire deprivation. He promises reversal through God's kingdom and warns those satisfied with what they possess now. His disciples need to let his verdict govern their hope, even when it contradicts what their circumstances seem to say.
How We Know
Matthew 5:1–12 also records blessings on Jesus' disciples, including those who mourn and those persecuted for his sake. The wording deserves attention: Matthew names the poor in spirit and hunger for righteousness, while Luke addresses the poor and those hungry now, then adds corresponding woes. Comparing the passages helps us hear each account carefully without replacing Luke's direct words with Matthew's formulation.
Questions
1 Who comes to hear and be healed by Jesus?
AnswerA large crowd comes from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal regions of Tyre and Sidon. They seek both His teaching and His healing.
2 Whom does Jesus call blessed?
AnswerHe names the poor, hungry, weeping, and rejected for the Son of Man. He promises that God sees and will bring His kingdom's comfort.
3 What do the woes warn the comfortable about?
AnswerWealth, fullness, laughter, and praise can become false security when they prevent people from noticing need or depending on God.
4 What question should a family ask about its comfort?
AnswerConsider which comforts have made you less attentive to people who are hungry, grieving, or excluded. Choose one practical way to share what you have.
What This Means for Us
Jesus does not call suffering good, and He does not condemn every form of provision. He does expose the danger of a life so comfortable that it cannot hear the cries of others or recognize its need for God.
Families can receive the blessings as hope for the vulnerable and the woes as a warning to the secure. Let gratitude become generosity rather than a reason to defend comfort at any cost.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, comfort those who are poor, hungry, grieving, or rejected. Keep our household from treating comfort as proof of righteousness, and teach us to use what we have for mercy and faithful dependence on You. Amen.