And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. 21 Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. 26 Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.
Luke and Matthew both report Jesus’ “Beatitudes”—his “Blessed” sayings—but they shape them for different audiences and aims. Luke (vv. 20-26) gives four blessings spoken directly to the poor, the hungry now, those who weep, and the rejected, and he pairs them with four matching “woes,” which are serious warnings to the rich, the satisfied, the laughing, and the widely praised. He sets this teaching on a level place and highlights God’s great reversal for those who depend on him. Matthew (Mt. 5:3-12) records nine blessings on a mountain and stresses interior attitudes—“poor in spirit,” “hunger and thirst for righteousness”—with no woes. Jesus taught the same message many times; under the Spirit’s guidance, the evangelists selected and arranged his words for their readers. Read together, the two accounts are complementary: Luke underlines real conditions and God’s promise to lift the lowly; Matthew underlines the heart God desires. Both lead us on the same path of discipleship.
Luke places these words at the start of Jesus’ teaching to his disciples on the plain. The first word is “Blessed.” In Scripture, blessed means favored by God and set on a sure path to joy. The opposite word in this passage is “Woe.” “Woe” is not a curse; it is a serious warning about a path that ends in loss. Jesus speaks to real conditions—poverty, hunger, tears, and rejection—and he ties them to God’s promise.
“Blessed are you who are poor” (v. 20). Luke’s wording is direct. The poor are not simply the “humble.” They are people who lack resources and stand before God with empty hands. Jesus says, “the kingdom of God is yours.” God’s reign—his saving rule—already belongs to those who depend on him. Jesus announces “good news to the poor” (Lk. 4:18). Mary sings that God “casts down the mighty” and “fills the hungry… sends the rich away empty” (Lk. 1:52-53). The poor widow gives “all she had to live on,” and Jesus praises her faith (Lk. 21:1-4). “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith?” (Jas. 2:5).
The matching warning is blunt: “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation” (v. 24). Wealth itself is not evil. But wealth can become a closed comfort that leaves no room for God or neighbor. If our reward is now, we may be too full to receive the better one. Jesus warns how hard it is “for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God” (Lk. 18:24-25). The “rich fool” trusts full barns and loses his soul (Lk. 12:16-21). The prophets condemn trampling the poor while living in ease (Am. 8:4-7). James warns the rich who hoard and withhold wages (Jas. 5:1-5). By contrast, Zacchaeus the tax collector shows the path of conversion when wealth is opened to mercy “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”(Lk. 19:2-10).
“Blessed are you who are now hungry… Blessed are you who are now weeping” (v. 21). Hunger here includes real need and also a deep longing for what is right. God promises satisfaction and lasting joy. This promise echoes Mary’s song: “He has filled the hungry with good things” (Lk. 1:53), and Isaiah’s call to the Lord’s feast (Is. 55:1-2).
The warning matches it: “Woe to you who are filled now… Woe to you who laugh now” (v. 25). Jesus is not against food or good cheer. He warns against a life so arranged that we feel no need for God and show no mercy to others. The rich man and Lazarus picture this danger: a man “filled now” ignores a starving neighbor and later finds himself in loss (Lk. 16:19-31). The “rich fool” treats full barns as final security and is called to account by God (Lk. 12:16-21). Amos warns the comfortable who “recline on beds of ivory” and turn away from their brother’s trouble—their laughter becomes mourning (Am. 6:1, 4-7). By contrast, the kingdom feeds the hungry and wipes tears: “I was hungry and you gave me food” (Mt. 25:35-40); “those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” (Ps. 126:5); “they will hunger no more” (Rev. 7:16-17).
“Blessed are you when people hate you… on account of the Son of Man” (v. 22). “Son of Man” is Jesus’ chosen title for himself. It points to his true humanity and to the figure in Dan. 7:13-14 who receives authority from God. When rejection comes because we belong to Jesus, he says, “Rejoice… your reward will be great in heaven” (v. 23). This is not a call to seek conflict. It is a call to endure it faithfully with courage. The final warning shows the danger of the easy path: “Woe to you when all speak well of you” (v. 26). Praise often comes when we adjust our message to please the crowd. True prophets were opposed. False prophets were celebrated.
Scripture shows this contrast in action. The apostles are flogged for the name of Jesus and “went away rejoicing,” yet they keep teaching every day (Acts 5:40-42). Stephen endures hatred, prays for his killers, and sees “the Son of Man” standing at God’s right hand (Acts 7:55-60). Jesus foretells such trials and calls for patient endurance, not provocation: “They will hand you over… By your perseverance you will secure your lives” (Lk. 21:12-19). Jeremiah is beaten and mocked for speaking God’s word (Jer. 20:1-2, 7-10), while royal court prophets who tell the king what he wants to hear say “Peace” and win approval (Jer. 6:14; 23:16-17). Paul warns that people will gather teachers to suit their desires (2 Tm. 4:3-4), and John notes some “loved human praise more than the glory of God” (Jn. 12:43). These scenes show what Jesus means. Fidelity to Jesus brings rejection now and leads to heaven’s reward. Broad approval often follows a softened message.
Across these blessings and woes, Jesus teaches a great reversal. Those who lean on God in present need will share his future joy. Those who live as if this world is enough place themselves in danger. Discipleship is not a technique for success. It is trust in God, active love for others, and steady loyalty to Jesus, even when it costs. In this way, even our losses are held by the promise of the kingdom. As St. Ambrose (d. 397) observed in his commentary on Luke, the Lord calls us from the comforts that close the heart to the freedom that loves God and neighbor with an undivided will—so that present poverty becomes a wealth of grace and future joy.
Lord Jesus, teach my heart to depend on you. Free me from false security and fear of rejection. Give me compassion for the poor and courage in trial. Let my present choices honor you and lead me to the joy you promise. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011), Lk. 6:20-26; Mt. 5:3-12; cross-refs cited in text.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: St. Luke. Dublin: Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. (Matthew; Luke)
- Brown, Raymond E., et al., eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. (Matthew; Luke)
- Orchard, Bernard, et al., eds. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. London: Thomas Nelson; St. Louis: B. Herder, 1953. (Beatitudes; Lk. 6:20-26)
- Augustine (354–430). Harmony of the Gospels. On the Sermon on the Mount/Plain.
- Ambrose (d. 397). Exposition of the Gospel of Luke. On the Beatitudes in Luke.
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