Opposite World
Jesus said we live in an opposite world. Just one glance at Luke 6 verses 20-38 proves it. Imagine reading these words for the very first time…
20…”Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
23 “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.
25 “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.
For the weak, poor and lowly, it sure gives us a lot of hope. But how about the next set of verses.
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29 “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
30 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
31 “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
Wow! Talk about revolutionary thinking. Can you imagine Jesus preaching this during the reign of the Romans. The very group of people who persecuted and kept the Jews in a form of slavery. If a Roman soldier demanded something from you, you had to give it to him. But you didn’t have to like it. Jesus is challenging the Jews to go beyond what is required. To go above what is expected and give with a happy heart. Even today that is a hard thing to do.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
35 “But love your enemies, **( surely Jesus didn’t mean terror*sts) and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
Another doosy of a commandment!
38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Opposite world! Then and now! I don’t know about you, but that last line really gets me.
What are some real life opposite world examples you see in your own life? Let’s get a discussion going!
**my own insertion into the text
