Through His promises Jesus wants to motivate His disciples to live their life on earth knowing that, influenced by, and even driven inwardly by the reality that their reward in God’s kingdom is great. Therefore they would find their joy and satisfaction in Him alone despite the status/conditions they are living now.

Jesus is especially concerned that all true disciples of His know what blessings and curses are and that our focus / pursuit in this life is not empty and wasted.

That's vitally important in the Christian life, for how we respond both to the triumphs and the tragedies, the joys and the trials of our life, will be directly related to whether we adequately understand what the truly good and happy and blessed life is, and what the world thinks the truly happy, good, and blessed life is, but it isn't.

Jesus is telling His disciples how He intends us to be different from the world, how He intends us to be distinct from the world, how He intends us to stand out in the world. What will make us distinct from the world? Not our wealth, not our food, not our clothing, not the laughter that we enjoy common with the world, not the friendship that we have with the world, but what we value most will make us distinct from the world.

Discussion Questions

1. In our passage, two words dominate. Can you name them?

2. Read Luke 6v20, 24 & Luke 4v18-21 and explain how poverty can be a blessing and not a curse.

3. Read Luke 6v21a, 25a and Mt 5v6. Explain the blessing of hunger using scripture.

4. Read Luke 6v21b, 25b & James 4v9,10 & 2 Cor 7:10 and give own definition of true repentance.

5. Read Luke 6v22, 26 & John 15v18-27 Explain the blessing of rejection.