Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Luke 6:17-23
And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. (ESV)
by Leota Stevens
I marvel at these words—they are powerful and commanding of our attention! Look closely at this scene and envision the multitude of humanity pressing their way into the presence of Jesus. These people were aware of their needs, they were oppressed, diseased and tormented, and they wanted to be free of their suffering. They were desirous of being touched by the only One who could bring them true healing. Did Jesus scold them, or turn them away, or demand to have his own private “bubble-zone”? No! By his compassion and mercy he healed them all. I’m so glad that he never changes.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
dbm