Look at Both Sides of This Coin

   Just to read the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5 can give me a feeling of joy. The words "Blessed are those..." can denote peace and happiness, because it is somewhat easy to put myself in the place of those being blessed and look forward to being in that state. Those are good words, ones that lead to thanksgiving to those who fall in that category.

   But I have to confess that the verses of today's Gospel reading have not entered into my conscious thought before. There is a portion of the Book of Luke, chapter 6, that I do not remember reading. The section begins like the Matthew portion in this way:

“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."

   But then the verses that follow look like this:

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep."

   All is not sweetness and light. There is not just a pleasant reward for doing well, there is a different reward for those who neglect this warning.

   It is easy for me to pick and choose the verses that I want to concentrate on because of the way they may make me feel at a particular time, but the whole Word of God is there for a reason.

   The choices are not just "blessed" or nothing, good outcomes or neutral.

   There are "woes" in there, too, and I dare not forget those. They apply to me also.

   Rewards can sound very positive, but maybe.......