An Odd Celebration

An Odd Celebration

Read: Luke 6:20-26

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

Luke 6:23

“Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.”

—Thomas Brooks

IN WORD This is Jesus’ instruction for those who are hated, insulted, and rejected because of Him. It’s hard to understand. It runs so counter to our natural emotions in such situations that we can hardly believe He is serious about it. Rejoice? No one enjoys being rejected. Leap for joy? That isn’t a normal reaction to pain. How can Jesus possibly say something so apparently absurd?

Jesus probably doesn’t expect His disciples actually to enjoy being insulted and hated—it isn’t a pleasant feeling, even when we’re sure our principles are worth it. He knows that. He does, however, expect His disciples to see the bigger picture. He wants us to view the entire landscape and know that the rejections that come with wholeheartedly following Jesus are simply low-lying hills in the foreground. How they appear is a matter of where we stand.

Those who suffer willingly are standing in an eternal perspective. They have put away their misguided ambition of creating their heaven on earth and have embraced the coming kingdom. They can be content with temporary trials because their eyes are open to the eternal panorama.

Those who rebel against their suffering, however, are still hoping in the here and now. Somewhere deep inside they had expected a better deal in this life and not yet invested their hopes in God’s kingdom. They had an agenda for this life that didn’t fit with His.

IN DEED This is not just a verse for those who are being persecuted now. Its instruction prepares us for any trial by pointing us to eternal realities. Is God’s kingdom where we’ve placed our hopes? If so, we will not only tolerate our rejection by this world, but we’ll see it as happy confirmation that we are, in fact, in union with Jesus. In a very real sense, it will be an occasion to jump for joy.