What does Luke 6:25 mean?

Jesus continues explaining how people who seek comfort and approval in their earthly lives are short-sighted. Christ-followers who are persecuted for their faith may be poor, hungry, and mournful on earth, but they will inherit God's kingdom with satisfaction and laughter in eternity (Luke 6:20–23). People who covet earthly pleasures have received all they are going to get.

The woes that correspond to the blessings Jesus promises in Luke 6:21 are straightforward. No distinction should be made of the "satisfied" in verse 21 and the "full" here; they mean the same thing. Those who use worldly methods to fill their needs do not rely on God who could bless them for eternity in paradise (Luke 6:24).

Similarly, those who are rich can satisfy their own needs, and so they laugh. This "laugh" implied here is not joyful or celebratory. It is the kind of sneering, arrogant, mocking laugh that puts others down. Their mourning will be like the merchants when Babylon falls (Revelation 18:15).

These people are self-satisfied because others speak well of them (Luke 6:26). They take their example from the false prophets in the Old Testament who said what the kings wanted to hear and denied God's promise of coming judgment (Jeremiah 14:13–16). Because they rely on public approval and the riches that come along with it, they will not have the humility to accept God's gifts. Instead, they will face God's judgment.