Luke 6:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “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!

NIV: Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

NASB: Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.

CSB: Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name as evil because of the Son of Man.

NLT: What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.

KJV: Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

NKJV: Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake.

Christ promises blessings for four representative hardships. In the first three, people are beset by poverty, hunger, and weeping (Luke 6:20–21). Here, we learn that those hardships are caused by persecution against those who follow Jesus. Scripture tells believers to expect persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus explains that if He is persecuted, His followers should expect the same treatment (John 15:20).

Jesus lists four ways His followers may be persecuted. To hate is to "have a strong aversion to." To be excluded means to be ostracized, up to and including being excommunicated from the synagogue. That could certainly lead to poverty if the disciple was Jewish and relied on the Jewish community for trade and to buy food. To revile means fault-finding in a degrading or insulting way, bringing shame. To "spurn your name as evil" means to declare the person's character is entirely depraved and without value. During the Last Supper, Jesus explains His followers should expect such treatment because they follow Him, and their enemies do not know the God who sent Him (John 15:18–24).

"Son of Man" seems to be Jesus' favorite description of Himself. At its most basic, it just means a human male (Ezekiel 33:2). In the context of the kingdom of God, however, the Son of Man is a prophetic figure. Ancient of Days gives Him authority over all the earth for eternity (Daniel 7:13–14). Despite the persecution that leaves Christ-followers poor, hungry, and mournful (Luke 6:20–21), they chose to follow the Son of God who will reign over all the earth.

Matthew 5:11 is quite similar: "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account."

Luke 6:20–26 begins Jesus' ''Sermon on the Level Place'' or ''Sermon on the Plain.'' Luke segues from the practical distinction between Jesus' followers and detractors. He moves along to prophetic promises to each group, with four blessings and four woes. The descriptors poor versus rich, hungry versus full, and mournful versus happy might seem purely circumstantial. However, they represent the consequences of identifying with Jesus and thus facing persecution, versus identifying with the world and thus enjoying worldly privilege. Jesus uses the blessings promised to His persecuted followers to inspire them to love their enemies just as their Father does (Luke 6:27–42).

Luke 6 contains two main sections of teaching and calls to discipleship. Luke 6:1–16 continues the pattern of Luke 5. The two ways in which Jesus sets aside tradition—this time by taking authority over the Sabbath—are paired with His call for the Twelve disciples. Luke 6:17–49 records Jesus' teaching on the ''level place,'' or His ''Sermon on the Plain,'' and a call to a crowd for general discipleship. Much of this material has parallels in Matthew 5 through 7, but it's not clear if the two accounts are of the same event. As a travelling teacher, Christ likely gave the same general message multiple times.

Luke 6 completes Jesus' call for disciples and followers that started in Luke 5. Luke 5:1—6:16 consists of three calls for disciples, each paired with two revolutionary teachings about Jesus' authority that increasingly infuriate the religious leaders. Luke 6:17–49 continues the theme with a general call for followers and a description of their responsibilities. In Luke 7:1—8:3, Jesus interacts with the other: Gentiles, women, and even the dead. This is followed by another general call (Luke 8:4–21), a series of miracles (Luke 8:22—9:17), and a final call for the Twelve to follow Him even more deeply (Luke 9:18–50).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.