Luke 6.22

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. [Luke 6.22]

There are a couple things evident in this statement made by Jesus.

First, following Jesus WILL result in being criticized by the world. More than ever, we are seeing this today. What the Bible calls good behavior is now being condemned by the world as narrow-minded, exclusive, bigoted, and intolerant.

However, this first point goes even further. Faith is offensive to the world, its knowledge and reason. For this reason, a person who chooses to trust God for supernatural intervention instead of relying on the conventions of man's device and design is viewed as ignorant and downright foolish.

The second takeaway from Jesus' statement in Luke 6.22 is the most important: when the hate and exclusion, mocking and cursing come from the world, God promises blessings. It's kind of like saying we will not realize real blessings from God until we enter "the fiery furnace."

The observations made here are troubling to those who are struggling in their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In fact, this conversation can serve as a "litmus test" of sorts to see where we or those with whom we converse stand spiritually.

As comfortable as it would be to ignore what Jesus said in Luke 6.22, it is not prudent to do so.

Father, help us all reconcile with Luke 6.22 in our lives!