Blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled; blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. Luke 6:21
If you have ever been in the military, you have learned something about the rigors of training. Some branches of the military, and some special units, have to go through some intense exercises, overcome some incredible obstacles, and pass through some difficult ordeals before they can be declared ready for combat. I have heard of some training that has required recruits to go hungry and cold, and to be forced to face life-threatening hazards, and to struggle through painful and heavy burdens until they were unable to move another muscle. The training was deemed necessary to prepare the recruits for the real conflict. That’s why Jesus is speaking in today’s text of hunger and sorrow; He needs to prepare His recruits for the conflict.
Is Jesus being cruel and unfair in his references to starvation and tears? No, He needs to remind His followers that a life served for their Lord may not be an easy life. Just as a soldier who never undergoes training is unfit for battle, so a Christian who is not forewarned of suffering is unfit to serve. Unless they know that deprivation and trouble are coming, Christians have an unrealistic view of service. The devil’s arrows will find their marks and the testimonies will tumble. But Jesus knew there were hard times ahead, and He reminded His disciples they needed to be ready to meet them. He did not want them unprepared.
But Jesus had another purpose for speaking about hunger and weeping. No matter how bitter the struggle, how deep the valley of tears, how painful the steps of obedience, Jesus was telling them, it will be worth it all! There are no hunger pangs in Heaven, no teardrops on glorified cheeks. The rigors and agonies of earth will be no more when we reach Home. But there is so much more than that! Every bit of suffering, every grief, every struggle that we encounter here for Jesus sake will not go unrewarded there.
Let not the hunger and weeping of earth discourage and dismay us because it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. -Jim MacIntosh