City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe

The Word

²⁰ And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said…

²¹ “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

Luke 6: 20a, 21a ESV

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:26, 31-33 ESV

Reflection

Luke is explicit that even though Jesus was surrounded by a crowd, this sermon was directed at His disciples i.e. those committed to His teachings (v. 20). At this time the Jews were back in the promised land, but most lived very difficult lives under Rome’s oppressive occupation.

As Jesus spoke this words, it was very likely that many of his listening disciples were poor and literally hungry, yet He called these hungry disciples blessed and promised that they would be satisfied (v. 21a).

They were blessed and would be satisfied, because by following Jesus, they had sought God’s Kingdom first and not wealth or status on the world’s terms. They were blessed and would be satisfied because they were dearly treasured by their heavenly Father (Matthew 6:26) who knew exactly what they needed and would provide for them (Matthew 6:32). In their poverty and hunger, these disciples couldn’t help but be aware of their deep dependence on God to meet their needs and Jesus assured them of God the Father’s commitment to them.

Application

There are two application points from our verses today: the first is personal and the second for the body of Christ.

First, take out time today to observe Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:26-36 by watching the birds and the wild flowers (we in southeast Texas are being blessed with a dazzling display right now). If you are a disciple of Jesus, as you seek God’s Kingdom first, your Heavenly Father who takes care of the birds and the wild flowers has promised to take care of you.

Second, many of Jesus’ disciples today experience poverty and hunger; enough stories in the Bible show us that God delights to partner with His people to meet the needs of His people. Take a moment to reflect on how you could meet the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ, through your local church and/or through ministries serving the needs of the global church.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your care, attention, and supply for every need I have. Please help me to trust You to meet all my needs as I seek You above all, in Jesus’ name, amen.