Another Beatitude

But when you make a banquet, call the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; and then you will be blessed, for they have nothing to repay you. Luke 14:13-14

Blessed – All of the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 and Luke 6 begin with the Greek word makarioi. It is the signal for a blessing formula. Of course, this signal is used in many more places in the New Testament. But Jesus did not speak Greek. He spoke Hebrew and the Hebrew equivalent of this Greek word is ashre. We know this for certain because in Matthew 5:5 (“Blessed are the meek”) Jesus quotes the final phrase of inheriting the earth from Psalm 37:11.  In the Psalms we find the common word for “blessed” is the Hebrew word ashre. Why does this matter? Because there is another Hebrew word for “blessing” – barak. But barak is the blessing we receive from God, granted by His sovereign decision, independent of anything we do. Ashre is a blessing that comes through our own action. In other words, if you want to experience a state of bliss (the real meaning of ashre), then you will have to do something. This state of bliss does not wait for God’s unmotivated favor. I can bring about this blessedness by simply following the formula.

Do you realize just how important this is? In many religious circles today, believers expect God to grant them blessings because they have performed certain acts. They tithe and expect reward. They pray and expect healing. They worship and expect favor. But they are using the wrong verb. God’s blessing (barak) does not depend on anything that I do. It is His choice alone. If I want to experience a state of bliss (ashre), I don’t need to wait for God to grant me His grace. He has already done that. What I need to do is follow God’s perfect plan for blessedness. And in this verse, Jesus tells us one of the many ways to experience ashre. Here it is:

Show compassion and favor to those who cannot repay you!

Ah, that’s the trouble, isn’t it? We want God to operate under the following formula:

My good deeds = blessing through God’s repayment

But God tells us, “Ashre, not barak, is the only quid pro quo in the universe.” The real formula is:

My acts of compassion = blessing when no one repays.

Do you want to be blessed? Then serve those who cannot repay you. Give them favor and grace and gift because they cannot pay you back. That’s God’s way. Can you pay Him back for what He has done? Never. So go be like God. Find someone who cannot pay it back and shower that person with grace. God will smile.