Luke 6:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This aligns with the reality that those without wealth often face substantial trials and find it challenging to acquire the necessities of life. Such burdens weigh heavily on those who suffer poverty and persecution, and hence, the One who knows our innermost thoughts assures us not to grow despondent from the trials of poverty. He promises that those who currently hunger for the sake of righteousness will be filled with the profound spiritual and intellectual blessings awaiting them. “Blessed are they that mourn now, for they shall be comforted.” He proclaims those who grieve as blessed, assuring them they will rejoice. However, mourning here does not refer to those who merely shed tears in moments of sorrow—this is common to all, believers and non-believers alike; rather, it refers to those who reject a life of frivolity, vanity, and sensuality. It is said that such individuals revel in pleasure and laughter, while true believers renounce indulgence and worldly ease, mourning solely because of their disdain for worldly matters. According to our Lord, these individuals are indeed blessed. He who calls us to choose simplicity also honors the challenges that accompany such a choice: the absence of comforts and the weariness of spirit brought about by life's struggles. For it is written, "the righteous have many troubles, but the Lord delivers them out of them all."

Here they may have been overlooked and disregarded, but there they will be celebrated and esteemed; here they may have faced poverty and destitution, but there they will find richness and love; here they may have abandoned their homeland, relatives, and comforts, yet there they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

15:11) and emerges from a grave filled with decay: the tomb becomes a symbol of their open throat (Ps. 5:10). Therefore, the apostle instructs us to emulate him (1 Cor. 4:16) – Paul urges us to acknowledge our wrongs. Although the apostle found solace in Christ and had no personal regrets, he still grieved for his past misdeeds: I am unworthy to be called an apostle, for I persecuted the church of God (1 Cor. 15:9). He recognized himself as a sinner prior to believing, and we continue to fall short even after coming to faith. Those who sin should mourn for themselves and hold themselves accountable in order to attain righteousness, for the righteous evaluate their own actions (Proverbs 18:17).

Let us continue in our pursuit, as it is written, Establish love in me (Song of Songs 2:4). I have forsaken sin, mastered my temper, mourned my transgressions, and now I yearn for righteousness. A person afflicted with a grave illness often lacks an appetite, as sickness suppresses hunger. But what does it mean to hunger for truth? What sustenance does the righteous crave? Is it not that which is proclaimed: ‘I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor their children begging for bread’ (Psalm 36:25)? The hungry seek to revitalize their strength, and nothing fortifies virtue more effectively than the righteous law.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst (Luke 6:21; Matthew 5:6). One who is hungry empathizes with another in need and responds with generosity, fulfilling the essence of righteousness, which endures eternally (Ps. 111:9). This reveals that Matthew refers to the spiritual longing, the desire for the true bread and drink, for such virtue nurtures all others: the righteous humble themselves, shun deceit, and earnestly seek truth.

Blessed are those who weep now, for you shall rejoice (Lk. 6:21). Wisdom is evident in mourning what is temporal while aspiring for the eternal, lamenting the chaos of this world, and seeking the God of peace. He has chosen what is foolish in the eyes of the world to confound the wise and dismantles the trivial to reveal the significant (1 Cor. 1:27, 28).

They grieve for having offended God and out of love for their spirits, as in all their endeavors, they do not fully align with God's love and mercy. This understanding illustrates why one seeking true happiness cannot bypass the journey paved with tears. In the beginning, the innocent human was blessed in paradise, devoid of tears, moving towards heavenly joy. However, when humanity was enticed by evil and fell into sin, the joyous pathway to paradise was obscured. God, in His righteousness and compassion, directed them onto a journey of sorrow, as He proclaimed to Adam regarding the earth cursed by his actions, “In sorrows thou shalt bear that all the days of thy life” (Gen. 3:17), and to Eve, “I will multiply thy sorrows and thy sighs” (Gen. 3:16).

"Blessed are those who weep now: for ye shall laugh" (Luke 6:21). What thoughts permeate the world upon hearing these gospel words, if it takes heed of them at all? The world revels in laughter, play, and merriment, yet it is urged instead to weep. For those unable to live free of sorrow, the hope is merely to postpone it, while they soon find themselves brought to tears. They equate cheerfulness with happiness and believe that joy can be found in laughter. Such a doctrine appears strange to them, casting a dismal reflection on life. But what of the faithful? What thoughts arise in the hearts of believers gathered to honor the esteemed ascetic of faith before God, who did not allow His holy one to see decay (Acts 2:27)? How do they respond when the Gospel, on this day of joy, also publicly calls them to lament? Do they learn how essential it is to blend a bitter potion with sweet bread, to intertwine joy with sorrow, so that pleasure devoid of grief does not corrupt the soul and lead to affliction? "Woe to you who laugh now, for you will weep and wail" (Luke 6:25). Let us contemplate the world’s laughter—superficial and devoid of substance—and the Gospel’s tears, which carry no despair. The laughter denounced by the Gospel is not mere amusement; it does not condemn laughter per se. Who among us has not laughed at some point, save the Son of the Virgin, who is often depicted as weeping but never laughing? This serves as an example of spiritual attributes. Even righteous Sarah occasionally laughed, and while she faced admonishment from the Lord, she was not punished with sorrow, nor denied her promise. Upon receiving her promised son, she shared her joy, declaring, "The Lord hath made me laugh" (Gen. 21:6). If all who experienced laughter were to be condemned, no one would remain who could be blessed for their tears. Thus, those condemned by the Gospel are those who pursue indulgence to such an extent that it becomes their primary aspiration and focus, living solely for their own pleasure. Not all tears reflect the lamentation endorsed by the Gospel; even animals can weep. The living water springing forth unto eternal life, which Jesus Christ bestows within a person, creates rivers of joy not sourced from our eyes but flows from the inner depths of the believer’s spirit, as expressed in His words, "He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Those who weep in the Gospel spirit starkly contrast those who laugh in worldly pleasure—they view sensual enjoyment as crude, unworthy, and trivial. For them, nothing earthly is dear; instead, their love is reserved solely for God and His heavenly kingdom, and the eternal salvation of their souls is of utmost value. As they deepen their self-awareness, they see their souls burdened with sin, willingly and unwillingly, consciously and unconsciously, leading to genuine sorrow for their shortcomings and fear of divine judgment. They perceive their salvation precariously hanging over the abyss of ruin, crushed by the weight of their frailty, gazing into the depths of despair and weeping for what looms ahead. They also lift their eyes toward heaven, yearning for what they have temporarily forfeited and may forever lose through their iniquities. Remembering their beloved Creator, Provider, and Savior, they find no consolation (Psalm 76:3) in anything other than humble lamentation and self-condemnation, reflecting on the One they have strayed from and offended. Through faith, they behold grace, envisioning the mercy of the sinner’s absolution and forgiveness, their hearts breaking into sweet tears of love-filled repentance and thankful contrition. Just as the joyful live for pleasure, measuring their existence by satisfaction, so do these mourners live in a manner that thrives on tears, nurturing their spiritual lives through sorrow, as one among them profoundly expressed: “My tears are my bread day and night” (Psalm 41:4). Having delineated the laughter of the world and the tears of the Gospel, let us objectively assess their suitability for man's present condition on earth and future destiny. Living solely for pleasure aligns with a state of innocence or paradise: the paradise where there is no evil, thus no pain or anguish, and consequently, no weeping or sighing; and the innocent state of infancy, where a child, unaware of life's greater purpose, innocently clings to comfort, seeking to escape suffering. But since sin has led us all away from that state of paradise, and we each eventually emerge from our childlike naivety through maturity and enlightenment; recognizing we cannot return to paradise, yet cannot remain as children in our adulthood—consider those who exist solely for present amusement. What a curious and unsuitable spectacle they present, even as they face no imminent threat! The wise one does not engage lightly with laughter and mirth, declaring, “I said unto laughter, It is mad; and to mirth, What doest thou?” (Ecclesiastes 2:2). Having tasted all forms of earthly pleasure, he discerned what lies beneath the superficial joys of laughter and the eventual revelations that follow. Even amidst merriment, he observes that the heart aches, recognizing that fleeting joys ultimately yield to sorrow (Proverbs 14:13). Sensual pleasure is inherently tainted, often entwined with discomfort, wearying, and distressing. Not only does it fade away, but it eventually transforms into its opposite. The most perilous foe is the deceiver, and the most treacherous deceiver is indulgence in sensual pleasure. Do we not witness each day the ruin it brings to those enticed by its allure? It leads to regret, to illness, to poverty, to disgrace, to despair, to destruction. How often is the laughter of indulgent living more detrimental to well-being than unexpected hardships? How much more likely are idle amusements to erode health compared to the rigorous demands of honest labor? Those who yield to sensuality eventually become its captives through habituation, suffering the consequences as martyrs of their own desires, ensnared in the clutches of their own failings. Most dreadful of all, do we not observe how individuals whose souls crave comfort, enjoyment, and revelry lie on their deathbeds, no longer resting in that love? They enter the realm of spirit—a place devoid of earthly comforts they adore, filled instead with the spiritual realities they scarcely comprehend. What awaits them there? If hell were not a reality of unending torment, a place where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die, a realm of weeping and gnashing of teeth, their unappeased physical cravings would torment them in undying anguish. Thus must it be for those who, as the Wise One states, view playthings as life (Ecclesiastes 15:12). Woe to you who laugh now, for you will weep and wail (Luke 6:25). Let us express gratitude to the Gospel for its solemn warnings, designed to steer us away from paths of hedonistic temptation to which our corrupted nature inclines, revealing the chasm that awaits us. Let us wholeheartedly embrace the teachings of our Divine Master, which seek to safeguard us from eternal peril through short-lived sorrow, preparing us instead for everlasting joy. "Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh." As we read in the book of Ezra, upon the Jews’ return from Babylonian exile to reconstruct the temple of Jerusalem, many of the priests, Levites, and dignitaries who witnessed the foundation of the former house wept loudly, while the people celebrated with joyous shouts. The sounds of joy and lament were indistinguishable (1 Ezra 3:12, 13). This serves as a poignant illustration of our state, dear Christians, and reflects the mindset the Gospel seeks to cultivate within us. For these events, as articulated by the Apostle, were documented for our edification (1 Cor. 10:11). The soul of one estranged from God’s grace resembles the desolated temple. The foes that have defiled, marred, and enslaved us are our transgressions. The mighty King, who announces liberty for captives (Luke 4:18) and establishes the path to restore the devout sanctuary, is our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel sends forth the spirit of repentance and faith to our spiritual desolations, intent on rebuilding the altar of prayer, igniting the flame of divine love, and nurturing hope that we may once again dwell in the refuge of the Most High, residing within the presence of our heavenly Lord (Psalm 90:1). Whoever you may be, whether citizen or stranger in spiritual Jerusalem, priest or Levite, leader or faithful believer—if your mind remains unclouded by sensuality and your sight can perceive these ruins of the former, and the foundation of the new spiritual temple—can your heart remain indifferent like that of the unbelievers? Should not the memory of the past summon bitter tears of sorrow from you, the present evoke gentle tears of repentance, and the future inspire joyful tears of humility and hope? Within this intricate weave of grief and consolation, sorrow and joy, lies the blessedness of those who weep, a state they experience even now, fulfilled ultimately as the Lord wipes every tear from their eyes (Rev. 21:4). Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted by the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Amen.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” In ancient times, the proud and defiant held power, claiming dominion over the earth through force and aggression; however, the time has arrived for the reign of the long undervalued virtue of humility, and it is to this virtue that the earth's inheritance now belongs.

In the historical context, where violence predominated, the ideals of truth and justice were often unfulfilled, and many suffered from a deep longing for righteousness. They were among the most unfortunate, but now they are “blessed, for they shall be fed," as the new kingdom will bring the realization of truth. When righteousness prevails, mercy must also flourish, for mercy and righteousness are akin to kinfolk within the framework of virtue. Thus, “blessed are the merciful, for they themselves shall be pardoned.” However, to obtain these virtues, one must first cleanse their heart of all that is sinful, dark, and ignoble, leading to a bliss unknown in the Old Testament: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Upon reaching this level of perfection, individuals will no longer harbor any animosity towards their neighbors, recognizing their kinship with all humanity and working towards fostering universal peace on earth. Hence, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,” indicating their participation in that divine sonship, the highest expression of which was the proclaimed Son of God, who came to reconcile the heavens and the earth, and humanity with God.

This deep yearning for spiritual sustenance is likened to a powerful longing for every virtue that a believer should seek as nourishment, particularly the righteousness of God, which is revealed in the justification of sinners through grace and faith in Jesus Christ. Just as physical fulfillment restores and rejuvenates the body, so too does spiritual satisfaction bring peace and tranquility to the soul of the forgiven sinner, equipping them for good works. Nevertheless, the ultimate fulfillment for the righteous will occur in the life to come, when they, enlightened by the brilliance of Truth, cleansed by the Lamb's blood, will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.