20  Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22  Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23  "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
24  "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
25  Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
27  "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
30  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
31  Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32  "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them.
33  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that.
34  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.
35  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
36  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37  "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

1. What does it mean to be blessed?

Blessed means to be truly happy and fortunate.  Jesus was talking about something else after this life is over.  He says if you're smart, that's what you'll concentrate on while you're in this life because the reward of heaven is not going to be for everyone.  It's only going to be for people who put their faith in Christ.

2. What kind of contrasts do you see in this section?

The beatitudes contrast the deceiving earthly view with the true heavenly view of what it means to be truly blessed.  The things that the world encourages will not satisfy and will distract us from the more important pursuit of spiritual growth.

3. How do the beatitudes offer hope?

They view the often difficult present in light of the heavenly future that will be filled with happiness.  This helps us develop a forward looking and hopeful attitude.

4. Is Jesus asking us all to be poor?

Many who were following Jesus had left everything to do so.  He said they were better off for having done that because the kingdom of heaven was theirs as a result of them putting their trust in him.  If they had ignored him and decided to pursue riches instead, they would not be part of the kingdom.  They were therefore better off even though they were poor.  The New English Bible (NEB) says, "How fortunate are those who know their need for God."

5. What promises does Jesus make to people who are having a difficult time?

The hungry will be satisfied, the sad will laugh, and those rejected on earth for their faith in Christ will find their reward in heaven.

6. What are the woes and who was Jesus talking about?

They are warnings directed at people who decided to ignore Jesus and pursue earthly wealth and prestige.  They would not see the kingdom heaven because they did not put their faith in Jesus.  It's not that material things are bad, it's bad when people ignore Jesus and focus completely on material things.  Material things might make you happy in this life but if that's all you focus on, you'll end up missing the whole point.  The woe verses are warnings about this.

7. What did Jesus say about how we should relate to one another?

These are very often the opposite of natural human inclination.  What we sow, we will reap.  Others will do to you what you do to them.  It's good advice for ending up happy in this life as well as the next.