Luke 6:24 24But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort.
Jesus gave four woes in echo of the previous four blessings. The implied audience shifts with this new series. The previous blessings spoke to the disciples who would suffer for their faith. The new list addresses the mockers and those who find their identity in things of the world. A woe is a pronouncement of a curse or judgment upon an action contrary to God’s purposes and will. Those who receive a woe bring the results upon themselves. God should not be blamed for the consequences of people’s sin or misplaced priorities.
The first woe is the opposite of the first beatitude. Where the poor are blessed, the rich experience woe. Our first instinct is to think of rich referring to the economically wealthy. Those who have money, goods, land, and houses seem blessed from a worldly perspective. Their lives seem free from worry and pain, at least that is how it comes across to the poor. There are certain comforts that money can buy, which is why so many people seek money. But there are even more stories of the pain and sorry of the rich. Money can be a blessing but can also open the door to many problems and evil (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Jesus taught a lot about money and wealth. Luke records several stories and parables about wealth (12:13–21; 16:14, 19–31; 18:18–30). Money itself is not the problem but the person’s heart who has the money. Money can be a great blessing to others by supplying their needs or giving people jobs. The woe comes when persons find their identity in wealth and possessions and in thinking that they have their possessions because of their own hard work or genius rather than as a blessing from God.
The rich have received all they can in this life. Their wealth will only get them so far. Wealth can bring certain comforts, but these pale in comparison to eternal life. Sometimes, the lives of the wealthy person are cut short, and they do not get to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Other times, their possessions begin to possess them, becoming hungry monsters that are never satisfied. Jesus offers a greater comfort that is eternal. This comfort (paraklēsin) is experience in this lifetime through the Comforter (paraklēsin), the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
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