When Jesus preached what we call the Sermon on the Plain, He was starting a revolution. Not against a particular government, but against something bigger: the spirit of every age, in every culture, that tells us what matters. He wanted to turn the whole world upside down.
Every one of us will choose which kingdom we prize, which one we live in, and which one we promote. So it’s worth hearing Him out.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” (Luke 6:20–21)
And then the other side:
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:24–26)
Any kingdom has three things: a set of values, a power that drives it, and a product it delivers. Let’s compare.
The right-side-up kingdom
This is the kingdom that makes sense to the natural mind. It’s the one Jesus pronounces woe on.
Its values: power (riches), comfort (being full), success (laughing now), and recognition (everyone speaking well of you). Think Black Friday, people trampling each other for a deal.
Its power: the power of now. Go after success, comfort, and status, and you’ll often get results right away. That’s why it feels so natural.
Its product: a temporary fullness, followed by ultimate emptiness. Jesus says you’ve “received your consolation.” That’s all you get.
The upside-down kingdom
Jesus’ kingdom reverses all of it.
Its values: weakness, grief, sacrifice, and exclusion. Not that we go looking for pain. But we stop being controlled by the world’s scoreboard, and we start to value what it despises. We’re hungry now, but satisfied. Weeping, but laughing. Excluded, but rejoicing.
If we’re honest, most of us met God most clearly at our lowest, when we finally saw how poor and weak we really were. So we start to treasure those places, and the people who live in them.
Its power: not just Jesus’ example, but Jesus Himself. Luke says “power came out from him and healed them all” (Luke 6:19). He became weak for us. He wept for us. He sacrificed for us. He was excluded for us. That’s where we get the power to live this way.
Its product: a real kingdom. “Yours is the kingdom of God.” God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).
Poor in spirit vs. middle-class in spirit
Here’s what I’ve noticed. The poor in spirit know that everything is grace. They have nothing to bargain with. The middle-class in spirit still think they bring something to the table.
The gospel does something to both. It turns comfortable people toward the poor. It turns the poor toward the church. Your friendships change. Your generosity changes, with money and with emotional energy. You stop being so afraid of weakness, because you’ve found God there.
This is a big reason our church fixes cars for free for people who can’t afford it. It’s not a program. It’s what the upside-down kingdom looks like with a wrench in its hand.
A self-check
The old kingdom is dying. The writing is on the wall, like it was for Belshazzar in Daniel 5. So how long will you cling to the way that’s passing away?
- Am I living a life controlled by the world, or like Christ? What would my calendar and bank statement say?
- Do I need to be more generous with money, time, and emotional energy?
- Do I need to rethink my friendships? Who’s missing from my table?
- Do I need to refocus my free time? Is it all comfort, or is some of it kingdom?
- Is today the day I finally say, “I need to die to my old way of thinking and living, and I’m ready to follow Jesus”?
You can lose your job, your status, or the approval of people around you and still be blessed. That’s the upside-down kingdom. And it’s the only one that lasts.