The Upside-Down Blessing
Introduction
I want to start with a football story. A few years ago, I watched a La Liga match—the final game of the season. On one side, Barcelona, the top team, was playing for the championship. On the other, a struggling team near the bottom was fighting for survival.
Barcelona needed a win to claim the title. The other team needed just one point to avoid relegation.
It was a tense match, and in the end, it finished in a draw. But what happened next was surprising:
👉 Barcelona’s players looked devastated—as if they had lost everything.
👉 The other team? They were celebrating like they had just won the league! Players, coaches, and fans rushed onto the field, hugging and cheering.
So, who do you think was blessed? The team at the top, or the one that simply managed to survive?
Now, let’s take another example—this one’s a bit more fun.
Billionaire Blues vs. The Lucky Millionaire
Imagine Elon Musk—a trillionaire—wakes up one morning and discovers he has lost 99.99% of his fortune. Now, he’s only got £1 million left in the bank. A disaster, right?
Meanwhile, a poor guy like me suddenly wins the lottery and finds £1 million in my account overnight.
Now, in purely financial terms, we both have the same amount—£1 million each. But who do you think feels more blessed?
👉 Elon Musk, who just lost everything?
👉 Or me, who just became a millionaire overnight?
You see, blessing isn’t just about how much you have—it’s about what you gain and how you see it.
Upside-Down Blessing
But Jesus flips this idea completely upside down. In today’s Gospel, he says:. In Luke 6:20-23,
Blessed are the poor.
Blessed are the hungry.
Blessed are those who weep.
Wait, what? That doesn’t sound like blessing at all! In the world’s eyes, being rich, full, and happy means you’re blessed. But Jesus says true blessing isn’t just about what we receive—it’s about what we give, what we share, and even what we lack.
💬 Do you feel like someone sleeping rough on the streets is blessed?
💬 Would you call someone who has lost everything ‘blessed’?
Seeing Blessing Differently
These are tough questions. But I had a personal experience that made me think about this differently.
Earlier this month, I was in London for a meeting. As I took a bus to Finchley Road, I saw the massive O2 shopping centre—full of bright lights, expensive shops, and people carrying designer bags. A world of wealth.
Then, just a few minutes later, I walked through a subway tunnel and saw people sleeping rough, surrounded by plastic bags and empty cans. The contrast hit me hard.
And it’s not just London. We see the same in Peterborough, in Cambridge—people hungry, people in need. I often park my car in Cambridge near where rough sleepers gather, and each time, I send them my blessings. I try to say a few words, offer a smile, and let them know they are seen.
One day, I thought, should I give them food, especially in winter? But then I realised—what they need most isn’t just food, it’s care, a kind word, a simple greeting.
💬 Imagine if every time we passed a homeless person, or a struggling neighbour, or even just that person we see every day but never talk to, we said, ‘Hello’ or ‘God bless you.’ Do you think that would make a difference?
Jesus’ words challenge us. He’s not saying that poverty and suffering are good. But He is saying that those who know their need—who depend on God—are the ones who are truly blessed.
Understanding the Blessing
To understand this passage, we need to recognize that Jesus is not romanticizing poverty, hunger, or grief. Instead, he’s revealing a truth about God’s Kingdom.
The people he’s talking about—those who are poor, hungry, and grieving—are the ones who are most open to receiving God’s grace. These are the people who know they are in desperate need of God.
- Blessed: In the Bible, being blessed isn’t about having a big house or a new car. It’s about a deep joy that comes from knowing God. In the New Testament, blessed refers to a deep religious joy that comes from sharing in the salvation of God’s Kingdom. It’s not about mere happiness or material wealth. It’s the kind of joy that only comes from being in a relationship with God, participating in the blessings of His Kingdom.
- Poor: The term poor in Luke refers to those who are genuinely destitute and completely dependent on God. However, In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus isn’t just talking about being spiritually poor—he’s talking about actual, material poverty. The people who have nothing are often the ones most aware of their need for God. While it could include people who voluntarily embrace poverty), the emphasis is on those who lack material resources.
- Hungry: Jesus speaks literally about those who don’t have enough food. But he’s also talking about a deeper hunger—a longing for justice, righteousness, and God’s presence.
- Weep: This is about those who are grieving, whether from personal loss or the pain of the world. But Jesus promises joy is coming.
The Upside-Down Nature of Blessing
This is totally upside-down from what the world tells us. The world says:
- More money = more blessing
- More success = more happiness
But Jesus says:
- 🙏 Blessing is about being poor in God
- 🍽️ Blessing is about being hungry for God
- 😭 Blessing is about weeping for God
💬 When do we pray the most—when life is easy or when we struggle?
Often, it’s in the hardest times that we turn to God the most. And that’s when we experience His presence in a deeper way.
How Do We Trust God?
In Jeremiah 17, it tells us that blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord
Jeremiah contrasts two types of people:
1️⃣ The one who trusts in human strength – like a shrub in the desert, dry and lifeless.
2️⃣ The one who trusts in the Lord – like a tree planted by water, always bearing fruit.
🌵 The Desert Shrub – If we rely only on money, success, or our own strength, we will eventually dry up. No matter how much we gain, there will always be a sense of emptiness, fear, and anxiety.
🌳 The Tree by the Water – If we trust in God, we will be like a tree with deep roots—strong, steady, and not afraid of drought. Even in difficult times, we will still bear fruit.
🔎 Where do we find blessing?
- Not in wealth, but in trusting God.
- Not in success, but in seeking Him.
- Not in comfort, but in relying on His grace.
John Wesley and Blessing
John Wesley had a powerful understanding of blessing
Wesley followed his famous rule:
“Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
- Early in his career, Wesley earned about £30 per year and lived on £28, giving away the rest.
- Later, as his income increased to £1,400 per year, he still lived on £28 and gave away the rest—over 90% of his income!
- He believed that if he had money left over at the end of the year, he had not given enough away.
Blessing is not about having too much, it is about having enough, to be poor in God, to be hungry in God, means to depend on God alone.
A Personal Encounter with Blessing
As I mentioned early, Earlier this month, I attended an event in London where I met Lord Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong. He had come to Chinatown to meet a group of journalists and give a short speech. At the age of 81 years old, he still travels, speaks, signs books, and meets people. He joked that he came for a free Chinese dinner, but the truth is—he doesn’t have to do any of this.
Lord Patten has held positions of great influence—Chancellor of Oxford University, Chairman of the Conservative Party, and the last British governor of Hong Kong, where he lived in a grand government residence. Now retired, he could easily enjoy a quiet life of comfort and privilege. But instead, he keeps speaking—because he believes in something greater than himself.
What struck me most was the way he interacts with people. He stopped to chat with a Hong Konger working as a bus conductor, wanting to understand more about the struggles of those who have moved to the UK. A young student approached him in Richmond Park while he was walking his dog, asking whether young people should return to Hong Kong. He didn’t brush them off. He listened. He cared.
For him, it is a blessing to keep speaking—to honour his promise to the people of Hong Kong. And for us, he is a blessing—because he stands with those in need.
This is what true, upside-down blessing looks like: those in positions of power choosing to serve the weak, the privileged using their voice for the voiceless, and all of us learning to depend on God together. As Jesus taught, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26), and he himself came “not to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28).
Conclusion: Living the Upside-Down Blessing
A Challenge for This Week:
Before we close, I challenge you this week to:
✅ Bless one person in an unexpected way.
✅ Say ‘God bless you’ to someone you wouldn’t normally say it to.
✅ Give away something—not just money, but time, care, or love.
🙌 Let’s pray:
"Lord, help us to see blessing the way You do. Give us hearts that trust You, hands that give, and words that bless. Teach us to live the upside-down blessing of Your Kingdom. Amen."