What are the blessings and woes in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain?

Jesus pronounces blessings on the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those hated or excluded on account of the Son of Man. He also pronounces woes on the rich, the full, those who laugh now, and those spoken well of by all. Luke frames these as reversals tied to future satisfaction and judgment (Luke 6:20–26).

Passage context

In Luke 6:20–26 Jesus speaks directly to his disciples and declares who is “blessed” and who faces “woe.” The blessings name people who are poor, hungry, weeping, and rejected because of the Son of Man, and they promise reversal: God’s kingdom, satisfaction, laughter, and heavenly reward. This unit sits within Jesus’ public teaching after he has called disciples and drawn crowds by healing and deliverance (Luke 6:12–19). He turns from actions to instruction, addressing “his disciples” while others listen in, setting the moral and social frame for the rest of the sermon that follows (Luke 6:27 onward).

Why it matters

Jesus speaks these lines while looking at his disciples. The “blessed” sayings and the “woe” sayings work together to set a strong contrast: some people are in low, painful, or socially vulnerable conditions “now,” and Jesus promises a future reversal; others are comfortable “now,” and Jesus warns of future loss.

Read carefully

A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.

Keep reading

Start with Luke 6:20-26, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.