Jesus is for Losers.

There's only one conclusion I can draw after rereading some of Jesus's sayings.

I've been reflecting on Jesus's sayings from the Beatitudes ("blessings") the last couple weeks, a persistent thought keeps going through my head:

Jesus is for losers.

Now before you react (good or bad), let me explain.

As I've gone through Jesus's words, I've been struck by how counter-cultural (his and ours) his sayings, and the kingdom of God he was announcing, were. In contrast to the world of the religious elites and Roman Empire, he had the audacity to declare that God's kingdom ethic not only recognized the weak, the meek, the merciful, the disappointed, the discouraged, the grieving, the humble, the persecuted, the oppressed, etc., but also that his Father's kingdom was - contrary to this world - a place where such people would actually find favor.

After all, listen to his mission statement, which he took out of the book of Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
(Luke 4:18-19/Isaiah 61:1-2)

This is on top of countless Old Testament (Jesus's scriptures) passages, which speak of God's heart for the lowly and helpless – i.e., the orphan, the foreigner, the widow, etc.

In our world, those people, and the people pointed to in Jesus's sayings, are usually seen as losers. They're ignored. Forgotten. Discarded. Exploited. But in God's kingdom, they are not only valued, Jesus said, but they are also favored and blessed.

That's because God, and his Son, are for losers.

And that's good news indeed...