Luke 6:22-23

Luke 6:22-23

[22] Blessed  when  men  shall hate  and  when  they shall separate  from their company, and  shall reproach  you, and  cast out  name  as  evil,  for the Son  of man's  sake.  [23] Rejoice ye  in  that  day,  and  leap for joy:  for,  behold,  reward  is great  in  heaven:  for  in  did  their  fathers  unto the prophets. 

What does Luke 6:22-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Various forms of persecution will give way to ultimate reward and consequent joy. Note the logical progression in Luke 6:22 from hatred to ostracism to insults and finally to character assassination. Luke recorded in Acts that all these forms of persecution overtook the early Christians. The New Testament epistles also warn Christians about them (e.g, 1 John 3:13; 1 Peter 4:14; James 2:7). Not just the prophets of old but also Jesus Himself experienced these persecutions. Disciples can expect the same. God will vindicate them eventually and reward them for their faithfulness (cf. Luke 12:37; Luke 12:42-44; Luke 18:1-8).
The use of "Son of Man" here is significant since it combines the ideas of Jesus as God and as man. Discipleship involves commitment to Jesus as the God-man. The disciples who first heard this beatitude had not yet experienced much persecution for Jesus" sake, but they would shortly. "In heaven" focuses on the ultimate destiny of the disciple. It is an alternative expression to "God" that Luke and Jesus used frequently.