“Blessed are you who are poor… woe to you who are rich”
Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God… But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. (Luke 6:20–26 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Matthew's familiar Beatitude with the 'in spirit' missing.
The cultural key
Luke's version differs three ways, and each sharpens it. It is second person ('you who are poor,' spoken to faces, not about categories); it drops 'in spirit,' leaving plain economic poverty; and it comes paired with four woes that Matthew lacks, aimed at the rich, the full, the laughing, and the well-spoken-of. This fits Luke's whole Gospel, where Mary sings of the rich sent away empty and the Nazareth manifesto announces good news to the poor. Matthew's 'poor in spirit' (see that entry) reaches for the anawim, the God-reliant lowly; Luke keeps the wallet in view.
Recovered meaning
Not a contradiction but two edges of one blade: Matthew names the posture of the poor before God; Luke refuses to let the saying spiritualize away from actual empty stomachs. The woes make it unmistakable: present comfort can be a receipt marked 'paid in full.'