Jesus is teaching the people who have heard about His miracles. He begins to lay out the basics of the "New Covenant." In this lesson, He pronounces four very specific "blessings"; and, in contrast, four very specific "woes"! By choosing to be poor in spirit, hungry for the Word of God, grieving over our sins, and willing to be persecuted for the sake of Jesus, and detached from reliance on material possessions, we are creating a future filled with the blessings of God!