get ourselves persecuted.13 Instead, Jesus here blesses people groups. The Beatitudes reveal that Jesus’ ministry, as can be seen so clearly in Jesus’ so-called inaugural sermon (Luke 4:16–30), focuses on the down-and-out and oppressed. Jesus is casting a vision so that his audience will come to know that things are not what they think they are. Instead, God’s eyes are on all and God knows those who are living properly, regardless of their circumstances and conditions. The Beatitudes force the listener