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We learn from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that our anticipation of future blessings can help us enjoy them right now.
Why do you get giddy about the news of a new sneaker drop? How come FOMO (fear of missing out) starts to settle in over a limited-time collaboration between your favorite product and your favorite artist? Was it really an accident that the hush-hush release date and details of some newly designed tech got leaked online ahead of time?
Anticipation psychologists have been studying these sorts of things for quite a while. This field of study focuses on the impact our anticipation has on things like our responses, our mood, or just our behavior in general. Companies have even taken what anticipation psychologists have discovered and incorporated it into their marketing approaches. That explains why you have experienced something similar to the previous examples. Companies create awareness and generate buzz and a desire for their products or services by teasing you with preorder deals, dates for new drops, or any ambiguous or curious details released ahead of schedule. They are tapping into the power of positive anticipation, which, as a result of the brain’s release of dopamine, evokes good feelings in connection with their product. The buildup of anticipation over something in the future ushers in favorable feelings in the present.
Anticipating the future
Anticipation psychologists and slick advertising agencies, however, aren’t the only ones aware of the power of anticipation. So is Jesus. The proof? Look at the portion of his teaching known as the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. “Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven’ ” (Luke 6:20-23).
Notice something? With the exception of the first blessing, which is in the present tense (“yours is the kingdom of God”), the other blessings are all attached to the future: “You will be satisfied,” “You will laugh,” and “Rejoice in that day.” The first blessing sets the tone by reminding us why we can be certain of the promises that follow: We are a part of Christ’s kingdom right now because we believe in and belong to him.
For the rest of the blessings, we might take Jesus’ words simply to serve as a reminder that our current troubles will pass. No matter what we are experiencing right now, no matter how bad it might be, it will get better in the future because eventually, one way or another, it will pass. While this is true, it does not seem to capture the intent of Jesus’ words. After all, even though the blessings are connected to a future promise, the blessing itself is attached to the present: “Blessed are you who hunger now,” and “Blessed are you who weep now.”
What are we to make of this? Might Jesus be tapping into the power of anticipation? After all, why is he reminding his listeners what they can expect in the future? Isn’t it to bless them in the present? Isn’t it to bolster up the faith of the hungry, the weeping, and the hated?
And these promises likely refer not only to the physical but also to the spiritual. On this side of heaven, while we hunger to be fed spiritual food, we will neither have our fill nor will we always be entirely satisfied with what we are fed. We weep in regretful remorse over our own sin and also the world’s; that will continue as long as we live in a fallen world. We will be despised and on the receiving end of ridicule by virtue of our connection to Christ.
Our anticipation of what is guaranteed in the future can carry us through the present with joy.
These things are unavoidable. We will experience them during our lives here on earth. But no matter what we are experiencing right now, the anticipation of what is promised for the future can provide a spiritual jolt of joy for the present. Knowing what is coming in the future, even in the midst of an imperfect present, provides us with the peace we need to endure and to weather whatever adversities we may face.
Finding joy in the present
To illustrate that, in one marketing study, participants were given Coke to drink. First, they were simply given the beverage without any explanation. Then, they were given a drink of Coke again, but this time it was preceded by an image of a can of Coke. Measurements of their brain activity reflected increased activity in the areas associated with positive effect and memory when they saw the image before their drink. That is to say, they enjoyed the Coke more when the taste of the Coke was combined with the anticipation of it.
Is it any surprise, then, that Jesus’ teaching on the Beatitudes would incorporate reminders of what believers can expect in the future? Those reminders allow us to anticipate the excitement of what is coming and be blessed by it in the present, even in the midst of trial or hardship—or, as Jesus said, hunger, weeping, or hatred. When we experience the spiritual frustration of wanting to be fed and to grow; when we mourn, whether in grieving repentance over our own sin or the world’s sin in general; when we are hated by others for what we believe, Jesus wants us to remember what the future holds. That way, our anticipation of what is guaranteed in the future can carry us through the present with joy.
Think how good it feels to be satisfied—not stuffed or gluttonous but satisfied. Think how good it feels when your cheeks and your tummy are tight from laughter. Think of your elation and rejoicing during the greatest day you have ever had. Perfect satisfaction, laughter, and joy will happen in the future, but the anticipation of those future realities can fill you with joy right now. Let your joyful future with Jesus lighten your heart and heighten your emotions right now, today, tomorrow—always in the present. Anticipate daily what is in store for you in the future, so that the reality of your future can also be a blessing to you now.
What is better than the next Nike sneaker drop? What is more exciting than the newest Apple release? How about “great is your reward in heaven”? Don’t miss out on the elation of that eternal reward by filing it away as something only to be revisited in the future. No, let the reality of that reward bless you today when you are discouraged by the spiritual indifference of many or ashamed by your own moments of weakness. Let your heart and mind get lost in the wonder of what is to come, anticipating how amazing something must be for Jesus to exhort us to rejoice over it!
Author: Aaron Boehm
Volume 112, Number 02
Issue: February 2025