Luke 6:17-26 and Jeremiah 17:5-10
Leaving a legacy of faith is certainly something to be desired. Legacies are not merely personal and familial, but they are cultural and communal as well. But how these legacies are built and left is determined by God, through faith in him and his message. The Lord determines the value of that legacy by measuring the treatment of his messengers. Jesus ends the sections on blessings and woes with a statement about how the fathers treated the prophets, whether they were true or false.
Those wishing to leave legacies of truth recognize their lack, are heartbroken, and hungry, harshly treated, yet hopeful. While those who like the status quo, feel satisfied, are hardhearted, whimsical, and well spoken of. Consequently, they are presently rewarded and without hope. Faith in a false message rejects present suffering. While faith in the Lord endures hardships for the sake of the Lord.
So, the strength of a legacy is determined by where faith rests. Is it in God or men? Is it driven by hope or by present pleasure? Where one's faith is placed is evident in how you treat the messenger of God. The revelation of God is outside of us and God has to bring it to us. He does this through Jesus Christ.
This means if you want to leave a lasting legacy you can’t trust your heart! (Jer. 17:9) Instead trust the Lord who examines the heart and mind and rewards accordingly. (Jer. 17:10) Jesus urges his disciples to fill their hearts with Him, to be satisfied in him alone. And then in him, the riches and hungers and joys of the heart will be supplied. Individuals, families, and cultures find what they really need in Him.
On this sixth Sunday of Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ is not in displays of power to relieve present suffering, (Which is why Jesus turns from the crowds and talks to his disciples.), but in his power to preserve his people while they are rejected, hungry, impoverished and heartbroken, filling them with the hope of giving them a lasting and glorious legacy in Him.