Matthew 5:3 (NIV) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mention poor in spirit and the mind’s eye begins to sift through
familiar pictures to define the word. Does it mean something of no
worth? That which holds no value? Certainly not! God does not require
us to think of ourselves as losers, zeros, or insignificant nothings.
We are highly valued of the Lord! Worth redeeming at all costs! Does
it mean that we are shy? Introverted? Spiritually anemic? No, I know
many people that are shy and would never get in front of a crowd but
they are extremely proud.
To fully understand what Jesus was
saying to us we have to understand the use of the world translated poor
in the history of Christ’s time. Jesus was telling us to be “ptochos”
which comes from a verb that paints a picture of one that cowers and
cringes like a beggar. In classical Greek “ptochos” came to mean a
person who crouches about, wretchedly begging. It denotes poverty so
deep that one must obtain their living by being fully dependent on the
generosity of others. It describes one that cannot survive without help
from the outside. It literally means “beggarly poor”.
Jesus
wasn’t talking about our flesh that day but he made clear that we must
be “beggarly poor in spirit”. When we are so desperately poor in
spiritual resources that we realize our daily survival comes from God
then the kingdom of Heaven is ours. Peter tells us that our adversary
the devil is like a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may
devour. We are like young David running out on the field of battle
against Goliath, the enemy laughing at our lack of weapons, our
nonexistent strength and our small stature. Unless the Lord is with us
we our “beggarly poor” and there is nothing in us that offers hope for
victory. But if the Lord is for us then who can be against us? I love
what David told that giant that day on the field of battle, "You come
against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in
the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll
strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses
of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the
earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All
those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the
LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you
into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NIV)
David didn’t sound
unsure of the victory. He didn’t sound down in the dumps and he
certainly didn’t hang his head in feigned humility. David did what
every Child of God should do, he boasted in the Lord. “I come against
you in the name of the Lord Almighty!” “The Lord will hand you over to
me and I’ll strike you down.” “The whole earth will know that there is a
God in Israel.” “The battle is the Lords!” Knowing that we face
certain death without God’s help we rely on Him. Aware of the emptiness
of our reasoning and wisdom we trust in the Lord and lean not to our
own understanding.
Being “beggarly poor in spirit” is to be
aware of our own spiritual bankruptcy. To know that we are sinful and
inadequate, destitute and poor, that we have nothing to offer and that
we are in desperate need of God. It is there on our knees, with our
hands reaching out to God, that we finally lay hold on truth and we
stand before the enemy not in our own power but in the power of Christ.
Matthew 5:3 (NIV) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
As Jesus gathered His disciples around Him on the mountain that
day they were intently listening to every word from the Master. As
Jesus began to speak he did not reason or explain but instead spoke
truth. That is what Jesus does, He speaks the anointed truth to the
darkness of our lives and the light of His words illuminate even the
farthest corners of our soul. There are no “I thinks” or “maybe we
should considers”. These are not given as opinions but as the way to
live and find entrance into the glories that are prepared for God’s
people.
Blessed, (μακάριος) makarios, many translate it as
happy but that doesn’t do the word justice. It means supremely blessed
or fortunate. The happiness that comes from living and walking God’s
way brings the blessings of God upon our lives. This brings a joy that
is beyond comprehension. Happy is fleeting but “blessed” is eternal.
It is positional! The poor in spirit are blessed because they are poor
in spirit. They have humbled themselves before the Lord and realized
the bankruptcy of their sinful state. They have cried out in the
sackcloth and ashes of a broken spirit and found the place of
repentance. They walk daily in the knowledge that God is their source
and every provision comes from Him. The poor in spirit are not poor for
a moment or a day but they are daily dependent on God because all
things come from the overflow of His love towards them. This battle is
one that must be fought daily. When we are blessed and good things
begin to happen in our lives it is natural for the flesh to forget our
brokenness and even to think we somehow earned our good fortune but then
we begin to lose the very thing that positions us to receive His
blessing.
Jesus did not say you are blessed no matter what it
is up to God who He blesses. He said “Blessed are the poor in spirit”
God has predestined a way. It is written – settled that the way to our
inheritance begins with a poor (broken, contrite) spirit. The world
today and even some in the church will tell you that God’s way of
brokenness is no way to be happy. You have to seize the moment and take
what is yours. But Jesus sits us on the hillside and speaks truth to
the darkness, Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit.
