ZA MAGAZINE // seek truth.

Often Jesus would teach His disciples using imagery and figurative language. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 through 7:29) is not an exception to this propensity for Jesus to speak in words not always easily understood. Simile, metaphor, and analogy are just a few of His literary techniques. Jesus spoke like no one else in His time. He taught profound lessons that His disciples could only begin to grasp and understand.

Through the Grace of God and the Holy Spirit we are capable of understanding such speech, and this sermon is incredible in its imagery, its revelation, and its message. I will focus on just the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, a section that is most commonly known as ‘The Beatitudes’. The Beatitudes describe those called to be a part of Jesus’ Kingdom and announcing their due portion, or their place, in that new existence. I will give every Beatitude its due diligence, trying my best to explain it through and through, beginning with this one, the first of seven.

Matthew 5:1-3
The Sermon On The Mount
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It is a fair assertion that Jesus came to the hill specifically so he could be heard by the multitudes. And Jesus gives them something profound to contemplate…

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Jesus is saying those afflicted with a lowly status, those with no pride, and those with a humble personality are blessed. ‘Blessed’ here means literally ‘happy’. It can be interchanged with every Beatitudes’ use of ‘blessed’. Jesus says these people, whether poor in spirit or otherwise, should be happy and take joy in their status! And I will tell you why in a short while.
The Greek for poor ptochos has as its root the Greek word Ptoeo, which means ‘to tremble’ and ‘to shrink in fear’. This would be an example of righteous fear of God, as I wrote about several weeks ago. Those spoken of as being poor are those that have a pious and reverent attitude towards God.
Also, these blessed ones are fully aware of their state in sin. They are convicted by the Holy Spirit to reconcile themselves to God for their sins. They seek Jesus because they know He is the only remedy. They acknowledge their need for divine assistance. These poor ones are defenseless against injustice from the rich and the mighty without God in their lives. The truly poor live their lives dependent on something else. Whether its the government, a community shelter, or God acting through the kindness of strangers, the poor must depend on someone else for their care. If the poor depend on God, then they are the blessed ones of whom Jesus speaks.

Jesus does not mean those without money, without wealth, or without social status. Just being dependent on money from others does not make one poor in spirit. One can be without money, but boastful, proud, stubborn, and unknowing of how much help they can get from God if they acknowledge He is the only one who can save their lives… Not their ‘living’ lives but save their eternal lives! Those poor must have the realization that God is the reason they are alive, only then will their humility and their dependence on others will count for their eternal lives.

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Jesus says those that are poor in spirit will have the Kingdom of Heaven! But what is that? Is it an Earthly kingdom where they lord over serfs and command a large army? No way!
This kingdom is different.
This kingdom transcends the barrier between life and the afterlife. This kingdom is not of flesh or stone but of ideal, of spirit, and of faith. It is the kingdom that lasts forever, because God is forever, and the kingdom has no other ruler. It is that which is held captive under the Will of God.
All that is held captive to His will includes both Heaven and your heart, if you believe. That is the inward kingdom: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit and His gifts. The eternal kingdom is Heaven, the place where God’s throne dwells and all worship and praise Him. There are no cares, no worries, and no fears in Heaven. If you have the Kingdom of Heaven, you have been given a precious gift that is given to all that accept Christ as their Savior. That is why these poor ones should be happy!

As you can see, the poor in spirit has nothing to do with your social status, homelessness, or money in your pocket. A person with a poor spirit depends on God, is conscious of their sinful state, and are humble and free to being moved by God according to His will. The Kingdom of Heaven being given to these poor ones includes the joy in knowing the Holy Spirit, righteousness, and peace in their hearts, in addition to the Heavenly kingdom that is eternal with God sitting on the throne.
Be humble, and recognize you are nothing without God. Reconcile yourself to God’s will, and you will be given eternal life and comfort in the Kingdom of Heaven!

Buzz