“Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Pt. 1

You may be asking yourself, “How can that be?!”

Our Lord knows us far better than we know ourselves. He made us, after all. He fully understands our weaknesses. “Well wouldn’t it be better to be rich in spirit?” This is a logical question to ask. Let’s investigate this question in a series of studies, alongside the first eleven verses of Jesus’ amazing Sermon on the Mount. Turn with me, to chapter 5 in The Gospel according to Matthew.

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.

The Beatitudes (supreme blessedness, placed at a high or powerful level of happiness)

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

– Jesus instructing his disciples into God’s righteousness (Matthew 5:1-11)

After reading this passage, I couldn’t help but to notice a pattern. This is how Jesus’ disciples grow in The Lord. He clearly defined the progression of Christ-like behavior. Since he is our perfect example of who we need to be to please God, let us investigate a few of those examples of how he lived out exactly what he taught us on the Mount. While we study this passage, keep these words from our Lord in your heart; “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – (Matthew 23:12)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Can we be meek without mourning, first? Can we mourn without being poor in spirit, first? It’s not until after we empty ourselves (i.e. “poor in spirit”), that we can truly mourn. The moment that we realize that we have fallen short (very short) of what God expects of us, we can then mourn. His will is clearly laid out for us through Jesus. Mourning is commonly thought of as a bad thing. It, however, produces in us the opportunity to become meek. Meekness is defined as, quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive. Mourning properly (i.e. repenting of our sins to God) will always lead us to having a meek heart. It is through this submissiveness that we should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:36-40). Immediately, I am brought back to what led Jesus himself to be baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (Matthew chapter 3). Jesus, unlike us, had no need of being baptized for the remission of his sins, because he was sinless, unlike us. According to Jesus, he was baptized because “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15) . There are many passages throughout the Old and New Testaments that speak directly of Jesus’ poor spirit, mourning, and meekness. Here are just a few….

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

– Paul encouraging Christ’s Church at Phillipi (Phillippians 2:5-13)

We can see in this passage that Jesus is blessed above all men because of what he did! He emptied himself (i.e. “poor in spirit”) when he left his glorious position at God’s own right hand to come to the (sin-filled) earth to live and die for you and me. He had no need to mourn for his sin because he had no sin. He did, however, mourn for our sins, when he was dying on the cross for you and me. I still hear the words that he spoke to God on behalf of us, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He knows very well what it is like to mourn. Isaiah spoke boldly of Jesus’s mourning in Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

The Lord has done so much for us. Much, much, more than what we deserve. Death is what we deserved, because of our offenses to God. Instead, Jesus paid that price for us when He willingly came here to earth, to offer himself up as a living sacrifice, for our sins. He died for you and me because He loves us. What are we doing for Him?