“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” –
Matthew 4:3
Poverty, true poverty, is
something that most of us in America have never experienced. Many that Jesus
spoke to, however, knew the desperation of poverty, the helplessness, the
gnawing hunger, and the total lack of resources. So maybe the multitude that
heard Jesus pronounce that the pour in spirit are blessed, picked up on what
may elude us. Those who are desperate for God, those who know that they are
helpless without Him, those who cry out for true spiritual food, those who look
to God for all that they need are the blessed ones. Why? Because theirs is the
kingdom of God. Their spiritual poverty drives them to find God, to believe in
Him, to trust in Him, and to fully yield to His Lordship. They are willing
subjects to the King, and the King cares for His own. They find true riches in
His Kingdom.
So, in what way is this idea
upside down? It clearly stands in contrast with the world’s values. In Jesus’
day, as in ours, it is the wealthy, the powerful, the gifted, and the famous
who are considered blessed. They don’t have to worry about where their next
meal is coming from. They have everything that they could possibly need or want
and then some. People respect them. They have influence. They don’t think that
they need God – He is irrelevant to them.
But on a deeper level I think
Jesus was contrasting the poor in spirit with the rich in religion – those who
think that they have all their spiritual ducks in a row. Like the Scribes and
the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, those who believe right doctrine, who go to
church, read their Bibles, pray, tithe, fast, and don’t commit the big sins.
Have you been there? I have. At times I’ve lost that spiritual desperation,
that deep hunger for God. Recognizing that we have strayed from being poor in
spirit is half the battle. God so graciously, so mercifully draws us back to Himself:
renewing our hearts, bringing us again to the place where we can say with the
psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but
thee, and what is there on earth that I desire besides thee.” – Psalm 73:25
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