Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3
In this first statement of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus
shows us the stark contrast between the nature of the world and the nature of
the kingdom of heaven. The normal way of life in the world is the
opposite of what he states here. The poor in spirit are to be looked down on in
the world but not in the kingdom of heaven.
Those who are poor in spirit know the value of their righteousness
before God. We are all poor in spirit because we are of the fallen race of Adam.
Those of us who think we are rich in spirit, or who think we are good enough to
be accepted by God, are least in the kingdom of heaven. The pride of those of
us who think that the lives we live are good enough to get us accepted into the
kingdom of God is the worst kind of sin. In 1st Timothy 3:6 we are
told that pride can bring a person under the same condemnation of the devil.
Pride is what the Pharisees demonstrated before Jesus, and is why they could
not recognize him as the Messiah. The pride of the Pharisees led them to
believe that their religious discipline was enough to make them righteous before
God, but the opposite was true.
The poor in spirit know that they are lost sinners
without hope, and that the grace of God through Jesus Christ is the only way
they can be rescued. The poor in spirit do not think that they are better than
drunkards and thieves but know that it is by grace that anyone, including
drunkards and thieves, can be saved. The poor in spirit know that the life they
live for Christ is out of love for him not to show how much better they are
than others. The poor in spirit have the kingdom of heaven because they trust
in the grace and mercy of the King.
To be poor in spirit is to be wealthy in the Grace of God,
and inherit the kingdom.
Next Week: Those who mourn!
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