What is 'Poor?'
I have some good news for you as we begin our dive into what are referred to as the, “Beatitudes!” The good news is that we are starting with a simple, easy-to-understand truth that really needs little to no explanation at all because it’s point is absolutely obvious when one reads or hears these words. In fact, I almost feel as though I could skip this one, for it is so elementary and basic.
The Beatitudes have as a common thread their first word, which is often translated as ‘blessed,’ but could also be translated as ‘happy.’ A word of caution is in order here, for one of the biggest challenges facing those reading and desiring to live out a life of authentic Christian faith is to understand that when Jesus is speaking, terms like ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ are to be measured not by worldly experiences but divine standards. When we see ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ we must be ever-vigilant to realize that someone could, indeed, be blessed or happy and yet to the outsider look as if they are in an awful circumstance. Keep this in mind as we wind our way through the Beatitudes.
Back to the first beatitude, the one that is seemingly so simple. Since we have taken time to get this far in today’s installment, let’s, just for the heck of it, take a look at this verse and, just for grins and giggles, see what might be there for us to explore on this Wednesday. Hear these words from our Lord as recorded in Matthew 5:3:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Pretty simple, huh? Blessed are the poor in spirit… Precisely when dealing with what seems to be obvious is when we might wish the gospels had been double-spaced when written, for there definitely are some things to read between the lines here. A couple of these include:
Wouldn’t someone who is strong in their faith, in their spirit, be exactly for what God is looking with respect to the faithful? Not so fast. When Jesus speaks of being poor in spirit, what he is referring to here is the attitude the faithful must have that it is not that their spirit is somehow strong because of who they are or what they have done. Nay, the one who is poor in spirit is precisely what faith is all about, for being poor in spirit leads one to lean solely on Christ for strength. When we start thinking we’re in good shape because of what we accomplish, exactly at that point we are farthest away from God’s will for our lives.
Tied into this first point is the reality that it is the poor in spirit who receive the kingdom of heaven. This may seem redundant except for one piercing realization - if we are NOT poor in spirit, if we are NOT relying on the fact that we are in desperate need of God’s divinely healing grace, then we have no need to be part of God’s eternal kingdom. If we have it all together, then why would there be a need for God in the first place?
So, let’s ask the question, “What is poor?” If we use a common understanding of poor as to be in a state with limited to no resources, the answer is actually quite simple - if we are poor in spirit, we must need help from somewhere beyond us.
May we all allow ourselves to be poor in spirit, so that we never lose sight of just how desperately we are in need of God’s gracious work in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Grace & Peace,
Lamar