Beatitudes - Poor in Spirit

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:1-3

For the next week or so we are going to look into the Beatitudes. A portion of Jesus Sermon on the Mount captured in the 5th through 7th books of Matthew. I relate the Beatitudes to the guiding principles required of the disciples then and even today. Jesus takes this opportunity to preach a sermon to the masses and lay out what it means to follow Him. In doing so, He is establishing the vision, mission and expectations of being a disciple. The words that are contained herein are set apart from what the Jewish leaders, and society were expecting from a Messiah. There was a belief that the Messiah would come and overthrow the Roman government and establish a new government under God, similar to what they had experienced in the past under the leadership of David, Solomon and others.

But, on the back side of Christ's life we are privileged to see the distinct difference from what Jesus came preaching and what the men and women of that time were expecting. Jesus was building a following based on the ethical and moral value structure contained in these scriptures, which contradicted the Jewish leader’s belief that there was a hierarchy through the Sanhedrin, Pharisees and High Priests. The contradictions were considered outrageous by some, confusing to others and inspiring to a few. These would become His closest followers and disciples to build His church upon.

"..poor in spirit.." Clearly Jesus is not just referring to those in poverty, but those in spiritual poverty. So, what does it mean to be spiritually poverished? Lacking for spiritual wisdom and understanding, Needing spiritual intervention and transformation. It was a guideline for the wealthy as much as it was for the financially oppressed at the time. It was a message of justice between classes, where in it was not based on how much you had here on earth, but how much you understood you were lacking to get to heaven.

"..theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Now this could be considered blasphemy, heresy or just plain arrogance in the eyes of the Jewish leaders of the day. For who was this man from Nazareth claiming to know who was entitled to the kingdom of heaven. Their years of education, studying, training and preparation had readied them for those decisions, so He must be a con-man and leading these people astray.

So, put the two together and we discover that those that realize they are not worthy of heaven, and cannot get there on their own are the children who are in line to experience heaven. This realization brings them to the foot of the cross, seeking the wisdom and knowledge of the only One who can get them to heaven. These are the poor in spirit. The rich in spirit are the one's who think they have it all figured out and know all the right things to do to get to heaven. Their piety and pompousness will lead them to feel threatened by Jesus Christ's words and ethics lessons.

Isn't this still the case 2000 years later. The Beatitudes are as valuable today as they were then, in teaching us the ethical and moral values towards the treatment of others. In what area of your life are you rich in spirit? How are you going to shed some of those encumbrances? We are called to be poor in spirit, and pliable, teachable and open for the Lord to work within us. This should be your goal as a Christian.