The Beatitudes 1

This week I will begin a series based on my study of the Beatitudes. I hope you will find it helpful...

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus singles out the poor in spirit as possessing the kingdom of heaven. But what did He mean, and to whom was He referring?

During His ministry Jesus spoke much about the poor. But commentators agree that here Jesus was not speaking about those who have little wealth and few worldly possessions. However, we can gain some insight into this passage by comparing the poor in wealth with the poor in spirit.

Those who are poor in wealth have no ability to help themselves. They are utterly dependent on others for their physical survival and well being. Likewise, those who are poor in spirit have realised that they have no ability to improve their spiritual condition. They have resigned themselves to the fact that they are utterly dependent upon God for their spiritual life and well being.

Barnes wrote, “To be poor in spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God; to be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favor from him.”

Jesus said of the poor in spirit that, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit, by definition, have the ability to hear and respond to the gospel of the Kingdom. Gill stated that as the gospel is preached to those that are poor in spirit, “it not only reaches their ears, but their hearts; it enters into them, is applied unto them, they receive and embrace it with the utmost joy and gladness.”

Once they have heard and responded to the gospel, the poor in spirit also receive an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. Gill described this inheritance saying, “eternal glory, this is prepared for them, and given to them; they are born heirs of it, have a right unto it, are [being made fit] for it, and shall enjoy it.”

So indeed blessed are the poor in spirit!

As we pray today, let’s remember that we can’t earn the answers to our prayers. Whatever answers we receive are not because we deserve them, but are received because of God’s grace.