BLESSED ARE (PART 1)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them. He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:1-3

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Looking at his disciples, He said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:17-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The first extended teaching Jesus provided to the people at large came during what is widely known as the Sermon on the Mount, the first part of which is the focal point of a nine part series that starts today, a series simply titled, “Blessed Are”.

The aforementioned first part of the Sermon of the Mount has been referred to as “The Beatitudes”, a list detailing groups of people who Jesus calls blessed. Look at the opening of these Beatitudes in today’s scripture passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them. He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:1-3

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Looking at his disciples, He said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”  Luke 6:17-20

Fresh off choosing and appointing His twelve disciples, we find Jesus in the company of a “large crowd of His disciples” as well as “a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon”, all who had come to not only hear Jesus teach but to also be “healed of their diseases” and to be cured of “impure spirits”. The scriptures tell us that power was coming from Jesus, a power that was “healing them all”.   

From the level place where Jesus had done the healing, He went up onto a mountainside and sat down before beginning to teach His disciples and the people, saying these initial words:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Before we get into the specifics of this Beatitude, we need to look at the word “blessed” for a moment as every people category we look at will be referred to as “blessed” by Jesus.

The Greek word translated to “blessed” in our Bibles is “makarios” which means “happy”. So if we insert this word in place of “blessed”, we get:

Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

OK…so those who are poor in spirit are happy but what does it mean to be poor in spirit?

To answer the question, I want to show you this verse, Matthew 5:3, as it appears in three other Bible translations (the one I use in nearly all my devotions is the NIV). Look at these alternative renderings of this verse:

“Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!” Good News Translation

“They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” New Century Version

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” New Living Translation

Note here that being poor in spirit is actually being spiritually poor but in order to gain happiness from this condition, one has to acknowledge they are spiritually poor and, in doing so, realize their need for God.

In other words, a person finds happiness when they realize they have no spirit of worth unless they have the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, within them. When they seek and find this Spirit, they are blessed because the scriptures affirm that the “kingdom of heaven belongs to them”, a true reason to celebrate, rejoice, and be glad.

Given this, I’ll close with a few questions:

Have you come to the awareness that you are spiritually poor in your own life, and if so, have you turned to God, understanding your need for Him?

If you have done this, have you embraced the truth that the kingdom of heaven belongs to You?

And if you have embraced this truth, are you living your life with an attitude of joy and happiness, worshiping the Lord with all honor and praise for the gift of His Spirit and the richness it brings?

For Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the second Beatitude.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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