“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted” Matthew
5:3-4
God’s
values are not man’s values. What we perceive as a blessing is not always a blessing,
and what we perceive as a curse is not always a curse. Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount with a
section referred to as “The Beatitudes.”
The word “Beatitude” is from Latin origin and means being in a state of
supreme happiness or blessing. Jesus declares nine groups of people to be
“blessed.” However, these people possess qualities, attributes and
circumstances that Americans would never consider a blessing. God sees our present circumstances differently
than we do because He views things from an eternal perspective. The circumstances that can bring hardship,
suffering and turmoil now are judged against the fruit they may bring for
eternal life.
The
first group of people who are blessed are those who are poor in spirit. To be
poor is spirit means to understand that you are spiritually bankrupt. Most people consider themselves to be
generally good people. They view themselves as having some flaws and having
sinned a few times, but they think that as a whole they are good and deserve to
go to heaven. They believe this because
they compare themselves not to God and His righteous standard, but to the
outright evil people they see on the news.
By contrast, those who are poor in spirit recognize their own sin and
acknowledge the dire consequences of it. The poor in spirit do not evaluate
themselves against others, but against God’s perfect standard. They do not believe that they deserve heaven,
but the poor is spirit realize that they are utterly impoverished when it comes
to their spiritual condition. Jesus says that these who are poor in spirit will
inherit the kingdom of heaven.
The
second group of people who are blessed are those who mourn. They mourn for their sin and the condition in
which their sin leaves them. They do not
dismiss or even glorify sin, as our culture does, but they view their sin and
sinful condition soberly. They look on
their sin and their souls are moved to mourning when realizing how they sinned
against a good and loving God. Jesus
states that these people who mourn will be comforted.
The
first two beatitudes seem to go hand in hand. Being poor in spirit and knowing
that you are spiritually bankrupt leads to mourning. The poor in spirit have
the humility to know that they need a Savior, and He brings them to the kingdom
of heaven. Those who mourn will be
consoled because they will cry out to King Jesus and He will comfort them.
Coming
to grips with your poverty is not easy, and no one wants to mourn, but owning
up to your condition now leads to the riches of eternal life.
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