"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” (Matthew 5-7) 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 pronounced “blessed” by Jesus are those who are poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit means to understand that you are spiritually bankrupt. Most people believe that they are generally good people. They view themselves as having some flaws and having sinned a few times, but they believe 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 are worthy of 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 pronounced “blessed” by Jesus 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 because they realize they have 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 and turning to Jesus leads to the riches of eternal life.
