The Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ²

Meditation The Poor in Spirit

A few weeks ago my wife came to me with a question. Of course she didn’t pick an easy question (smile), she wanted to know what I thought the first Beatitude found in Matthew chapter five meant. We talked about it and looked up different interpretations, but she still wasn’t satisfied, so she decided to pray about it. It was while we were on vacation that the answer to her prayer came and the inspiration for this sermon.

Now we’ve all probably also heard that the Beatitudes are impossible to keep because no human being is perfect. Even so, just brushing them off, doesn’t do justice to their meaning. In Matthew 5:3 Christ began with the words “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Today we will be taking a hard and honest look at what those words meant yesterday and today.

First let’s pray (pause) Lord God I humbly ask that you be present here with us today. I pray that your words be spoken here today not mine. I pray that you help us to be ready and willing to hear you. Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight. (pause) What does it mean to be poor in Spirit? Is it important to really know? This morning I stress that this may be the most important fact we could ever learn. After all, Christ said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to these. To learn a little more about what this phrase truly meant, I examined several texts. According to Vincent’s NT Greek, there are three Greek words in the NT which deal with poverty; however, two of them are only used once. The third is the one that is used in the scripture passage we are about to read. It can be found many times throughout the NT and is best translated as poor or destitute. ¹ I submit to you this morning that if we are to be poor in spirit we must be willing to admit we are destitute and then be quick to throw ourselves on the mercy of God.

I encourage you to join with me as we read our second scripture passage this morning from Mark 9. (Read scripture)

Mark 9:14 When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.

15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.

16 And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?"

17 And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;

18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it."

19 And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!"

20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.

21 And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.

22 "It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"

23 And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again."

26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!"

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.

28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?"

29 And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer. ²

Taking place right after the Transfiguration, this passage shows us a good example of someone who is ‘poor in Spirit’ as well as someone who is not. Now keep in mind that if we are to be poor in Spirit we must be willing to admit we are destitute and then be quick to throw ourselves on the mercy of God.

In the passage we just read, “the large crowd” was made up of those who were following Jesus. It included both common folk and scribes. The text begins with a great argument going on between this crowd and the disciples. It concerned the healing [or lack there of] of a child. Jesus returned from the mountain and found this argument becoming heated and stepped in to see what was happening. The father of the child stepped forward and started to explain what was happening. You can just see the crowd ignite when he adds that the disciples where unable to cast out the demon. Imagine the looks of “I told you so’s and scorn” . It was into this situation that Jesus made his reply, chastising the crowd for their unbelief. I can just hear the thought in Jesus mind … How many times must I show them for them to believe? What more can I do to help them see? It is from this dialogue with Christ, that we find where these people stand … having followed Jesus and heard His teachings, they were unwilling to believe. Like many today, they faced the grace and love of Christ, yet turned away. They had heard the Gospel and felt its presence, but never truly allowed the salvation of Christ into their lives. They were unwilling to admit to their spiritual destitution and throw themselves on the mercy of Christ. And so they continued in their own way to fight life’s battles, on their own strength. (Pause) Even after the trauma of the past year’s events, we still have those who are waiting to ‘find a reason’ to trust and accept God’s mercy and grace. (Pause) If Christ were here this morning, would He be asking how many signs we needed? Would He find us willing to admit how much we need and depend on Him, or simply going through the motions? (Pause)

Next, we examine the father of the demon possessed child. At first glance, he would appear to be ‘just one of the crowd.’ After all, he is in the crowd as Jesus comes down. He looks at Jesus and pleads with Him to do something for His son if He could, anything … if he “can.” The reply was strong, Jesus says, “If You can? All things are possible to him who believes.” It is then that we find the father throwing himself at the Lord’s feet and asking for mercy. He knew that he could not believe the way Christ was asking, but he also asked for help in his ‘unbelief.’ (Pause) The interesting part is the actual statement: The man says “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24, NASB²). This man is an example of the “Poor in Spirit”. He realized that he could never be worthy of anything God gave him. He realized he was destitute and at the same time, he was willing to throw himself on the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. It was this grace which healed his son. (Pause)

Is this not the way of all Christians. Yes we believe, but do we really? (Pause) Do we really believe that God is a good and loving God when we are desperately ill or when someone we love dies and we are left all alone? Do we really believe that God is merciful and kind when we don’t have enough money to buy even our basic necessities? Are we willing to throw ourselves on the mercy of God when the church we call home is in desperate need of spiritual renewal or finances? Are all things truly possible for Him who believes? (Pause)

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. 5:3, NASB²). Today as we stand in the presence of God are we willing to admit our spiritual destitution without the grace of Christ, will we have this humility and faith? Our destitution is more than just spiritual, of course, for there is never a time when we don’t need to throw ourselves on the mercy of God, but do we today realize that we do not and will not have true faith or unconditional faith? If we are to be poor in spirit we must be willing to admit our destitution and be quick to throw ourselves on the mercy of God. Will we be like the father and trust that, in Christ, our constant striving will be enough or like the crowd who just didn’t care? (Pause) Yes, the description that the beatitudes are impossible demands can be true in some ways, but all things are possible for Him who believe.

Works Cited