In Matthew chapters 5 – 7, we read what is commonly referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount”. It is called that simply because the passage starts out “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:” It was on a mountain that Jesus gave His first recorded sermon, and began His public ministry and teaching.
Now, many who followed Him were expecting Jesus to set up His Kingdom by overthrowing the Roman government and generally acting like a “KING” in the worldly sense. Many people followed Him after seeing His miracles and desiring to find prosperity, wealth, great provision…etc. So, when Jesus began to teach – He didn’t beat around the bush, but came immediately to the most important part of TRULY following Him, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (Matthew 5:3)
I imagine many of the followers looked questionably at each other, and maybe even whispered “What is He talking about? “Poor”….? That wasn’t the message they came to hear, and that’s not the message most people who claim to follow Him today want to hear either – but that’s the TRUE message from Jesus own teaching.
Now, the word blessed means happy and content, and Jesus begins each of the beatitudes with this word, because only those who find happiness this way are truly happy and content. His teaching goes completely against the world’s philosophy and teaching of ME, MYSELF, and I.
So, what does He mean by “poor in spirit”? He means that the first step to finding true happiness is to realize we have NOTHING in ourselves to make us happy, we have nothing good to offer – it ALL must come from Jesus. Without HIM – we are NOTHING! The word poor here, doesn’t mean we only have a little or not much. It means we have NOTHING! We are DESTITUTE of ALL that can save us, and so the first key to entering the Kingdom of God is to realize our low estate – we are NOTHING, and we come to Him seeking EVERYTHING. Like the words in the great Hymn Rock of Ages that say, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling!” That is the ONLY entrance into the Kingdom of God and of Heaven!