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

“To be poor in spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God; to be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favor from him. It is opposed to pride, and vanity, and ambition. ” (Albert Barnes)

I like Barnes’ explanation of what “poor in spirit” means. To accept that we are in need, spiritual need, that we NEED God, we need a functional relationship with God on an every-day basis, because whatever else we are, we are de facto spiritually destitute without His Presence. I suppose this is the closest I get to a traditional interpretation of “poor in spirit”. There are others though…

We have to remember that Jesus was addressing a Jewish Community from within Jewish Tradition and Scriptures. From that perspective, it is reasonable to think that He compared the “rich in spirit” i.e the Theologians and Educated of His day to the ordinary people, who had only the most basic knowledge of the Law, which he called “poor in spirit”. “Poor” not as in “lacking means” but as in “simple and child-like”. This would correspond very well with what He says in Matthew 18:3-4 “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Children are not conceited, pretentious, arrogant, narrow minded and judgmental. Children see the World as it is, not as they would have it, and to what they see they add marvel and inquisitiveness. To children the World is full of wonders and fantastic new things each day. Children will be equally enthusiastic over a butterfly chasing from flower to flower and a star glittering in the night sky, reflecting on the words of Psalm 8 without missing a step. Poor in spirit means lacking self-consciousness and pretense, but having curiosity and playfulness in abundance. Children don’t cower, they don’t lack courage to Believe in that which they cannot see. Children are naturally spiritual, and in my opinion have a built-in relationship with their Maker. A relationship adults have to re-discover and re-establish. Admitting that we, as adults have this need for unpretentious spirituality and direct contact with God is a chunk of being “poor in spirit”.

Someone called the Beatitudes the BE-Attitudes. I like that too. To be. To have an attitude of “I am here and now” whatever meets us, and accept that it is just as God intended it to be in that very moment. This is something we are very bad at as humans. We flitter endlessly from past to future without paying much attention to the PRESENT. Yet, as Jesus points out later in this 3 chapter sermon, all that we need is what today gives. Nature is not occupied with regretting the past or fearing the future, making plans or trying to change that which is history. God is NOW. There is a reason that when God introduces Himself to Moses in the burning bush, He uses a verb-form that encompasses ALL known temporal forms, in reality laying claim to NOW. He wants us to relate to Him as He is in every possible moment. We cannot do that if we are busy fiddling with every temporal gap except that in which He actually reside in relation to us.

“Blessed” – sanctified, holy, fortunate, sacred, lucky, happy…if we maintain a status of “poor in spirit” we are all those, and The Kingdom of Heaven is ours.

Blessings,

Henry

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Barnes suggests:

“This is capable of two meanings: either, that those are blessed who are afflicted with the loss of friends or possessions, or that they who mourn over sin are blessed. As Christ came to preach repentance, to induce people to mourn over their sins and to forsake them, it is probable that he had the latter particularly in view. Compare 2Co 7:10. At the same time, it is true that the gospel only can give true comfort to those in affliction, Isa 61:1-3; Luk 4:18. Other sources of consolation do not reach the deep sorrows of the soul. They may blunt the sensibilities of the mind; they may produce a sullen and reluctant submission to what we cannot help: but they do not point to the true source of comfort. In the God of mercy only; in the Saviour; in the peace that flows from the hope of a better world, and there only, is there consolation…”

I’d like to suggest a third meaning; that of this being a “hidden command” to us. To visit those who are stricken with grief, depression, pain and misery and just BE with them in their circumstances, without doing anything else but in stillness be their companionship. It is so easy to be like the people admonished in James 2 “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? (James 2:15-16) Sitting with the grieving, the sick, the depressed, the pained and the miserable without imposing our thoughts and beliefs on them is not something we are encouraged to do in our society. One thing most mourners have in common, is a feeling that people avoid them, avoid talking and listening to them about normal everyday things that are on their minds, including that which they mourn. Yet that is what most of them LONG for! This is a an exhortation not to Preach the Gospel, but BE the Gospel. So those who meet us may have a sense of the Blessing given to them in their mourning. To be heard, to be taken seriously and eventually to come out on the other side of grief, fear, depression, pain and misery with a new feeling of Hope and Comfort. Not because they “confessed their sins and accepted Jesus”, but because they were treated kindly and genuinely. Because we had the courage to stay close when Life had sucker-punched them real bad.

Blessings,
Henry

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

Barnes suggests:

“Meekness is the reception of injuries with a belief that God will vindicate us. “Vengeance is his; he will repay,” Rom 12:19. It little becomes us to take his place, and to do what he has promised to do.

Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults. It looks upon those who offer them with pity. He that is constantly ruffled; that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard and to raise a storm of passion within, is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him. He is like “the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

I’d like to add to this: Meekness is an attitude of “Live and let Live”, of realizing that we are all equals, not only before God, but over all, and that whatever is happening is it exactly as God intended it at that very moment. This doesn’t mean that we should adopt an manner of living that is defaitist, as if nothing can be changed in the world. It means that we strive not to let every-day ordinary or extraordinary events, meetings and circumstances rob us of our serenity.

The Cardinal Bible Passage for the Meek is Micah 6:8.To do justly and walk humbly with God.

Meek, in my opinion, also means that we treat ALL of Creation with respect, a sense of marvel (reflected in Psalm 8 ) and an inner conviction that not only all Mankind are our Brothers and Sisters, but all Animal and Plantkind as well. After all doesn’t God know each time a sparrow falls to the ground? Didn’t Christ tell us to look at the flowers and the birds, and emulate their attitude of acceptance on a daily basis, for their needs? Indeed He did. So they too are God’s Children, and it is my belief that it is first when we realize this, and LIVE it in Truth, that we have a chance at what my Jewish friends call Tikkun Olam, “Mend the Earth”, and keep it for our children as an inheritance. An inheritance that is promised to the Meek.

Blessings,
Henry

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Barnes suggests:

Blessed are they which do hunger … – Hunger and thirst, here, are expressive of strong desire. Nothing would better express the strong desire which we ought to feel to obtain righteousness than hunger and thirst. No needs are so keen, none so imperiously demand supply, as these. They occur daily, and when long continued, as in case of those shipwrecked, and doomed to wander months or years over burning sands, with scarcely any drink or food, nothing is more distressing. An ardent desire for anything is often represented in the Scriptures by hunger and thirst, Psa 42:1-2 Psa 63:1 A desire for the blessings of pardon and peace; a deep sense of sin, and want, and wretchedness, is also represented by thirsting, Isa 55:1

They shall be filled – They shall be satisfied as a hungry man is when supplied with food, or a thirsty man when supplied with drink. Those who are perishing for want of righteousness; those who feel that they are lost sinners and strongly desire to be holy, shall be thus satisfied. Never was there a desire to be holy which God was not willing to gratify, and the gospel of Christ has made provision to satisfy all who truly desire to be holy.

See Isa 55:1-3 Isa 65:13 Joh 4:14 Joh 6:35 Joh 7:37 Psa 17:15

What an utterly selfish, egotistical interpretation of “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”! This is the first time I utterly disagree with Albert Barnes. It makes no sense to focus this text on US, you and me, and have it somehow imply our personal status before God. For one, it wouldn’t be the perspective Jesus had. He would have come from the perspective of Deuteronomy 16:20: “Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” ‘Justice’ here is Tzeddeq, the same word used about Noach and Abraham (Genesis 6:9; James 2:23). ‘Tzeddeq’ means “that which is right and just”. “Follow”, ‘radaph’ means “pursue, run after” by implication with a passion. So it’s unlikely Christ was referring to OUR justifaction before God, and almost certain that He was referring to us being PURSUING Justice, righteousness and that which is right ON BEHALF of others, and that this Justice, Righteousness and Right has nothing to do with spiritual justification, status or appearance. It is all a matter of PRACTICAL application. When Christ talks about righteousness, justice, as with everything else He says, He makes it a hidden command for us to follow. What’s more, His audience would, like me, immediately have Deuteronomy 16:20 in mind, and they would have heard Him say that “Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for the implementation of Righteousness and Justice for all… for you shall be satisfied.” As with the other Beatitudes already covered here, the satisfaction comes with OUR practical work to implement God’s Will. When we fight for what is right, just and ethical from the perspective of the Sermon on the Mount, we will see Right, Justice, and Righteousness sown, sprout and grown. THAT will in turn be counted us a Righteousness before God, as it did with Abraham.
Blessings,
Henry