The emphasis of the world is often upon wealth, power, and position. The independent, self-reliant and self-confident individual is often held in high esteem. Jesus’ sermon on the mount was an antithesis to the way of the world and challenged the commonly held presuppositions of many of His listeners. He opened the sermon by giving a description of the citizens of the kingdom. Jesus used the word blessed to describe the character of a citizen of the kingdom. These are known as the beatitudes and is derived from the word beati in Latin Vulgate Bible. The first beatitude reveals that entry into the kingdom of heaven requires that one must be poor in spirit:

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

The word blessed describes an inward state of truth that defines our state of being in relation to God and is independent of our feelings. This word describes an inward contentedness that is not affected by our circumstances. That is the well-being that God desires for His children – a state of joy and peace.

Jesus described the blessed ones as being poor in spirit. In the Greek language there are two primary words for the poor. The word in this passage is the stronger word describing abject poverty and one who is utterly destitute. The poor in spirit recognize their true condition and this is the opposite of being rich in pride. Those who are poor in spirit understand their spiritual poverty and helplessness before God. This is not a one-time event by which a person gains entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, but a continual mindset that leads to a lifestyle of dependence upon God. Jesus came to replace our earthly poverty with spiritual riches as He revealed His mission as prophesied through Isaiah:

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, (Luke 4:18)

We become poor in spirit not looking at ourselves, but by looking to God. The more we look to Him, the more we realize that His all-sufficiency is able to overcome our inadequacy. Why are the poor in spirit blessed? Because they possess the kingdom of heaven. We become rich beyond our wildest imagination. Too many of us do not realize the magnificent riches that we have in Christ.

Many people have heard the beatitudes, but how many of us have plumbed the depth of Jesus’ words? The beatitudes are some of the best known teachings of Jesus, but also some the the least understood, and consequently the least applied. The beatitudes give us a beautiful description of a citizen of the kingdom who is walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.