“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
To recognize our spiritual poverty means that we understand our total lack of resources apart from God. There are two Greek words that are translated “poor” in the New Testament. “Penes” describes the poor who are working for a living and are eking out an existence. “Ptochos” describes someone who has nothing at all. It is a person who is helpless and without influence. Jesus used the word “ptochos” in this Beatitude.
In reading the Gospels it is easy to identify the common characteristics of those who responded to Jesus. They weren’t the religious who were proud of their attainments. The ones who came to Jesus were religious outcasts, the sick, or simply those who knew that they were empty-handed and stood humbly before Him. A good synonym for this kind of “poor” is “desperate.”
Jesus was saying that God’s Kingdom comes to those who realize their desperate need of Him. His power is available to the weak. His provision is available to the needy. You may have heard the saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” That’s not in the Bible. The wonderful truth of Scripture is that God helps those who can’t help themselves.
Acknowledging our spiritual poverty means giving up our attempts to live solely out of our own strength and resources. The poor in spirit are blessed because they learn to rely on God’s provision. It is to those who set aside their proud independence that Jesus promised the Kingdom of heaven. The blessed life we couldn’t provide for ourselves God grants as a gift to those who believe in Jesus.
