Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus’ chosen Disciples were a confused lot. Prior to the time Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount, the twelve men were still wrestling with a lot of questions and even some doubts about their worthiness to follow the Messiah. The natural question for the Disciples—or any of the Jews for that matter— would have been whether they were eligible or righteous enough to enter the Messiah’s kingdom. All they knew was what they had been taught by the scribes and Pharisees about the Law and requirements for righteousness. And so, Jesus begins to answer these questions for the Disciples, of how a Christ-follower can be assured of their righteousness and to conduct their life, and He begins with a list of “blesseds,” known as “The Beatitudes.”
Jesus is getting ready to turn the tables. He is preparing the people for different. And this most important sermon in history is certainly going to cause them to think differently!
Our culture of today tends to look at things differently, in what might be thought of as a rather shallow way. I once heard a pastor say that if we were to create a “different” a list of “blesseds” for a more modern audience, they might sound something like this:
Blessed are the beautiful, for they shall be admired.
Blessed are the wealthy, for they have it all.
Blessed are the popular, for they shall be loved.
Blessed are the famous, for they shall be followed.
That’s not exactly the kind of “different” Jesus was going for.
Let’s look at what He meant by, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Like many of you, I always thought Jesus was referring to those who are poor financially. In fact, He wasn’t referring to a person’s economic state at all but, rather, their poor spiritual state. He knew the listeners needed to recognize that they lacked the resources—the spiritual resources—to save themselves. This was huge for the Disciples, and for the others in the crowd listening, for it had been ingrained in them their entire lives that, in order to be righteous enough to experience the Kingdom of Heaven, they must obey the requirements of the Law. This led to the inevitable question, “Is my obedience good enough or my righteousness pure enough to meet the requirements of the Law?” No, it would never be. The outward “righteousness” of the Pharisees, which they thought they had already attained, was based on outward, visible actions, not one based on the inward working of the heart. In contrast, what Jesus offered to His listeners was a different righteousness, an inward righteousness found in Him alone. The only requirement was for them to recognize their poverty of spirit—that they lacked the spiritual resources to save themselves—and, with humble hearts, to recognize their need for the only One who could offer true righteousness through faith in Jesus.
Do you struggle with thinking you aren’t good enough, obedient enough, or righteous enough for God? How well I remember when I first became a Christian 50 years ago, and the myriad questions I had, especially about my worthiness. From adolescence into adulthood, I suffered from an extreme lack of self-confidence, often questioning whether I was good enough, attractive enough or talented enough to meet the favor of others and, especially, whether I was good enough to please God. Until. Until I was introduced to Jesus who required nothing from me but belief in Him as the only One who could save me. At that instant I received His forgiveness, and He declared me righteous. But, just like the Disciples, I navigated my new-found faith with a heart still clouded with doubt that I would ever be worthy or righteous enough to please God. I still struggled with perfectionism, performance and appearance-based acceptance until the Lord assured me that He exchanged my unrighteousness for His righteousness—Jesus became my Righteousness. Hallelujah!
Father of righteousness, You offer supreme blessedness to those who humble themselves and receive Your Son and His Your offer of salvation through grace. We acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves. Only in Jesus can we be declared righteous and enter your Kingdom. Thank you, Jesus, for the assurance of salvation and that You call us Blessed when we recognize our righteousness comes from You alone. In Your righteous name we pray. Amen.
~ painting by Jan Norton
