Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

I saw God today as I continued my way through Matthew. I think I could spend a year on Matthew and not have enough time to dive into all the good stuff that comes from it.  Even the Sermon on the Mount could take years.  There are books after books written on just this Chapter, so who am I, just a Pew Sitter, to think he understands?  Well, I will tell you now...I don't understand.  I know that I don't know.  Maybe that is why I find it so amazing.  Maybe that is why I find it so eye opening.  I have lived all my life reading these verses and, for some reason, at 47, I decided that I had lived too long not digging deeper.  It took one issue to really change my life.  It took one issue to change the way I read the Bible.  It took one issue for me to understand that reading the words is just the start.  It's the first step in becoming closer to Christ.  It is the first step in your relationship with Him.  But, in order to understand more fully, you have to dig.  I have found one website very helpful in this journey.  It is www.blueletterbible.org.  They take you through a translation of the original Greek words and what those words mean and I have found this allows me to better understand what the words are really trying to tell me.  Without them, you can understand Christ, but with them, I believe you get a deeper understanding of the mystery of Christ.

With this understanding, Jesus' first proclamation in the Sermon on the Mount now makes so much more sense.  He says in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

When I first read this, I think of someone who is weak.  Poor in spirit to me means someone at a basketball game who just lacks passion.  It's someone who fills out their bracket for March Madness but then doesn't pay any attention to the games.  It's someone who wants to succeed at work but isn't willing to put in the work necessary to make it happen.  That is what I sense when I have read this in the past and it never made any sense to me.  Why would that person be blessed?  Why would that person go to heaven and not someone like me who I always felt had passion, was willing to go the extra mile, who wanted to succeed, who rooted with passion for my teams, my kids and those I love!?!? The only thing I could come back to was that maybe it was because that person didn't care about those things that gave them access to the kingdom.  Maybe I should have less passion for those things that aren't related to my salvation.  Maybe that's true, but after I dug deeper, I found a meaning I believe is closer to the truth.

Verses 3 through 11 all begin with the same word..."Blessed".  This word is translated from the Greek word "makarios".  This word is the same word that is used 23 verses into the Bible when God issues his first blessing to Adam and Eve and it is the same word used just 8 verses from the end of the Bible in Revelation 22:14.  Most just define it as it is in the NIV and many other translations, “blessed”. But some translate it as “happy” which seems so unfulfilling, so I went a little deeper.  In a more in depth analysis at sudylight.org it says, “Markarios is an adjective form of ‘makar’” and that “the idea embodied within this word is satisfaction from experiencing a fullness of something.” Then it goes on to say that the “Greek meaning becomes clear showing us that ‘Markarios’ refers to the believer in Christ who is satisfied and secure in the midst of life’s hardships because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit.” Now that makes sense. 

Then, we move on to the next key word, "poor".  This word in Greek is "ptochos" and it is defined as "lacking in anything" or "destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture". But, the word is also akin to two other Greek words, "ptoeo" and "pipto".  The first word "ptoeo" means "to be terrified" and "pipto" means "to descend from a higher place to a lower place". 

Do you see how the words seem to mean more once you dig deeper.  So, now, when I read the word "poor", it makes more sense.  Jesus seems to be saying that the ones who have not had formal training, like the Pharisees and so many other Jews of that day, are the ones who will hear what I have to say.  The ones who have been raised up in status in this or any other community, who are willing to descend to a lower place are those who will hear my story. The ones who are terrified and humbled before God...they are the ones who, in the midst of their sin and hardship, will find satisfaction in Christ "because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit" will reach their soul.  

I pray that you find that satisfaction and secureness in the midst of whatever hardship you are enduring today because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit through the belief in Jesus Christ. I pray that you feel blessed today.