“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Our verse for today is the first of the Beatitudes listed in Matthews 5. The Beatitudes were spoken by Jesus as part of His Sermon on the Mount. The word “beatitude” refers to a state of being abundantly blessed and extremely happy. The Beatitudes are declarations of blessedness over those who exhibit the characteristics of a disciple of Jesus. Each sentence begins with a pronouncement of “blessed” over those who embody a particular virtue disciples should have, followed by a description of the blessing.
The first Beatitude says that those with the virtue of being “poor in spirit” are blessed. To be poor in spirit does not refer to being poor monetarily or being dispirited in some way. It means that true disciples—unlike the scribes and Pharisees—do not have a high opinion of their own worth apart from the grace and mercy of God. Those who are poor in spirit acknowledge that of themselves they have nothing that could justify them before God. They know they need the salvation that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.
The reason why disciples who are poor in spirit are blessed is because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What does it mean to have the kingdom of heaven? It means that disciples have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ and have thereby entered the kingdom of heaven. This does not mean that they have already died and gone to heaven. The “kingdom of heaven” as used by the Apostle Matthew is a synonym for the “kingdom of God.” It refers to the reign of God over His realm—which includes both heaven and earth. Whenever someone becomes a disciple, they enter the kingdom of God right here on earth. Whenever they do what they have been called to do by God, they advance and develop His kingdom right here on earth. Those who have the kingdom are blessed because they have all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of citizenship in the kingdom.
Don’t be ashamed of being poor in spirit, for through it we attain all the riches that the kingdom of God has to offer.