The poor in spirit.

BY PASTOR CLAYTON WILFER

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

Do I need to be poor to enter the kingdom of heaven? The short answer is, yes. In fact, you must be bankrupt. But this might be a different kind of bankrupt than what you think.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It’s puzzling, especially if you look to Luke’s Gospel, in which he gives a shortened version: “Blessed are the poor.” This has been taken to mean that as a follower of Jesus, you must live a life of poverty. It’s true that wealth can be a stumbling block. Remember, Jesus told the rich young man to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor. However, it was not the man’s wealth that was the issue, but his covetousness of that wealth. So, if it’s not about money or material things, what does it mean to be poor in spirit?

Thankfully, Jesus gave a wonderful parable in Luke 18:9–13 to help us understand the difference between being “rich” and being “poor in spirit”:

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

The Pharisee thought that he was so wonderfully perfect and righteous that God would bless him. Yet, his heart was not full of the love of God. Rather, it was full of pride, self-love, and contempt for others. In contrast, the tax collector, who worked in a profession despised by many, knew that he had nothing to bring before the Lord. He knew that he was but a beggar before the Lord, bankrupt of all self-righteousness. Instead of saying a long or eloquent prayer like the Pharisee, his prayer is short and heartfelt: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This was the same prayerful cry of another beggar, Bartimaeus, who said, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38). Though he was a materially poor beggar, Bartimaeus also knew that he was a spiritually poor beggar.

Both the tax collector and Bartimaeus knew they were spiritually bankrupt of any self-righteousness. They had nothing whatsoever to bring to God. The only thing they could do was to ask for God’s mercy. It’s the same for us. We come to Jesus as beggars with nothing to offer. The song “Rock of Ages” puts it well: “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling; naked, come to Thee for dress, helpless, look to Thee for grace.”

To be poor in spirit is a posture of humility. Rather than proudly proclaiming how wonderful we are, the spiritually poor beat their chests in humbleness, knowing how much they need a Savior. R. Kent Hughes writes, “Poverty of spirit is the posture of faith. God pours out his grace to the spiritually bankrupt ... He does this with no one else. No one can enter the kingdom without poverty of spirit” (The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom).

By humble faith in Christ Jesus, you enter into the kingdom of God and receive the “immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6–7).

To be poor in spirit is to be blessed by God’s riches! It is to have the favor of God. That’s why this section from Matthew is called the Beatitudes, which is Latin for blessedness. Each statement by Jesus is a pronouncement of the favor of God’s grace, mercy, and loving kindness.

So, must you be a spiritually poor and bankrupt beggar to enter heaven? Yes. But what awaits you is the immeasurable riches of God’s grace in kindness toward you in Christ Jesus. What a blessing!

Wilfer serves Joy Christian Community, Fountain Hills, Ariz.