Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

by Robert S. Munday+

He that is down needs fear no fall,

  He that is low, no pride;

He that is humble ever shall

  Have God to be his guide.

                -- John Bunyan

Probably the most perplexing of Jesus’s sayings in the Beatitudes is the admonition and promise:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

What does it mean to be poor in spirit?  To find out let’s look at the example of Moses.   

When God came to him with a mission to lead his people out of Israel, he said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? . . .  “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (Exodus 3:11; 4:10)

The reason God got angry at Moses was not because of his lack of confidence in his own abilities, but of his lack of faith in God’s ability.  God responded and said to Moses, “Who made man’s mouth?  Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (Exodus 4:11–12)

What is the biblical solution when a person is paralyzed by a sense of guilt or unworthiness or uselessness?  I believe with all my heart that the solution is not that we need more self-esteem.  God did not say to Moses, “Stop putting yourself down.  You are somebody.  You are eloquent.”   What God said was, “Stop looking at your own unworthiness and uselessness and look at me.  I made you.  I will be with you.  I will help you.  I will teach you what to say.  You don’t have to trust in yourself; trust in me and everything will be all right!”

Being poor in spirit is having a sense of powerlessness in ourselves in order that God’s power might be manifest in our weakness.  It is a recognition that we are spiritually bankrupt and helpless unless God helps us.  It is an admission of our moral failures and unworthiness.  It is a conviction that if there is to be any true joy or usefulness in life, it will have to be all of God and all of grace.

Needless to say, all this is contrary to the way the world thinks.  Perhaps that is why Jesus concludes the Beatitudes by saying, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  (Matthew 5:11-12)

As with all the Beatitudes, the world will not understand us if we live with our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts fixed on heaven.  But the message of Jesus for us is:  Blessed are you!  Because you are going to be comforted.  Fear not, you who are poor in spirit!  For I will be with you.  I will help you.  I will strengthen you.  I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.  Yours is the very kingdom of heaven.