The Beatitudes • Blessed are the poor in spirit • The Beatitudes
Spiritually Destitute
( Matthew 5:3)
S
uppose you were given a piece of
paper and were asked to write down
what you really want out of life. What
would you write? A multitude of things might
be listed; but for many, that which is most desired is happiness.
The world has gone to great extremes to
find happiness. No one ever tried more ways
to be happy than King Solomon. He sought
happiness through worldly wisdom. What was
his conclusion?
happiness—what Hugo McCord called “Happiness Guaranteed.” 2 These verses are known
as “the Beatitudes.” “Beatitude” is from the
Latin word beatus, which means “blessed” or
“happy.” 3 In the more common translations,
each verse begins with the word “blessed.”
“Blessed” is a translation of the Greek word
maka¿ r ioß (makarios), which basically means
“blessed, happy.” 4 It would not be a mistranslation to use the word “happy” instead of
“blessed”— as Phillips’ translation does:
. . . “Behold, I have magnified and increased
wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a
wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” . . . [T]his
also is striving after wind. Because in much
wisdom there is much grief, and increasing
knowledge results in increasing pain (Ecclesiastes 1:16–18).
“How happy are the humble-minded, for
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!
“How happy are those who know what
sorrow means, for they will be given courage
and comfort!
“How happy are those who claim nothing,
for the whole earth will belong to them!
“How happy are those who are hungry and
thirsty for goodness, for they will be fully
satisfied!
“Happy are the merciful, for they will have
mercy shown to them!
“Happy are the utterly sincere, for they
will see God!
“Happy are those who make peace, for they
will be known as sons of God!
“Happy are those who have suffered persecution for the cause of goodness, for the
kingdom of Heaven is theirs!”
Solomon experimented with every conceivable amusement, including wine, women, and
song (Ecclesiastes 2:1, 8). He became so rich
that “silver . . . was not considered valuable” in
his day (1 Kings 10:21). He sat down to meals
of oxen, sheep, deer, gazelles, roebucks, and
fattened fowl (1 Kings 4:22, 23). He did not
deny himself anything he thought might give
him pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:10). What did he
learn from all this? “Behold all was vanity and
striving after wind” (v. 11b). Happiness cannot
be found by those on the wrong road. It will
always remain elusive to those unwilling to
pay the price.
We are beginning a study of Matthew
5:3–12. In this text 1 we find God’s secret of true
1
Just before the sermon, I had one of the men read
Matthew 5:1–12 aloud. At this point, I said, “In the text
read a few moments ago. . . .”
2
Hugo McCord, Happiness Guaranteed (Murfreesboro,
Tenn.: Dehoff Publications, 1956).
3
Ken Palmer, “Beatitudes” (http://www.lifeofchrist.
com/teachings/sermons/mount/beatitudes.asp; Internet; accessed 10 April 2008); James M. Tolle, The Beatitudes
(Fullerton, Calif.: Tolle Publications, 1966), 6.
4
C. G. Wilke and Wilibald Grimm, A Greek-English
Lexicon of the New Testament, trans. and rev. Joseph H.
Thayer (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1901; reprint, Grand
Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1977), 386.
1
We must be careful, however, not to define
the words “happy” and “happiness” as the
world does. “Happy” and “happiness” come
from the old English word “hap,” which refers
to “an occurrence.” 5 This kind of “happiness”
is affected by the circumstances in which one
finds himself. In the New Testament, however,
makarios generally refers to “the distinctive
joy which comes through participation in the
divine kingdom.” 6 The AB expands the first
part of verse 3 like this: “Blessed (happy, to
be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with
life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and
salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit.” Makarios is a word
that describes real happiness, deep happiness,
lasting happiness. Let me repeat that it is not
affected by outward circumstances; it comes
from what is inside. I like to think of it as
“happiness-plus.”
Do you desire happiness? Then stay with
us as we study eight requirements 7 Jesus gave
for having “happiness-plus.” This lesson is on
the first of those requirements.
were proud. To all of these—and to us—Jesus
said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
“BLESSED ARE THE POOR
IN SPIRIT. . . .”
What “Poor in Spirit” Does Mean
What, then, does the phrase “poor in spirit”
mean? The word Jesus used for “poor” is
ptwco/ß (ptochos). Ptochos does not mean merely
poor; it has to do with being destitute, povertystricken. It was derived from a word that means
to “cower down or hide oneself for fear.” 10 It
refers to “ total poverty which reduces people
to begging.” 11 This is the word used to describe
the beggar Lazarus: “And a poor man named
Lazarus was laid at [the rich man’s] gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the
crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s
table” (Luke 16:20, 21a; emphasis mine). The US
is familiar with three classes of people: There
are the rich, there are the poor, and there is the
Many of us are so familiar with the Sermon
on the Mount that we are unaware of the impact it must have had on those who first heard
it. Jesus’ precepts were so revolutionary that,
after each statement, He probably had to pause
until the crowd quieted down enough for Him
to continue. Almost every teaching of Christ
went contrary to worldly wisdom and Jewish
thinking. The first beatitude is an example of
this: “Blessed [happy] are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Regarding
worldly wisdom, this conflicts with what is
considered necessary for “getting ahead” and
“being somebody.” Regarding Jewish thinking,
it was contrary to tradition. The Jews were a
proud people, and they were proud that they
5
The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed. (2001),
s.v. “happy.”
6
Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the
New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich;
trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, abr. (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985), 548. (Emphasis
mine.)
7
Some think there are seven requirements (beati­
tudes), while others count nine.
2
What “Poor in Spirit” Does Not Mean
What did Jesus mean by the phrase “poor in
spirit”? We should first note that Jesus did not
say, “Blessed are the poor in pocketbook.” It is
true that those who are poor regarding material things are more likely to be poor in spirit
(consider 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 and 1 Timothy
6:9), but it is possible to be impoverished and
still have a proud, haughty spirit. Then there
are those who have been blessed financially
who are as humble and dependent on God as
it is possible to be. 8 Money is not the decisive
factor. God does not automatically condemn
prosperity or bless poverty.
We might also add that Jesus did not say,
“Blessed are the poor-spirited.” 9 Some think
they are poor in spirit because they do not love
themselves; in fact, they despise themselves.
That is not a fitting attitude for a child of the
King. The Bible teaches that every soul is valuable in the sight of God (see Matthew 16:26).
A biblical example is Abraham.
It is not easy to distinguish between being “poor in
spirit” and being “poor-spirited.” Some of the quotations
given later indicate that the inspired writers considered
themselves to be nothing. We need to understand that
compared to a holy God, we are worthless; but, in the eyes
of a loving God, we are of great value.
10
W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White,
Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New
Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1985), 56.
11
Bromiley, 969.
8
9
large “middle class” where many of us find
ourselves. In Bible times there were primarily
two classes of people: the rich and the poor,
the “haves” and the “have nots.” 12 In our text ptochos does not refer to those
who have little; it refers to those who have
nothing. It evokes the image of a beggar lying
by the side of the road—a beggar depending
entirely on the grace of others, a beggar who
knows he has nothing and will die if no one
shows mercy to him! You and I must become
spiritual beggars if we are to see the kingdom
of heaven. We must recognize that we are spiritually destitute. Jesus said, in effect, “Blessed
are the ones who, in their self-estimation of
their moral and religious capabilities, are beggars, knowing their spiritual desperation.”
Goodspeed’s translation has “Blessed are those
who feel their spiritual need. . . .”
God has always wanted and commended
those who recognize their spiritual need. David
wrote, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will
not despise” (Psalm 51:17). As we read that
verse, we may think, “But God commanded
animal sacrifices in the Old Testament.” When
Solomon dedicated the temple, 120,000 sheep
and 22,000 oxen were sacrificed, in addition to
other animals, “so many . . . they could not be
counted or numbered” (1 Kings 8:5; see v. 63).
God responded by sending a cloud of glory to
fill the temple (v. 10). Why, then, did David
say that “the sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit”? Because the Lord would accept animal
sacrifices only if they came from worshipers
with broken and contrite hearts.
Isaiah demonstrated the kind of spirit God
desires. When he saw the High and Holy One,
he saw himself as nothing. He said, “Woe is me
. . . ! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I
live among a people of unclean lips . . .” (Isaiah
6:5). He later said that “all our righteous deeds
are like a filthy garment” (64:6). When I consider
what I have to offer to my unblemished Lord,
I, like Isaiah, must say, “Woe is me!”
A good example of what it means to be
“poor in spirit” is found in the parable of the
Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:9–14). On
the one hand, the Pharisee was self-righteous.
12
This is still true in many parts of the world today.
He recognized no spiritual faults in himself and
felt no need for divine help. On the other hand,
the publican was poor in spirit. He realized he
was a sinner, in desperate need of God’s mercy.
He prayed, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (v. 13). Jesus concluded, “I tell you, this
man went to his house justified rather than the
other” (v. 14a). There is no indication that the
Pharisee was inaccurate in his list of virtues,
but his prideful attitude condemned him. A
man can be clean in morals, honest in business,
and generous in giving, yet still be spurned by
God if he is not “poor in spirit.”
“. . . FOR THEIRS IS
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.”
Having noted what it means to be “poor in
spirit,” we ask, “What does this kind of spirit
have to do with true and lasting happiness?”
Just having a poor-in-spirit attitude can help
one find happiness . Many are miserable because they do not live up to their own expectations. One who is poor in spirit has taken an
honest look at himself and, as a result, has put
his trust in the Lord instead of in himself—and
the Lord will not let him down. However, according to our text, the chief reason the poor in
spirit can be happy is that they have a special
promise: “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This promise sustains them, regardless of what
life may bring.
What Is “the Kingdom of Heaven”?
That leads us to ask, “What is ‘the kingdom
of heaven,’ and how does being ‘poor in spirit’
help us to receive it?” Let us begin with the first
part of the question: “What is ‘the kingdom of
heaven’?”
Some of the promises of the Beatitudes appear to center on this life, while others seem
to be mainly concerned with the life to come.
I have concluded that all the promises have
partial fulfillment here and complete fulfillment
in the hereafter. This is not inconsistent with
happiness in general. A child of God can know
basic happiness now, but in this life happiness
will always be mixed with the sorrows of living
in a world corrupted by sin. It is in the world
to come that total happiness, unmixed and
undiluted, will be ours. I believe this fulfillment in both the here and the hereafter occurs
3
in regard to the promise “theirs is the kingdom
of [God].”
The word translated “kingdom” (basilei÷a,
basileia) denotes “sovereignty, royal power, dominion.” As a figure of speech, it refers to “the
territory or people over whom a king rules.” 13
The kingdom of God refers to the reign of God.
In the New Testament, we see two primary
uses of the term “kingdom.” First is the body
of people on the earth over whom God and
Christ reign; these are known as the church.
In Matthew 16:18, 19, Jesus used the terms
“kingdom” and “church” interchangeably.
When we are saved from past sins, God adds
us to His church (Acts 2:47; KJV) 14 —which is
another way of saying that God transfers us to
“the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians
1:13). At that point, the goal is to, as Friedrich
Nietzsche said, “become who you are.” 15 Even
though we already enjoy citizenship in God’s
kingdom, we must more and more allow the
Lord to reign in our hearts.
The second primary use of the word “kingdom” in the New Testament is the heavenly
sphere over which God and Christ reign (see
2 Timothy 4:18)—the realm we generally just
call “heaven.” 16 I believe our text teaches that
only those who are “poor in spirit” are qualified
to be members of the church and that only the
“poor in spirit” can have a hope of heaven. The
blessings promised to those who are members
of God’s church and the anticipation of the
blessings to be found in heaven must surely
contribute to one’s happiness.
How Does Being “Poor in Spirit” Help Us
To Receive the Kingdom of Heaven?
We move now to the second part of our
Vine, 344.
The KJV uses the word “church” in Acts 2:47. Other
translations do not, but the context indicates that Luke
had in mind the church.
15
This phrase, popularized by German philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsche, was probably first used by the early
Greek poet Pindar (Tony Hale, “Become Who You Are: The
Freedom to Create” [http://www.anonymityone.com/
Faq97.htm]; Internet; accessed 24 April 2008).
16
It has been suggested that “the kingdom of God”
refers to the church while “the kingdom of heaven” refers
to heaven, but the two terms are used interchangeably in
the New Testament (for example, see Matthew 19:23, 24).
The context determines whether the writer had in mind
the “earthly” kingdom or the “heavenly” kingdom.
13
14
4
question: “How does being ‘poor in spirit’ help
us to receive the kingdom of heaven?” Remember the basic meaning of the word “kingdom”;
it has to do with the reign of God. No man is
ready to enthrone God in his heart until he first
dethrones himself.
Then remember the two primary uses of the
word “kingdom” in the New Testament: It refers
to the church and to heaven. First, let us see how
being poor in spirit is essential to becoming a member
of the church. The church is the body of people
saved by the blood of Christ (see Ephesians 5:23,
25). Children are taught a simple “five-finger
exercise” regarding what we need to do to be
saved by the blood: We need to hear, believe,
repent, confess, and be baptized. 17 One is not ready to hear the gospel (see Romans 10:17) until he realizes that he is spiritually destitute. As long as a person thinks he is
in good condition spiritually, there will be no
burning desire for salvation. Then one cannot
believe in Jesus and confess his trust (see John
3:16; Romans 10:9, 10) as long as he trusts in
his own goodness. What about repentance? The
individual who feels self-sufficient is unlikely
to think he needs to repent of anything.
Further, one is not ready to be baptized (Acts
2:38, 41, 47) until he can acknowledge his ­absolute
dependence on God’s mercy to save him. The
individual who is baptized just because others
are doing so or because others expect it of him
has not been scripturally baptized. It is occasionally said of some good person, “All he needs is
to be baptized.” No, what he needs is a profound
sense that, in spite of his goodness, he is nothing
spiritually and has nothing to ­offer to God. Then,
and only then, is he ready to come to the Lord in
humble obedience.
Finally, let us consider the second primary
meaning of “kingdom” in the New Testament:
heaven. Jesus said, “Be faithful until death,
and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10c). No one is ready to live the faithful
Christian life until he is poor in spirit. When
17
I use a simple finger exercise with children. I hold
my index fingers like a cross and say, “Jesus died on the
cross for us.” I then tap the fingers of one hand one at
a time as I say, “Now we need to hear, believe, repent,
confess, and be baptized.” I finish by putting my hands
together and spreading them far apart as I say, “and then
g-r-o-w.” I do this several times, asking the children to
do the actions with me.
Jesus diagnosed the church in Laodicea, He told
them, “You say, ‘I am rich, and have become
wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do
not know that you are wretched and miserable
and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation
3:17). They thought they needed nothing when,
in reality, they needed everything.
CONCLUSION
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.” To be “blessed” is
to enjoy God’s blessings and, as a result, to be
truly and deeply happy, regardless of outward
circumstances. To be “poor in spirit” is to realize that one is spiritually destitute, a spiritual
beggar totally dependent on God’s grace and
mercy. “The kingdom of heaven” refers to the
reign of God—in the church and in heaven.
What is the only conclusion we can reach? If
we are to be happy and enjoy God’s blessings
now and in eternity, we must be “poor in spirit.”
Our attitude needs to be that expressed in the
hymn “Rock of Ages”:
Nothing in my hand I bring:
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Vile, I to the fountain fly:
Wash me, Savior, or I die. 18
The question each of us must ask is “Am I
poor in spirit?” The opposite of being poor in
spirit is to be “rich in spirit”: to be (as we say)
“full of oneself,” to feel self-sufficient and to
be self-satisfied. In Luke 6 Jesus gave another
version of this beatitude, including both the
positive and the negative: “Blessed are you who
are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”; “But
woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving
your comfort in full” (vv. 20, 24). Jesus may have
been making some reference to the fact that He
was more readily received by the financially poor
(see Mark 12:37; KJV), but the wider application
of His words corresponds to the beatitude in
Matthew. Some are spiritually “poor” in their
own estimation, while many are “rich.” Those
18
A. M. Toplady, “Rock of Ages,” Songs of Faith and
Praise, comp. and ed. Alton H. Howard (West Monroe,
La.: Howard Publishing Co., 1994).
who are rich in spirit have already received their
“comfort in full” in this life and have nothing to
look forward to in eternity. How sad!
Some of us do not like to admit that we
cannot do everything ourselves, that we need
help. My mind goes back to disastrous events
in my boyhood—disasters that occurred because I was embarrassed to admit I did not
know how to do what I had been told to do,
so I did not ask for help. I beg you, please do
not be lost because you are too proud to admit
that you cannot be saved without God’s help,
without His grace and mercy. Acknowledge
your spiritual destitution and come humbly to
your Lord. If you are in need of God’s love, I
urge you to come to Him—even today.
• Notes •
You may want to call this lesson “Blessed Are
the Poor in Spirit” or just “Poor in Spirit.” I have
presented it using the title “Spiritually Bankrupt.”
Hugo McCord entitled his lesson on the first beatitude “You Have to Be a Beggar.” He used two
examples of being poor in spirit: (1) the Canaanite
woman who did not reac t angrily when Jesus
used the word “dogs” in Matthew 15:22–28 and
(2) the Ethiopian nobleman who was not insulted
when Philip asked if he understood what he was
reading (Acts 8:26–39). If these individuals had
been “rich in spirit” (proud), they would not have
received God’s blessings.
David Roper
Seven, Eight, or Nine
Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12?
Some would like to keep the number of beatitudes at seven because “seven” is a significant
biblical number. One way this is done is by saying that verse 10 is, in effect, an expansion of
verse 3 since they end with the same promise.
Others note that the word “blessed” is found
nine times in our text. They suggest that verses
11 and 12 are a separate beatitude from verse
10, and therefore count nine beatitudes. Most
writers, however, stay with the usual listing
of eight beatitudes—and that is what we will
do in this study. Of course, it is the content of
the Beatitudes, not the exact number, that is
important.
©Copyright, 2008 by Truth for Today
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
5