Pursued by God

Rich Soul, Poor Soul

 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

I have glimpsed the world’s poverty. From the precarious shanties of Lima to the sweltering slums of Manila to the barren mud huts of rural Ethiopia, I have seen people cope with subsistence living. One thing that has struck me, though, is that most of the people I have met in those situations have a sense of dignity. They earn what they can and, with deep gratitude, accept whatever is given. What really tears at my heart are the street beggars. They have set aside any pride and dignity to beg for whatever they can get. They are totally dependent upon whoever happens by. They are at the mercy of someone else’s goodness.   

In Matthew 5:3, Jesus begins his sermon on the mount by proclaiming that those who are poor in spirit are blessed. This is his first statement in his first major discourse of his earthly ministry. I’m guessing it’s pretty important. He seems to be laying a foundation. So why does Jesus start with this characteristic of being “poor in spirit”? What does that mean? 

When he says “in spirit”, it means my vital principle. It is the very core of who I am. I am blessed if, at my very essence, I am poverty-stricken. That word “poor” means a beggar. The literal meaning of the word is to crouch or cringe. It is the physical posture of someone who is a beggar. They place themselves in a vulnerable physical position that shows absolute dependence on the generosity of another.

Jesus does not ask us to become a beggar or to act like we are poor. He wants us to realize that we already are a beggar before God. We crouch before him with nothing. Everything I possess, every passion, talent and gift comes from him.  God doesn’t complete me, like some sought after lover. He creates me and endows me with all that I am. Without him I have nothing but with him I have everything. I am at the mercy of someone else’s goodness and he is truly good.

In Rev 3:17, Jesus says to the church at Laodicea, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” ESV

Being poor in spirit is not an action. It’s not something I choose to do. I don’t even think it is something I can choose to be. It is not an attitude. It is a realization. I come to an understanding of what is already true about me. It is what God says about my state before Him. I am spiritually bankrupt. I am a beggar before God. What do I bring to the table? Nothing. Everything good that I have to offer has already come from God. I am totally and completely dependent upon Him for all that I am. When I live in that truth of dependence, I am blessed. 

The cool thing is that, while I bring nothing, God brings everything. He brings his kingdom. He approaches this beggar on the sidewalk and reaches out his hands to mine. As he lifts me to my feet, he looks directly into my eyes and says, “You have nothing to bring to me, but I have something to bring to you. It’s my kingdom. Here, it’s yours.” I am a citizen of this kingdom right now. I possess eternal life. I have been given dignity, worth, riches, power and purpose. He has established me as an ambassador to represent him to those around me.

That sounds like blessing to me. 

Are You Blessed?

“Do you think you are blessed?” He pondered the question I had just posed. I knew he wasn’t just looking for the ‘right answer.’ He was honestly considering whether he believed himself to be blessed by God. His response was very American. “I suppose compared to most people in the world, I am.” If someone asked you that question, how would you answer it? Most likely, your response would be framed around material possessions. I’m not sure if it is the way we are wired or the way we are conditioned, but as soon as we hear the word “blessed”, we usually think of what we have.

In Matthew 5:3-12, in a section known as the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks of a certain group of people as blessed. In fact, he uses the description nine times. What characterizes these blessed people? They are poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and persecuted. This is probably not the list you and I would compose.

There are several things that are peculiar about this list. First, most of the descriptions show something lacking. A spirit without wealth, the grief of deep loss and a profound longing for righteousness are not what I would normally associate with blessing. These are all about something we don’t have. About a desire to acquire what we do not already possess. In God’s economy, blessing starts with a genuine realization of our need. If I know in my soul that I desperately need God, then I experience his blessing. I begin to see past the fog of what I possess and begin to see what I truly need.

Second, these characteristics seem to be about seeing the worth of others. These blessed people are meek, merciful and peacemakers. They do not seek their own but put the needs of others first. In Philippians 2:3,4, Paul says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Have you been around someone who takes that seriously? Their attitude blesses you because it comes out of a journey with God.

Third, this seems to be a description of the speaker himself. Jesus lived this out. He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. He suffered great loss. He practiced meekness (strength under control) at every turn. He panted after righteousness. He practiced mercy and was pure at his very core. While actively seeking peace with men, he was persecuted as the prophets were. This list is the very character of God. As we know him, we become like him. We begin to live his character and this list becomes descriptive of our own lives.

Nowhere in this list does God associate blessing with physical circumstances. It is a posture, a realization of who we are before him, an outflow of knowing the King of all creation. It is a life that can’t help but pour out God’s character. It is someone who stands in marked contrast to those around him because he has walked with God. This blessed one could live in a Manhattan penthouse or a Calcutta slum. It doesn’t matter. He is blessed by God.     

A Beatitude Attitude

I have never really connected with the beatitudes. This is my major confession for the week. I’m not sure if it is an admission of sin, but certainly a reflection of my spiritual condition. The beatitudes are the name given to a section at the beginning of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. It is found in Matthew 5:3-12 and is a series of nine statements with the following formula: 

         Blessed are [a certain type of people] for they [something is true of them]. 

The word “beatitude” is not a title Jesus used but a later designation by commentators. It comes from the Latin beatus, which means blessed or happy. A similar set of beatitudes are found in Luke 6:20-23, but for now I am focusing on the passage in Matthew. 

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ESV 

See, my past problems with the beatitudes have been multiple. First, I thought they sounded like an if/then proposition. If you do this, then God will do that. Very formulaic. If you come through for God, then he will come through for you. The problem is that I often do not come through for God. I know my failings do not shape the truth of scripture. All I am saying is, where does that leave me? I would say not in His kingdom. This is contrary to the God I see in scripture who embraces me, not because of who I am but because of who He is – not because of what I have done but because of what He has done. 

Second, some of the descriptions seem nearly impossible. Meek, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers? Seriously? Is this what it takes to enter the kingdom of heaven? Is the bar that high? If we are at all honest with ourselves, we admit that we are not there. Oh, we might have our good days. I was pure in heart yesterday morning … from about 8:00 to 9:00 … OK, from 8:00 to 8:05. I was possibly meek for a few minutes later in the day. Let’s not even talk about merciful. 

Third, they are not all actions. They are inward characteristics. If these are things I can do to be OK with God, then give me things to do. Should I make myself mourn? Should I work to bring about persecution? It’s all a bit nebulous. Just show me the list and I will do it.

Recently, God has grabbed my attention with the beatitudes and they are not at all what I thought they were. I have come to the realization that they are a description of someone who dwells in the kingdom of heaven. Right now. Right here. Someone who knows God and walks with him. This list is not something we do or even try to be. It is what we naturally become. Spending time with Him changes us. Over time we find ourselves living differently, living kingdom lives. Because God blesses us with his presence, we become a blessing to those around us. We begin to reflect the heart of God. Maybe you already knew this. Who knows? Maybe I wrote a paper in seminary saying this, but I’m finally getting it. I’m looking at the beatitudes in a whole new way and it’s pretty exciting.