One day Jesus went up on a hillside and sat down. His disciples, those who had already chosen to follow Jesus, came to where he was sitting, and he began to teach them. A large group of people listened in on the lesson, so Jesus had two audiences that day, his followers and the crowd.
This sermon is recorded in Matthew 5-7 and is known as the Sermon on the Mount. The first few verses of the sermon, Matthew 5:3-12, are known as “The Beatitudes,” which comes from the Latin word for “blessings.” That word can also mean “fortunate,” “to be congratulated,” and “happy.”
Keep in mind that this is first-century Galilee. Most of the people in the crowd are far from happy. Many of them were there because they needed to be healed. They were living in a country under the thumb of an oppressive foreign nation. There was little hope for a better life. Lots of people in the crowd weren’t even sure where they would find their next meal. They were poor and had every reason not to be happy. They certainly didn’t feel particularly blessed.
And the first words out of Jesus’s mouth were “Blessed, fortunate, happy are the poor in spirit.” I believe he had their attention. Here’s the full statement:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
Even at first glance, this statement sounds incredible. The poor are going to have an entire kingdom? Notice, though, that Jesus isn’t referring to the financially poor, but the poor in spirit. He isn’t talking here about money or wealth or possessions. Jesus is saying that blessed and happy are those who look at God in all his holiness and then look at themselves and realize just how destitute they are. They see themselves and their sin for what it is. They are spiritually bankrupt, without hope, and they know it. How in the world could that possibly make anyone happy?
The first step on the journey to being blessed is to admit that we are spiritually bankrupt. People who are poor in spirit look at themselves and know that they simply don’t measure up to God’s standard. We have all sinned, and because of our sin, we are in desperate need of a God who can save us.
Jesus is saying, “Happy are you who admit that you need God. You’re the ones who’ll be truly happy because God honors that humility.” As someone once said, “The kingdom belongs to those who can admit they don’t deserve it.”
The opposite approach to that kind of humility is pride. The prideful person will never admit to himself that he has sinned. That person believes he can earn his way to happiness. Others may need to cry out to someone for help, but not him.
God has a way of bringing the proud down to size.
I was walking through the main office at our church one day when one of the secretaries gave me a phone message. I can’t mention the caller’s name without embarrassing someone, but let’s just pretend his name was Wayne G. Now the name I heard, let’s just say it’s Wayne G., is an extremely well-known theologian whose name I instantly recognized. I said, “Are you sure his name is Wayne G.? And he specifically asked for me?” She said, “Yes, that’s his name and he wants to speak with you.” Oh my goodness. I couldn’t even think straight. Why is he calling me? How did he hear about me? Did he read something I had written? Does he want me to come and work with him? Does he want to apprentice me? Is he calling to get my thoughts on a particular point of theology? Why is Wayne G. calling me??
I sat down at my desk, took several deep breaths, calmly picked up the phone, and said, “This is Richard, how may I help you?”
Then, in one of the most country Southern accents I’ve ever heard, a man said, “Richard, this is Wayne G. My granddaughter has been coming to church there, and I was just wondering what time children’s choirs let out tonight.”
The air went straight out of my balloon. God has a way of keeping us humble.
Jesus told a story one day “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). In the story, a Pharisee, one of the religious leaders in Jesus’s day, and a tax collector, one of the most hated people in Jesus’s day, each went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed, “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” (vv. 11-12). What arrogance.
The tax collector, on the other hand, “would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (v. 13).
Then Jesus said something that shocked and angered his listeners: “I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14).
In the first Beatitude, Jesus is saying, “Happy are those of you who can humbly acknowledge that you need God. You’re the people who will truly be happy.” God gives grace to the humble, and the kingdom of God belongs to those who can admit they don’t deserve it.
If you want to be happy and blessed for all eternity, you must first admit your spiritual bankruptcy, your sin against God. Only then can you turn to Jesus and ask for his forgiveness. Don’t let pride and arrogance keep you from doing that.
If you’re not a Christian, are you ready to accept the fact that you have sinned? Have you come to realize that there is a God and you are not right with him? Do you feel that separation? The good news is that Jesus died for you so that you can be right with him forever. Admit to God that you have sinned. Accept the truth that Jesus died for you and that you want to be made right with him. In complete humility, ask for his forgiveness.
If you’ve done that, yours is the kingdom of heaven.