The Beatiful Attitudes—The Poor in Spirit

“O the blessedness of the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!”

Do you remember that the first four beatitudes have to do with one’s relationship with God? Thus, having an attitude of spiritual poverty is the first principle Christ urges upon his disciples.

This has confused many Christians. Is Christ glorifying poverty? Yes, he is. But it is not physical poverty— lack of food and shelter. Rather, it is spiritual poverty— “poorness in spirit” that Christ is singling out.

In the Greek, “poor in spirit” means abject poverty, without resources, literally beaten to your knees— being so poor one can only look to God for solace. Thus a literal translation of the first beatitude reads, “O the happiness of the person who realized his complete spiritual poverty and puts all his trust in God, for his is the kingdom of heaven.”

In Luke 18:9 (and following), Jesus told the parable of two men who went into the temple to pray. The first man was rich, proud, and self-righteous. He was a Pharisee. He stood in the most prominent place in the temple and preened like a peacock! Jesus said he “prayed thus with himself.” He was not talking to God, but indulging in a kind of inner dialogue of self-congratulation. “I thank thee, Lord of heaven, that I am not like other men— adulterers, liars and thieves. I pray five times a day, fast and tithe.”

The second man, a socially despised tax collector, hid in the shadows of the temple. He wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven! Rather he beat his breast and anguished in prayer, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!

I like to say the first man had one eye on himself, one eye on his neighbor, and no eye on God. The second man, however, had one eye on himself, and one eye on God. And in comparing his character with the nature of God, he came away feeling poor and humble.

Jesus said the poor man went down to his house “justified,” while the proud man went away “unjustified.”

We’ve a saying here in North Carolina– “high and dry.” And it translates into this spiritual truth: high in ego, dry spiritually; high in pride, low with God; high in self, shriveled and dry in spirit and soul.’

Do you want an example of this? Revelation 3:17 (and following) describes the church at Laodicia as very wealthy in education, material things and social status, but very impoverished in the things of the Spirit. “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” There you have it. High and dry. The more self-righteous we are, the less God-conscious we are.

One way we can tell we’re growing spiritually is when we get more Calvinistic. By that I mean when we have a higher view of God and a lower view of self; a higher sense of God’s sovereignty; a lower sense of one’s own plans. God’s glory becomes everything. My own glory becomes marginal. I become more concerned with being faithful than with being fruitful. Or, in short, I become convinced of my own utter poverty and yet become aware of God’s incredible riches.

As the hymn writer puts it, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.”

Jesus is saying that the disciples’ relationship with God begins with a realization that there isn’t one. And it continues from there with an ever deepening understanding that only God is great. I am nothing. God is rich. I am poor.

It is helpful to study the apostle Paul here. When we first meet him in Scripture he is a religious Pharisee strutting and preening himself in public, crowing self-righteously. Then he meets Jesus and quickly becomes singularly unimpressed with himself, while becoming overwhelmed with God’s glory.

In A.D. 58, he writes, “Paul an apostle–not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:1).

In A.D. 63 he writes, “The saying is sure, and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the chief of sinners. Note Paul did not say, “I was the chief of sinners.” Poor in spirit, Paul says, “I am the chief of sinners.”

The closer we get to God the more amazing his grace is. The more we realize all he is, the more we recognize all we are not. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling!” Oh, Lord, it all depends on you!

The Reverend Stephen Crotts is the director of the Carolina Study Center, Inc., a campus ministry, located in Chapel Hill, NC. Pastor Crotts may be reached at carolinastudycenter@msn.com.