This week we continue looking at the kingdom.
To enter you must be born again and become a citizen of a kingdom that is not from or of this world. Take on His righteousness and be declared holy and in right standing with God.
Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus just started His ministry – Matt 4. He was in the wilderness for 40 days and then tempted by the enemy. He went into the wilderness led by the Spirit and came out of the wilderness endued with the power of the Holy Spirit. He starts preaching about the Kingdom of God and healing the sick. Great multitudes started following him – Matt 4:23-25.
He preached to the crowd but when his disciples came to him he taught them. This is what he says: Blessed are the poor in spirit for the Kingdom of God belongs to them.
I have meditated on this scripture and what it can mean. Most commentaries will tell you that the phrase “poor in spirit” simply means that people with a need or a lack can get their needs met by the Kingdom. Poor means poor right? Some commentaries will even say that the word can mean the “humble” and they will have the Kingdom available to them. As I was meditating on this, the Holy Spirit showed me something. I believe that when we make man the focus, we can end up with the conclusion that it can mean poor, needy, lacking, insufficient, and without. The problem though is that Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom, not man. He starts with the Kingdom as his focus before he focuses on a man in the Beatitudes in the next few verses. Before we make it about ourselves let’s at least start with the Kingdom.
At this point in time Jesus was newly filled with the Holy Spirit. None of them have ever received the Holy Spirit or seen someone who had the Holy Spirit living inside a man. In the history of Israel, they have seen what someone can do when the Spirit came on them and they were moved by the Spirit. I think about David when the Spirit came on him and he defeated Goliath. What about Samson that killed the Philistines after the Spirit came on him. Saul the first king of Israel prophesied all day while the Spirit of God was on him. Saul also had an evil spirit come over him when he threw his spear at David. They have seen the Spirit move in limited ability but now there was a man in front of them that had the Spirit without measure – John 3:33-34. Picture that.
This same Jesus is saying: Blessed are you if you are poor in Spirit. Does it make sense? Jesus starts off with a bang. Their whole life they have fallen short and have felt like a poor person, without and lacking something. They tried their best to keep the law and failed miserably at it. Is there anything better for us? YES THERE IS!
You don’t have what you need, you feel poor in spirit, but the Kingdom is here. This is a qualifying statement, a clarion call from heaven to earth, an invitation to open your eyes and see what God is doing. “You don’t have it but that did not disqualify you, it just qualified you.” The kingdom is yours. This is why the Kingdom came. Men and women will live by the Spirit and be led by Him. Jesus’ words are calling down the passages of time: I will not leave you as orphans but I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth and He will abide with you forever – John 14:16-18.
The Spirit comes when the Kingdom comes. The Kingdom starts with an invitation – COME – it is for you.
