Before reading, I’d encourage you to reading the first two posts in this series, in order to get the context before continuing.
Matthew 5 v 3-4
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Poor in Spirit
The word ‘poor’ used in the Greek here derives from the another word which means to crouch and cower like a beggar.
Beggars are completely reliant on the generosity of others. They have nothing to sell. They produce nothing or provide a service. They are completely dependent on other people in order to live.
This is how Christ describes the pathway for people to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The first part of the Beatitudes is to realise how spiritually poor we are. Not just poor of spirit, but beggars before the presence of God. We need to be in a position where we spiritually rely completely on God’s generosity, grace and mercy.
This Beatitude looks like it draws from the Book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 66 v 2
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
God gives favour to those who recognise their spiritual need of Him.
Some commentators have suggested that physical riches can exclude people from the Kingdom of God. But I disagree, though it is harder, as physical comfort can distract us from the need to rely on God. Being wealthy does not stop someone entering the Kingdom.
The blessing connected with this Beatitude is the Kingdom of Heaven. But what is this?
In simple terms, the Kingdom of Heaven is where people have submitted to the rule of Christ. Though it is far more than this and I will have to leave this topic for a later series.
Those Who Mourn
Isaiah 57 v 18
I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn,
The common view is the mourner is someone who recognises their sins and their inadequacy to live up to God’s righteousness. They mourn over the mistakes they’ve made, the rash words they’ve spoken to others and the hurts they have caused.
This is spiritual mourning, not just showing grief over the death of a loved one.
The Greek word translated as comfort can mean ‘to come closely alongside’ or ‘to encourage’.
As part of living in the Kingdom of Heaven, God will bless us by coming alongside and encouraging us.
He comforts us as a Loving Father.
He comforts us as our Saviour.
He comforts us as He is the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity comes closely alongside, bringing encouragement, holding us close and drying the tears we weep.
This doesn’t mean we stay mourning and thereby reject God’s comfort. We must focus our attention on Him, not ourselves.
We recognise our sin, but we more so recognise His salvation and humbly accept the blessings of living in the Kingdom of Heaven.
"Beggars are completely reliant on the generosity of others. They have nothing to sell. They produce nothing or provide a service. They are completely dependent on other people in order to live."
This is an excellent contrast to the Pharisees and an excellent illustration of what Christ was trying to teach us. To be "Pharisaical" is to be legalistic--if I do xyz then I will get from God pdq. The temptation to this is strong because it feels simple. If I do good works, if I am a nice and pleasant person, etc, I will be confident of Heaven.
And that may even be true--but it turns God and salvation into a push-button-get-pellet kind of situation. God wants a *relationship* with us, and He wants us to *rely totally* on Him. Radical trust in God for our material needs is useful for the spiritual life because it leads the spiritual life to radical trust in God for our spiritual goods.
This has been illuminating, looking forward to see what else is coming.
Do you think the 'mourning' is akin to the sorrow Paul writes of in 2 Corinthians 7?