The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:3 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

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

As my reading brought me to the Beatitudes, I look at the first verse. Blessed are the poor in sprit, now I want to be completely honest. I am going to share how this verse speaks to me, not a misinterpretation but from my heart.

Jesus is doing what I see as bringing the Kingdom to earth. I am sure when He looked around there were those who were being pushed back and made to move out of the way, because ones with more social standing were arriving and moving closer to Jesus and the ones who had nothing were pushed aside. So, the first thing that Jesus addresses in His message is to the ones who felt less than. I am sure this sent an arrow of humbling through those who had pushed others out of the way. The meaning of poor in spirit is, one who was in poverty or a beggar. So, with one sentence he humbles some and brings assurance of hope to others. Let us always be aware of those who need hope, and bring them the message of Jesus Christ, Hope.

Pastor Benaiah Snider