Poor {In Spirit}

Jesus didn't just say things that are relevant to the way we move in reality, he totally redefined reality for us in the most famous sermon ever preached, The Sermon on the Mount.

A few days ago I posted the opening of my discussion on the Beattitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.  I asked you what your first words would be if you were Jesus and you had your first major gathering of people to hear your message.

In that post, I didn't get past his first word.  Makarios - to be in "a permanent state of possessing the favor and fullness of God."  The first Beattitude is "Blessed (makarios) are the poor (in spirit) for theirs is the kingdom of God."  I put the phrase "in spirit" in quotes because it doesn't appear in Luke's version of the Beattitudes.  This has sparked considerable debate through the centuries as to which gospel is closer to the actual wording of Jesus' sermon.  Especially since the meaning appears quite different.

After flipping back and forth among several very heavy books (the most authoritative kind weigh enough to break a conventional desk.  I think I have the answer.  Stop the presses, the debate may end.  Neither side is right.  The most significant thing about Jesus' statement is that it was shocking to his audience.  He puts two concepts together that just do not belong, Makarios and Poor.

Have you ever been poor?  I haven't.  Not really.  Oh I've had some hard times where I couldn't have the things I wanted, and I had to be very careful to stretch my grocery budget, but I've always HAD a grocery budget.  So its hard for me to imagine what it would be like to understand myself as "poor."  One thing I know, the last adjective I'd combine with poor is blessed.

Like most everyone else in America, I'm a little afraid of being poor.  I'd do quite a lot to avoid that set of circumstances, and I'd do even more to make sure my children never experience poverty.  But here is Jesus saying that the "Poor" are "blessed".

Here's how I've come to understand the truth of this verse.  If someone offers you a pile of money or an aspirin, nothing on earth could induce you to reach for the aspirin.  After all with a pile of money you could buy a pile of aspirin.  Unless, you know that you are having a heartattack.  Then that little pill, worth a couple of pennies under ordinary circumstances, is worth your life.

If you understand that you are "poor," you seek the wealth of God.  Comfortable people don't do that.  Economic poverty, spiritual poverty, relationship poverty, social poverty . . . those who understand themselves to be lacking, or poor reach out to grasp the Kingdom of Heaven.  And Jesus said they hold it now and forever because of their perspective of need.

This theme shows up again in another passage.  In Revelation 3 these words are written to the church in Laodecia "... you say "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."  This church from the wealthiest city of Asia Minor is one of whom the Bible says "I will spit you out."

Contrary to the opinion of some, the Bible is not anti-wealth.  In many places it suggests that following the moral teachings of scripture will lead to increased wealth.  But the Bible is very much against placing our trust in and deriving our security from our wealth.  We in America are the wealthiest people in the history of the planet, so this is especially difficult for us to grasp.  We don't think we are needy.

In the American church we feel especially wealthy.  We are comfortable.  As a general rule we are not persecuted for our faith except when we bring it on ourselves through an unattractive arrogant attittude toward those WE deem to be spiritually "poor."  But what if we the comfortable are the ones who are poor?  How motivated can we really be to cling to our place in God's love as our foundation of all that's real, if our circumstances are otherwise comfortable?

It's a question I've been asking myself for several weeks.