Matthew 5:1-12 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Here the Lord Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven on the mountain, here is the Beatitudes of the Gospel of the Kingdom, namely eight blessings. We study one blessing every time. The first blessing is blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means that you know that you are spiritually poor and that you need God, so you will seek after God.
Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20)
Here the Lord Jesus said that you are blessed if you are poor. Poor people know that they are poor and needy, and they are more open to the gospel, rich people feel that they have everything and cannot see their spiritual poverty. They feel that they do not need God. If we don’t have God and Lord Jesus in our life, we are all spiritually poor whether you are rich or poor. If we know that we are spiritually poor and we need God, we will seek God. If we seek God and seek His presence with all our heart, we will find Him. With God’s presence, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven is within us, is in our hearts, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us, we will become spiritually rich.
May God bless you and your family.
