Lesson # 2

1. Lesson # 2

2. Various Renderings Of Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20 • "Blessed [are] the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NKJV) • “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (ASV) • "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NASB) • “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NIV) • "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor: the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!" (Today's English Version) • "Humble men are very fortunate!" He told them, "for the kingdom of Heaven is given to them" (The Living New Testament Illustrated)

3. Various Renderings OfMatthew 5:3; Luke 6:20 • “How blest are those who know that they are poor; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (The New English Bible) • "Blessed are the humble, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" (George M. Lamsa's Translation of the Ancient Aramaic) • How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (Jerusalem Bible) • “How blest are the poor in spirit: the reign of God is theirs" (Catholic Bible)

4. Understanding The Important Greek Words Of This Passage • 3107 makarios{mak-ar'-ee-os}a prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same); • TDNT - 4:362,548; adj .AV - blessed 44, happy 5, happier 1; 50 • blessed, happy • A.T. Robertson objects strongly to the use of "blessed" and translates "makarioi" as "happy." • Robertson argues that the English word "blessed" has its Greek equivalent in "eulogetoi" which means "to speak well of" and is used by Elizabeth to describe Mary (Lk. 1:42), by Zacharias to describe God (Lk. 1:68) and by the Jerusalem multitudes of Jesus (Mt. 21:9). However, "English has thus enobled `blessed' to a higher rank than `happy.‘ But `happy' is what Jesus said . . . It is a pity that we have not kept the word `happy' to the high and holy plane where Jesus placed it" • (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures In The New Testament, vol. 1, p. 39).

5. Understanding The Important Greek Words Of This Passage • 4434 ptochos{pto-khos'}from ptosso {to crouch, akin to 4422 and the alternate of 4098); TDNT - 6:885,969; adj • AV - poor 30, beggar 2, poor man 1, beggarly 1; 34 • reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms • destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour • lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches • helpless, powerless to accomplish an end • poor, needy • lacking in anything • as respects their spirit • destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ's teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure) For Synonyms see entry 5870 {Strong's Dictionary}

6. Importance Here Is The Word “Poor" • From the Greek {ptochos} - (ptochoi) and is used in its adjective form. • Vine's States of this word: "Used metaphorically in Matthew 5:3; Lk. 6:20; Rev. 3:17). Used literally in, (Matthew 11:5; 26:9,11; Lk. 21:3; John 12:5,6,8; 13;29; James 2:2,3,6). Used of subjects of instruction - (Matthew 19:21; Mk. 10:21; Lk. 14:13,21; 18:22; Rom. 15:26; Gal. 2:10.” • Thayer Notes of this Word: "to be throughly frightened, to cower down or hide one's self for fear; hence {ptochos, prop} one who slinks and crouches. Often involving the idea of roving about in wretchedness. 1) In the Classical Greek from Homer down, reduced to beggary, begging, mendicant, asking, alsms - cf. Lk. 14:13,21; 16:20,22. 2) poor, needy cf. - Matthew 19:21; 26:9,11; Mk. 10:21; 12:42,43 ; 14:5,7; Lk. 18:22; 19:8; 21:3; John 12:5,6,8 ; 12:29; Rom. 15:26; II Cor. 6:10; Gal. 2:10; James 2:2,3,6; Rev. 13;16 - in broader sense, destitute of wealth, influence, position, honors; lowly, afflicted - cf. Matthew 11:5; Lk. 4:18; 6:20; 7:22 - the poor of the human race - cf. James 2:5" {Thayer's pg. 557 word # 4434}

7. It’s Uses In Classical Greek, In The Gospels and In Paul’s Writing • In the Classical Greek the word is used of: • The abjectly poor, not just someone who had nothing superfluous, but one who was virtually destitute. • It is used in the Gospels: • Of The Widow - Mk. 12:42-44 • Of Crippled Lazarus - Lk. 16:20,21 • Of The Vagrants - Lk. 14:21 • Used of our Lord in Paul's writings of the poverty of the Lord in Comparison with the untold riches that He had --- II Cor. 8:9.

8. Lessons From The Old Testament • The Old Testament teaches that God protects, helps and avenges those who are poor (2 Sam. 22:28; Psa. 72:2, 4, 12; Isa. 26:6; 49:13; 16:2; Zeph. 3:12). • The Law of Moses required the Israelites to imitate their God and help and protect the poor (Ex. 22:25-27; 23:10-11; Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut. 15:7-11). • Those rich who mistreated or even forgot the poor were denounced by the prophets (Amos 8:4; Isa. 3:14, 15; 10:2; 32:7; Ezk. 16:49; 18:12; 22:29). • The Psalm and Isaiah frequently use the term "poor" to describe God's faithfulness under persecution and hardship (Psa. 68: 10; 69:29-33; 132:15; Isa. 26:6; 29:19; 41:17; 49:13; 54:11; 61:1-2).

9. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • Notice that while Luke uses the term "poor," Matthew uses the more specific term "poor in spirit." • There are several phrases in the scriptures that parallel the construction of the phrase "poor in heart." • The Psalms use the phrases "pure in heart" (Psa. 11:2; 32:11; See also, Mt. 5:8) and "crushed in spirit" (Psa. 34:18). • Ecclesiastes uses the term "upright in heart" (Eccl. 7:8). • Jesus later uses the phrase "meek and lowly in heart" (Mt. 11:29). • Each of these phrases use the term "heart" or "spirit" to designate the feeling, rational, spiritual part of man. • Thus, the preceding adjectives, (pure, crushed, upright, meek and lowly or poor), describe an attitude and spiritual condition.

10. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • The scriptures indicate that as a general rule "the poor of this world are rich in faith" (Jas. 2:5) and "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called" (1 Cor. 1:26). • And "they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition" (1 Tim. 6:9). • Luke particularly contrasts the "poor" to those who are "rich" in his gospel. • In his account of Jesus' sermon, Luke not only records the blessing upon "you poor" but a woe to "the rich." • Throughout his gospel, Luke repeatedly makes this contrast (Lk. 1:48-53; 6:20-24; 12:13-21; 14:7-14, 15-24; 16:19-31; 19:1-10). • This contrast is not based solely upon economics but rather in the generally self-sufficient attitude of the rich and the humble dependence of the poor upon God.

11. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • Jesus is not saying that one's economic condition determines whether he or she enters the kingdom or not. • Christ is not commending abject material poverty but rather the complete abject poverty of the spirit. • NOTE: No where does Christ teach there is any inherent merit in material poverty nor any inherent merit in material prosperity. • HOWEVER: It is more likely the material poor who will look to God for the true happiness which can alone come from God. • It is only in this state that the material destitute can be accepted as more blessed than the state of those in material prosperity --- cf. Prov. 40:17; Isa. 41:17; Luke 6:20; James 1:9-11; 2:1-6. • NOTE *** The fact that the material poverty is not being commended but rather the frame of mind or ones attitude in seeking after God and His Righteousness --- cf. Matthew 6:33-34.

12. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • Those that are abjectly poor may be unto themselves a great hindrance and a stumbling block. • It is true that not all those who are abjectly poor are pleasing or blessed of God. • Those who are poor due to laziness and indolence are not pleasing in God's favor --- cf. Prov. 19:15; 21:25; 24:30-34; Eccl. 10:18. • Those who deeply resent their poverty --- creating bitterness are not pleasing to God. • One who is poor yet greedily and avaricious/covetously seeks to gain. • One who is unhappy and sour etc. • It is not "money" that is evil --- BUT THE "LOVE OF IT" that is evil --- cf. 1 Tim. 6:10. • The scriptures do not commend one merely because he is materially poor.

13. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • Jesus is using the term "poor" to describe a spiritual condition, not an economic condition. • Those who are "poor" are generally considered to be humble, lowly, helpless, dependent, devoid of pretention. • The difference between those who are "rich" versus those who are "poor" is illustrated in Christ's comments to the Laodicean and Smyrna churches. • To the Laodiceans Christ said, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17).

14. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • To those of Smyrna, Christ said, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)." (Rev. 2:9). • This spiritual condition is described by Isaiah, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isa. 57:15). • Likewise, "For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word" (Isa. 66:2).

15. Who Are The “Poor In Spirit"? • Thus, those who are "poor in spirit" are those whose attitude and spiritual condition is lowly and humble before their God and their King, Jesus Christ. • The first beatitude reflects the Messianic promise found in Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor) (NKJV); he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound" (Isa. 61:1). • Jesus taught that he was the fulfillment of this prophecy, specifically, he came preaching the "good news" to the "poor" (Lk. 4:16-21; Mt. 11:5; Lk. 7:22). • Jesus opens his sermon on the mount and the first beatitude by proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to the poor, simultaneously fulfilling the promise of Isaiah 61:1.

16. “The Blessing - for theirs is the kingdom of heaven/God” • The concept of the "kingdom of God" is part of the fundamental theme that underlies the entire sermon on the mount. • The "kingdom of heaven" is the sovereign rule of the Lord and King Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of those who obey and serve him on earth and who, at the end of this earth, will be "delivered up to the Father" for the eternal reward of immortality and heaven (1 Cor. 15:24, 50-54). • Jesus begins and ends the beatitudes with the promise of the kingdom (Mt. 5:3 and 5:10).

17. “The Blessing - for theirs is the kingdom of heaven/God” • Although Luke uses the phrase "kingdom of God" instead of Matthew's term "kingdom of heaven" clearly the terms are interchangeable (See, Mt. 19:23-24). • The promise of the "kingdom of heaven" is presented in the present tense, "for theirs is . . .." • The kingdom was not off in the distant future, it was "near at hand" (Mt. 3:2; 4:17; Mk. 1:14-15), it was upon them and many were pressing into it (Lk. 16:16).

18. The Conclusion • Thus in this passage Christ is not commending those who are poor materially or physically but those who are destitute/poor in spirit. • "The heart of the matter is that whatever one's economic status may be, whether poverty or prosperity, he can never enjoy God-given happiness unless he possesses the poverty in spirit of which the Lord speaks. With this happiness both the poor and the rich alike are truly prosperous in the highest sense; without it they are the most destitute of the destitute." {The Beatitudes,James M. Tolle p.17}.

19. Matthew 5:3-16 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.