Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed
The Greek word used here is "makarios," which conveys a sense of happiness or fortunate well-being. In the context of the Beatitudes, "blessed" refers to a state of spiritual prosperity and divine favor. This term is not merely about earthly happiness but a deeper, spiritual joy that comes from a right relationship with God. Historically, this word was used to describe the elite or those in a privileged position, but Jesus redefines it to include those who are spiritually humble.

are the poor in spirit
The phrase "poor in spirit" comes from the Greek "ptōchos," meaning destitute or lacking. In this context, it refers to those who recognize their spiritual poverty and need for God. This is not about material poverty but an acknowledgment of one's spiritual neediness and dependence on God. Throughout Scripture, humility and a contrite heart are valued by God (Isaiah 66:2). The "poor in spirit" are those who understand their own limitations and sinfulness, and thus, they are open to receiving God's grace.

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
The promise of "the kingdom of heaven" is a central theme in Jesus' teachings. The Greek word "basileia" refers to the reign or rule of God. This phrase indicates that those who are "poor in spirit" are granted access to God's kingdom, both in the present spiritual sense and in the future eschatological fulfillment. The "kingdom of heaven" is not just a future hope but a present reality for believers who live under God's rule. This promise is a reversal of worldly values, where the humble and spiritually needy are exalted and given the greatest gift of all—citizenship in God's eternal kingdom.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of the Beatitudes, delivering the Sermon on the Mount, which includes Matthew 5:3. Jesus is addressing His disciples and the gathered crowd.

2. The Disciples
The primary audience of Jesus' teachings, representing those who are committed to following Him.

3. The Crowd
A larger group of people from various regions who have come to hear Jesus' teachings and witness His miracles.

4. The Kingdom of Heaven
A central theme in Jesus' teachings, representing God's reign and the spiritual realm where God's will is fulfilled.

5. The Sermon on the Mount
The setting for this teaching, a significant discourse by Jesus that outlines the principles of His kingdom.
Teaching Points
Understanding Poor in Spirit
The term "poor in spirit" refers to a recognition of one's spiritual need and dependence on God. It is an acknowledgment of spiritual poverty and a humble posture before God.

The Promise of the Kingdom
Those who are "poor in spirit" are promised the kingdom of heaven. This indicates that spiritual humility is a prerequisite for entering and experiencing God's kingdom.

Cultivating Humility
Believers are encouraged to cultivate a humble spirit by recognizing their need for God's grace and mercy daily. This involves regular self-examination and repentance.

Living Out the Beatitudes
The Beatitudes, including being "poor in spirit," are not just ideals but practical ways of living that reflect the values of God's kingdom. They call for a counter-cultural lifestyle that prioritizes spiritual over material wealth.

Dependence on God
Being "poor in spirit" leads to a deeper dependence on God for strength, guidance, and provision. It shifts the focus from self-reliance to God-reliance.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to be "poor in spirit," and how can we cultivate this attitude in our daily lives?

2. How does recognizing our spiritual poverty lead to a deeper relationship with God?

3. In what ways does the promise of the kingdom of heaven encourage us to embrace humility?

4. How can we apply the principle of being "poor in spirit" in our interactions with others?

5. What are some practical steps we can take to shift from self-reliance to God-reliance in our spiritual journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 57:15
This verse speaks of God dwelling with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, highlighting the value of humility before God.

Psalm 34:18
This scripture emphasizes God's closeness to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit, aligning with the idea of being "poor in spirit."

James 4:6
James speaks of God giving grace to the humble, reinforcing the blessing associated with spiritual humility.

Luke 18:9-14
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector illustrates the concept of being "poor in spirit" through the humble prayer of the tax collector.

1 Peter 5:6
Peter encourages believers to humble themselves under God's mighty hand, promising exaltation in due time.
A Few Considerations Which May Serve to Cherish This SpirH. Alford, M. A.Matthew 5:3
Poor in SpiritJ. Jordan.Matthew 5:3
Poverty in Spirit; and the Clue to its BlessednessP.C. Barker Matthew 5:3
Poverty of SpiritJ. T. Duryea, D. D.Matthew 5:3
Poverty of SpiritThomas Watson.Matthew 5:3
Poverty of Spirit Conducive to PrayerJ. Vaughan, M. A.Matthew 5:3
The Blessedness of the Poor in SpiritD. Rees.Matthew 5:3
The Blessedness of the Poor in SpiritH. Alford, M. A.Matthew 5:3
The Blessedness that Christ PronouncesP.C. Barker Matthew 5:3
The Kingdom for the Poor in SpiritThomas Watson., Bishop Ofspring Blackall, D. D.Matthew 5:3
The Poor in SpiritW. Barker., Thomas Watson., Thomas Watson.Matthew 5:3
There May be Pride in Poverty as Well as in WealthDean Stanley.Matthew 5:3
Virtues Taught by a State of Poverty of Spirit AreSir William Davies, Ban. , D. D., J. E. Good.Matthew 5:3
The Secret of HappinessW.F. Adeney Matthew 5:3-5
The Triumphs of HumilityJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 5:3-5
The Benediction of Good CharacterR. Tuck Matthew 5:3-9
Sermon on the Mount: 1. the BeatitudesMarcus Dods Matthew 5:3-12
People
Jesus
Places
Galilee, Jerusalem
Topics
Belongs, Blessed, Happy, Heaven, Heavens, Kingdom, Poor, Reign, Spirit, Theirs
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 5:3

     2345   Christ, kingdom of
     2377   kingdom of God, entry into
     5017   heart, renewal
     5063   spirit, nature of
     5450   poverty, spiritual
     5888   inferiority
     8203   character

Matthew 5:3-5

     5849   exaltation

Matthew 5:3-6

     5554   status

Matthew 5:3-10

     4938   fate, final destiny
     7621   disciples, calling

Matthew 5:3-12

     1620   beatitudes, the
     2318   Christ, as prophet
     4020   life, of faith
     5874   happiness
     8117   discipleship, benefits

Matthew 5:3-48

     1660   Sermon on the Mount

Library
Agree with Thine Adversary
Eversley, 1861. Windsor Castle, 1867. St. Matthew v. 25, 26. "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." This parable our Lord seems to have spoken at least twice, as He did several others. For we find it also in the 12th
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

June 9. "Ye are the Light of the World" (Matt. v. 14).
"Ye are the light of the world" (Matt. v. 14). We are called the lights of the world, light-bearers, reflectors, candle-sticks, lamps. We are to be kindled ourselves, and then we will burn and give light to others. We are the only light the world has. The Lord might come down Himself and give light to the world, but He has chosen differently. He wants to send it through us, and if we don't give it the world will not have it. We should be giving light all the time to our neighbors. God does not put
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Eighth Beatitude
'Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'--MATT. v. 10. We have seen the description of the true subjects of the kingdom growing into form and completeness before our eyes in the preceding verses, which tell us what they are in their own consciousness, what they are in their longings, what they become in inward nature by God's gift of purity, how they move among men as angels of God, meek, merciful, peace-bringing. Is anything more needed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Salt Without Savour
'Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.'--MATT. v. 13. These words must have seemed ridiculously presumptuous when they were first spoken, and they have too often seemed mere mockery and irony in the ages since. A Galilean peasant, with a few of his rude countrymen who had gathered round him, stands up there on the mountain, and says to them, 'You,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The First Beatitude
'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.'--MATT. v. 2. 'Ye are not come unto the mount that burned with fire, nor unto the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of "awful" words.' With such accompaniments the old law was promulgated, but here, in this Sermon on the Mount, as it is called, the laws of the Kingdom are proclaimed by the King Himself; and He does not lay them down with the sternness of those written on tables of stone. No rigid 'thou shalt' compels, no iron 'thou
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Second Beatitude
'Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.'--MATT. v. 4. An ordinary superficial view of these so-called Beatitudes is that they are simply a collection of unrelated sayings. But they are a great deal more than that. There is a vital connection and progress in them. The jewels are not flung down in a heap; they are wreathed into a chain, which whosoever wears shall have 'an ornament of grace about his neck.' They are an outgrowth from a common root; stages in the evolution of Christian
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Fourth Beatitude
'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.'--MATT. v. 6. Two preliminary remarks will give us the point of view from which I desire to consider these words now. First, we have seen, in previous sermons, that these paradoxes of the Christian life which we call the Beatitudes are a linked chain, or, rather, an outgrowth from a common root. Each presupposes all the preceding. Now, of course, it is a mistake to expect uniformity in the process of building
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Fifth Beatitude
'Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.'--MATT. v. 7. THE divine simplicity of the Beatitudes covers a divine depth, both in regard to the single precepts and to the sequence of the whole. I have already pointed out that the first of the series Is to be regarded as the root and germ of all the subsequent ones. If for a moment we set it aside and consider only the fruits which are successively developed from it, we shall see that the remaining members of the sequence are arranged in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Sixth Beatitude
'Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.'--MATT. v. 8. AT first hearing one scarcely knows whether the character described in this great saying, or the promise held out, is the more inaccessible to men. 'The pure in heart': who may they be? Is there one of us that can imagine himself possessed of a character fitting him for the vision of God, or such as to make him bear with delight that dazzling blaze? 'They shall see God,' whom 'no man hath seen at any time, nor can see.' Surely
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Seventh Beatitude
'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.' MATT. v. 9. This is the last Beatitude descriptive of the character of the Christian. There follows one more, which describes his reception by the world. But this one sets the top stone, the shining apex, upon the whole temple-structure which the previous Beatitudes had been gradually building up. You may remember that I have pointed out in previous sermons how all these various traits of the Christian life are deduced from
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The New Sinai
'And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: 2. And He opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Lamp and the Bushel
'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'--Matt. v. 14-16. The conception of the office of Christ's disciples contained in these words is a still bolder one than that expressed by the preceding metaphor, which
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The New Form of the Old Law
'Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20. For I say
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Swear not at All'
'Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35. Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool; neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Non-Resistance
'Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.'--MATT. v. 38-42. The old law
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Law of Love
'Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Redemption
"Ye shall therefore be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect."--MATT. V. 48. "Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver from the body of this death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."--ROM. VII. 24, 25. We have studied the meaning of reconciliation through the Cross. We have said that to be reconciled to God means to cease to be the object of the Wrath of God, that is, His hostility to sin. We can only cease to be the objects of this Divine Wrath by identifying ourselves
J. H. Beibitz—Gloria Crucis

On that which is Written in the Gospel, Matt. v. 16, "Even So Let Your Light Shine Before Men, that they May See Your Good Works,
1. It is wont to perplex many persons, Dearly beloved, that our Lord Jesus Christ in His Evangelical Sermon, after He had first said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven;" [1934] said afterwards, "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness [1935] before men to be seen of them." [1936] For so the mind of him who is weak in understanding is disturbed, is desirous to obey both precepts, and distracted by diverse, and contradictory
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. v. 22, "Whosoever Shall Say to his Brother, Thou Fool, Shall be in Danger of the Hell of Fire. "
1. The section of the Holy Gospel which we just now heard when it was read, must have sorely alarmed us, if we have faith; but those who have not faith, it alarmed not. And because it does not alarm them, they are minded to continue in their false security, as knowing not how to divide and distinguish the proper times of security and fear. Let him then who is leading now that life which has an end, fear, that in that life which is without end, he may have security. Therefore were we alarmed. For
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
Discourse 3 "Blessed are the pure in heart: For they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers: For they shall be called the children of God. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: For great is your reward in heaven: For so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you."
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Christian Aim and Motive.
Preached January 4, 1852. THE CHRISTIAN AIM AND MOTIVE. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."--Matthew v. 48. There are two erroneous views held respecting the character of the Sermon on the Mount. The first may be called an error of worldly-minded men, the other an error of mistaken religionists. Worldly-minded men--men that is, in whom the devotional feeling is but feeble--are accustomed to look upon morality as the whole of religion; and they suppose
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

A Call to Holy Living
Too many persons judge themselves by others; and if upon the whole they discover that they are no worse than the mass of mankind, they give themselves a mark of special commendation; they strike a sort of average amongst their neighbors, and if they cannot pretend to be the very best, yet, if they are not the very worst, they are pretty comfortable. There are certain scribes and Pharisees among their acquaintance, who fast thrice in the week, and pay tithes of all they possess, and they look upon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 18: 1872

Persistency in Wrong Doing.
6th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. v. 25. "Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him." INTRODUCTION.--I spoke to you the Sunday before last about the obstinacy of persisting in an opinion after you have good cause to believe that this opinion is unjust, or unreasonable. I am going to speak to you to-day of another form of obstinacy. SUBJECT.--My subject is Persistency in doing wrong, because you have begun wrong. This is only another form of the same fault. The other
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

"That the Righteousness of the Law Might be Fulfilled in Us,"
Rom. viii. 4.--"That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us," &c. "Think not," saith our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, "that I am come to destroy the law,--I am come to fulfil it," Matt. v. 17. It was a needful caveat, and a very timeous advertisement, because of the natural misapprehensions in men's minds of the gospel. When free forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting, is preached in Jesus Christ, without our works; when the mercy of God is proclaimed in its freedom and fulness,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

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