Becoming Poor in Spirit
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Point: The poor in spirit will experience Kingdom and the righteousness of God when we realize our need of Him.
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
To become like Jesus we need to become poor in spirit. What does Jesus mean? If we take a different Bible translation, His intent may become a little more clearer.
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
There should be a lot of God blessing going on in Canada today. There should be a lot of God blessing in Honduras, Belize, and Mexico for that matter (the places that Lynnette and I just came back from visiting). What does Jesus mean by stating that the poor will be blessed? Does He mean that one’s material needs and wants will be taken care of? That one will not have to struggle with making ends meet, vehicles will not breakdown at the most inconvenient times, or employment will always be possible?
Jesus stated, “The poor will always be among you” (Mt 26:11). Was Jesus just making a matter-of-fact statement? Commenting on the reality of humanity and our lack of compassion for one in need? Yes and no.
For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
In Matthew 26, the priests and elders are plotting how to secretly capture Jesus and kill him. While eating at the home of Simon, a man who previously had leprosy, a woman comes in a pores a jar of expensive perfume, about a year’s wages, over Jesus’ head. The passage says that the disciples of Jesus were indignant, because the wasted perfume could have been sold for a good price and the money given to the poor (v.8-9).
Jesus rebukes the disciples for criticizing the woman’s actions, instead calling it a good thing as she has anointed his body for burial (v.12). In fact Jesus says, this woman will be remembered for her action wherever the Good News is preached in the world (v.13). Have you ever mentioned this woman’s actions as you have shared the Good News of Jesus? Has her action ever crossed your mind when you have considered the sacrifice of Jesus?
She seems to be insignificant, but Matthew makes sure that we are aware of her action. Why? John has a point of view to share about this woman as well in John 12. Her name is Mary. She is the sister of Martha and Lazarus; Lazarus, the one that Jesus resurrected from the dead just days before. This is Mary, the one who made the right choice to sit at the feet of Jesus, instead of being caught up in the busyness of preparations as Martha, her sister, so desired. Mary is the one that Jesus praised for making the right choice, to sit with Him, being present with Him, instead of being busy about the things of the world, it’s traditions, and it’s norms.
Are we present with Jesus? Are we present with Him in our being? Are we attentive to Him: His desires, His commands, His actions? Are we a gift to God for Him to use? Are we present with Jesus, not being absent of mind, purpose, and action? Does He have our heart?
Even though Mary was of low estate, being a woman in Jewish culture, she was of high value to Jesus. Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with pure nard, a most intimate and valued action. Nard was a marker of both luxury and intimacy. It was extremely valuable and precious. It is the perfume, in the book of the Song of Solomon, that’s use is intended to entice a lover. It is a plant that was found only in the high altitudes of North India, a significant distance from the Mediterranean world at that time.
Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with the greatest, costliest thing she could, to represent her heart of gratitude and love for the One who she believed to be Messiah, the One who forgave sin, the One who raised her brother from death to life. What is Jesus worthy of to you and me? What are we willing to give for His sacrifice of life for you and me?
There is continuing debate as to the identity of Mary. We do not know a whole lot except that Jesus loved spending time with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They lived in Bethany. Jesus when he visited Jerusalem, often stayed with Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany.
When Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to dinner, in Bethany, a woman shows up and anoints Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair, continually kissing his feet. We find the story in Luke 7. Simon, the Pharisee rebukes Jesus saying to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman is touching him, for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). Jesus, aware of Simon’s thoughts, asks Simon which of two debtors would love a moneylender more for cancelling their debt: the one forgiven 500 dollars or the one forgiven 50 dollars (Luke 7:41-42). Simon of course answers the one who owed the larger debt. Jesus says to Simon that he has judged rightly. The question to Simon and ourselves is this: what is the debt that you owe? How costly is the debt that you are forgiven? Are you a sinner Simon? How dark is your heart Simon? How lost are you? Do you want to be free? Who do you believe that I am? What cost are you willing to pay to be free?
Simon did not believe in who Jesus was showing himself to be. He did not believe the hubbub being spoken of Jesus, the signs, the miracles. Simon paid Jesus no honor. He ignored custom and tradition of honoring a guest: providing water to clean their feet, oil to anoint their head, and a customary kiss of greeting. Simon had no affinity for Jesus, no honor for him, but wanted to check him out personally; probably because he was curious, and it was the right thing to do.
But Jesus exposed Simon’s hypocrisy, he exposed Simon’s dark heart. Jesus says essentially, everyone is sinful, everyone has a debt to pay, everyone in Jesus is forgiven that debt, who believes and trust in Him as Savior and Lord; but only those who are forgiven much, love much; those who love little believe their is little to forgive…in and of themselves. Who am I? How much do I owe? What do I need to be forgiven? Do I realized my need of Jesus great love and forgiveness? It is by faith in Jesus that one is saved, forgiven, and transformed into a person of peace - peace with themselves, with God, and with the world we live in.
Things of expense and value are expended and shared to the glory of God. People are valued and covered by the lavish perfume of Jesus’ love, carried out by those that know of and have experienced Jesus great love and forgiveness. They are those who are aware of their failures and follies, that know they have not, and will not arrive, until Jesus returns. They are aware of their imperfections, their sin, and yet live in the forgiveness and perfection of Christ’s sacrifice. It is those who know they are poor and cannot be perfect without Christ. Who am I? A sinner saved by the grace and love of Jesus. Who while still a sinner, Jesus died for me. How great the love of Jesus for me: He who loves much, dies much.
We have two positions that we can take when it comes to standing before God. We can proclaim our righteousness and boast about our accomplishments and discipline. Or we can humble ourselves in agreement with God that I am broken, I have failed, I have come up short and need His forgiveness, His strength, His love to become transformed into His image, the image we find in Christ, the image we find in Mary. Dare we proclaim our righteousness like the Pharisee. Or, humble ourselves like the tax collector (Luke 18). What is our view? How do we see ourselves? Is it true?
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Mary is chastised for being humble. Judas declares she was being wasteful and unwise. The money that could have been raised and given to the poor would have been a year’s wages. We like Judas can take a posture of self-righteousness and condemnation, being religious. Or we can take the posture of Mary, poor in spirit, knowing that we could condemn but that we are more likely deserving of being condemned ourselves. Why? because we know their is no one perfect, not one who does the will of God 100% of the time (Romans 3:10-12). Mary knew this intimately, the tax collector knew his status, where he stood with God …do we?
Jesus says I have come to give you life, and life abundantly. He has not come to condemn, but to give eternal life. We are not stuck in sin, but have been redeemed to life in and through Christ. That’s where we find Mary, knowing and realizing that only in Christ does she have value, meaning, and true acceptance and love. She has forgiveness.
There is debate that the Mary we find in Luke 7:36-50 is not the same Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, that anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes his feet with her hair. But yet the similarities are striking. Simon the Pharisee in Bethany, Mary’s hometown, is the person in both accounts. A woman humbled to her knees to honor Jesus with her tears and hair. Why the tears? Why the humbleness? Why the urgency to take the chance of being humiliated by a religious authority? Why subject herself to such derision “as a woman of ill-repute” (Luke 7:39).
I believe that they are the same woman, but willing to be corrected. The similarities are astounding and the point is the same: the poor in spirit are those who know and understand of their need of the love and forgiveness of Jesus because our sin is great, but His love is greater. Only in Christ, and through the grace and mercy of Christ, are we transformed into Christ himself. Amen.
