Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

WHO ARE THE POOR?

Does Jesus mean the economically poor, the poor in money? Yes, but not necessarily. It is easy to oversimplify matters by reducing poverty to a material fact. This is wrong, for someone who is rich in money can be poor in spirit, and someone poor in money can be rich in spirit. Material poverty is an economic condition, and economic conditions as such have no redemptive value. If they did, we would have to promote rather than combat poverty.

Who, then, are the poor whom Jesus pronounces blessed? They are those whom the Old Testament prophets and psalmist call the anawim. The anawim is a plural form of the Hebrew word anaw and has been variously translated as "the poor," "the humble," and "the afflicted."

The anawim are the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, and the prisoners. They are the people full of despair - despair of people, despair of the high and mighty whose mouth are full of empty promises. There is, however, something else. Mixed in with their despair is the overwhelming sense of hope. The life of the anawim is a peculiar mixture of despair and hope. Though one experiences despair, yet their hope never dies.

The poor in spirt learn to wait on God and trust Him to make everything right in His time!

Be Blessed!