poor like me
- samuel stringer
- Aug 8, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 26, 2022
The Sermon on the Mount can be difficult to understand. What does "poor" mean? What is the difference between "poor" and "poor in spirit"? Pick up ten commentaries and you will get ten answers. There is a simple solution and it works every time.
Fields of tulips at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Mount Vernon, Washington
The Sermon on the Mount can be difficult to understand. What does "blessed" mean? What does "poor" mean? What is the difference between "poor" and "poor in spirit"? Why is it said one way in Matthew and another in Luke? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?
There's a simple way to understand this: While you're reading, insert "like Jesus" into each verse. Jesus was not just teaching; he was doing it. If the people stayed close to him they would learn first-hand what God expected. You can too.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, [like Jesus], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, [like Jesus], for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, [like Jesus], for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, [like Jesus], for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, [like Jesus], for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, [like Jesus], for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, [like Jesus], for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake [like Jesus], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you [like Jesus] and persecute you [like Jesus] and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely [like Jesus].
"Poor" is not difficult to understand if we look at how Christ lived, and the difference between "poor" and "poor in spirit" is simple because they are the same thing: they are him.
Each quality is easy to understand if we stop discussing hypotheticals and look at the reality of Christ. He did it. If you want to understand his words, live his life. If you can't do that, you'll continually be looking for answers, because there truly is only one answer: do it like he did it. Try it. You'll easily understand the most difficult passages:
turn the other cheek, like Jesus did
love your enemies, like Jesus did
do not worry what you will eat, like Jesus
do not fear them, like Jesus
We ask "what would Jesus do?" but we have it reversed. We ask what Jesus would do if he were in our situation. The correct question is: what did Jesus do? We know that. The answer is then obvious: it's the same as the question. But it's not an answer we want to see.
We have been told that Jesus and his disciples were a first-century thing, that the age of the Spirit is different.
Possibly so. But then why ask what Jesus would do? If what he did is not appropriate for the Church age, why ask? And why ask what the Sermon on the Mount means if we are going to deflect the answer with "this is a different time"? If we live in a different time, why ask anything at all? It's ridiculous to ask an question having already ruled out the answers we're not going to accept.
Yes, the Sermon on the Mount is confusing if there are answers we're not going to listen to. But it is completely understandable if we allow any answer, even the one that we don't want to hear.
The word of God is simple. It gets complicated only when we insist on an answer that isn't there.
#Luke_6.20-23 #blessed_are_the_poor, blessed are you who are hungry
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