Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
- Matthew 5:3-4
The theme of the Sermon on the Mount is “kingdom living.” In this great sermon, preached by Jesus Christ Himself, we are taught what it looks like to be a child of God, a kingdom dweller. Jesus begins this powerful sermon with a list of blessings, the beatitudes, which describes and honors those who are citizens of His Kingdom.
The first two beatitudes reveal the attitude of a kingdom dweller’s heart: “blessed are the poor in spirit,” and “blessed are those who mourn.” The kingdom dweller recognizes his position before the Righteous King. He humbly understands his unworthiness to stand before a holy God due to his sinful condition. Pride has been stripped away and he is totally dependent on the righteousness of God and not of himself; he is poor in spirit.
Next, the kingdom dweller is broken and contrite over his sin. Sin is not taken lightly, but instead the true believer grieves over his offense to the God Who created him and redeemed him through the sacrifice of His Son. He mourns because of his sin.
The heart that is poor and spirit and that mourns over sin is the one acceptable to God as the psalmist explains, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps 51:17). This is the attitude that best describes a true child of God. We must then ask ourselves, “What is my attitude before a Righteous God?” and “What is my attitude toward my sin?” These attitudes may very well reveal our citizenship.
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