The Beatitudes
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
Stewart Diesel-Reynolds M.A.
Matt 5:3-4 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” KJV
What does it mean to be “Poor in spirit”? In a compilation to be found in “Christianity Today” June 27, 2007, we find this phrase “the poor in spirit” explained in the following ways:
“The kingdom is given to the poor, not the rich; the feeble, not the mighty; to little children, not to soldiers who boast that they can obtain it by their own prowess…”
and;
“God does not force His kingdom upon anybody but gladly gives it to all who know they’re losers without him and humbly seek his help.”
While these statements and many others, made by preachers and teachers who know nothing of the historical background nor the first century Hebrew context of Jesus’ teaching, may sound “nice” and may seem to express the correct sentiment towards those who are poor and downtrodden, as reflected in the scriptures, we have to ask ourselves the question: “Is this what Yeshua really meant when he made the statement, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”? Again I must reiterate that the Bible is a HEBREW DOCUMENT. It was written to Hebrews, about Hebrew things and the Tanach and at least some of the New Testament, was written IN Hebrew. I must also remind you that Yeshua was a Jew and, as a result of his Jewish education, he thought and taught in a very Jewish and in a very rabbinic way. In almost everything he says, he is referring to something that was written in the word of God or to something that, in their culture, the culture of first century Israel, everyone who was listening to him, would have been familiar with.
So, what was he saying? Who are the “poor in spirit”? I will answer this question by giving you three answers which, taken together, will describe to you who these individuals were to whom Yeshua was referring when he said, Blessed are the “poor in spirit”. According to Dr Roy Blizzard, President of Bible Scholars, Inc., The Beatitudes present us with a principle characteristic of Hebrew prose and poetry, that of parallelisms:
“…two statements that are parallel one to the other, that are structured in almost the same way as Jesus presents them in the Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are the meek…Blessed are they that mourn. Who are they? They are all the same. To be poor in spirit is to be uncompromisingly righteous. To be uncompromisingly righteous is to yearn after God and the things of God.” [Mishnah and the words of Jesus. Dr. Roy B. Blizzard]
Dr David Flusser, who was a professor at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem where he taught ‘Judaism in the Second Temple Period’ and ‘Early Christianity’, in his work, “Judaism and the Origins of Christianity,” compares the “poor in spirit” the Jewish sect who established themselves on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea region in about the second century BCE, the Essenes.
However, in order to discover who the “poor in spirit” were, let’s go first to Psalm 34 and specifically to verse 18, for this is the closest we get in the psalms to the phrase, “poor in spirit”:
“YHWH is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of contrite spirit.”
What does it mean to be of “contrite spirit”? Again we must remember that, using the rabbinic method of biblical exegesis used in Yeshua’s time called Remez, when reference is made to a portion of scripture, in this case a portion of Psalm 34, the teacher would usually be referring to the meaning conveyed to the reader by the entire Psalm. Now, when we read Psalm 34 we get a pretty good idea of what it is to be “of contrite heart”.
- Those who seek YHWH (the Lord) and look unto him(4 & 5)
- Those who cry unto YHWH (the Lord) (6)
- Those who fear YHWH (the Lord) (9)
- Those who seek YHWH (the Lord) (10)
- Those who hearken unto YHWH (the Lord) and learn of him. (11)
- Those who keep the tongue from speaking evil and their lips from speaking guile (13)
- Those who depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it (14)
- Those who trust YHWH (the Lord) (22)
In order to understand the significance of these verses, we have to understand a little of First Century Jewish history. Only when you understand what I am about to share, will you be able to understand what Yeshua was saying when he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”.
Dr David Flusser, makes this statement:
“In order to understand the historic Jesus, it is not sufficient to follow the literary development of the gospel material. We also need to possess intimate familiarity with Judaism in the time of Jesus.” [David Flusser. “Jesus”. p.22]
THE ESSENES
In the latter part of the Second Temple Period, about the 2nd century BCE (BC), there appeared in Palestine a religious community, a Jewish sect, called the Essenes. They were not a very large community and they lasted for about 300 years [Encyclopedia Judaica. Vol 6. P. 899]. What is important for us to know about this sect and about other similar sects, like the Qumran sect, is that they lived austere lives and devoted themselves to the study of Torah. The first century historian Josephus (37 – 100 CE), in his “The Wars of the Jews”, book 2 chapter 8, states that before one could be accepted into the sect of the Essenes, one had to go through a probationary period and then make an oath to observe the rules of the sect.
According to Josephus the initiate had to vow:
To be pious before God
To practice justice before men
Never to injure anyone, either willfully or under compulsion
Always to hate the wicked and support the just
Ever to show faithfulness to all mankind and to be true to those in authority, for all power comes from God
Never, when in office, to force personal views or authority or to assume special dress or luxury
To love truth and hate falsehood
To keep ones hands pure of theft and ones soul from unrighteous gain
Not to have any secrets from ones brethren and never betray one of theirs, even at the cost of one’s life
To pass on the traditions one had received
Never be a brigand
To safeguard the secret books and to preserve, with care, the names of the angels that had been taught to him
The contents of this oath along with some of the writings from The Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, direct our attention to psalm 34. As we read these requirements imposed upon the members of the Essene sect, the similarities to some of the verses in Psalm 34 are obvious. It is also in The Dead Sea Scrolls that the connection between Psalm 34 and the “poor in spirit”. In his book “Jesus”, Dr David Flusser writes:
“Now for the first time, because of The Dead Sea Scrolls, we can understand the phrase “the poor in spirit.” It was a title of honor among the Essenes.”
“In one passage from the Essene hymnbook (1QH 18:14-15) the author thanks God for having appointed him preacher of his grace. He is destined “to proclaim to the meek the multitude of Thine mercies and to let them that of contrite spirit hear salvation from his everlasting source, and to them that mourn, everlasting joy.” These correspond to “the meek,” “the poor in spirit,” and “those that mourn,” of the first three beatitudes.
[David Flusser. “Jesus. p. 95-96]
Who are the “poor in spirit”? Those who, with true repentance, and in the spirit of “poverty, humility, purity and (with) unsophisticated simplicity” [ibid] had embarked upon the path of austerity and obedience to the tenants of Torah – especially with regard to ones fellow man.
REPENTANCE
Ps 34:14-15 “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” KJV [Remember that Psalm 34 is describing the “poor in spirit” or “those of a contrite heart.]
John the Baptist, whom many scholars regard as having been a part of the Essene sect at some point in his life because his teachings are so close to those of the Essene sect, taught repentance to those who came to him to be baptized.
In his “The Antiquities of the Jews”, Josephus writes of John the Baptist:
“…exhorted the Jews to lead righteous lives, to practice justice towards their fellows and piety towards God, and so doing join in baptism. In his view this was a necessary preliminary if baptism was to be acceptable to God. They must not employ it to gain pardon for whatever sins they committed, but as a purification of the body implying that the soul was already thoroughly cleansed by right behavior.”
According to the Essene view on baptism:
“Only he who bows his soul to the law of God, has his flesh purified by the sprinkling of the purifying waters, and is sanctified in the waters of purity.” [1QS 5:13-14]
The “poor in spirit” then are those who are truly repentant, those who will cry unto YHWH and seek his truth, who will turn their backs on evil and pursue peace.
OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD
In Mishnah 5:3, Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakanah said,
“Whosoever accepts the yoke of the law, from him shall be removed the yoke of the kingdom and the yoke of mundane care. But he that casts off from him the yoke of the law, upon him shall be laid the yoke of the kingdom and the yoke of worldly care”
In other words, obedience to the commandments, the ordinances and the statutes of God’s word is not a burden at all, in fact, it is a blessing that enables us to live above, and free from the burdens and hardships of this world. We know that Yeshua was well acquainted with this verse from Mishnah and it is probably this exact statement of truth that Rabbi ben Hakanah had made, to which Yeshua was referring, when he said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly at heart.” (remez)
The phrase “lowly at heart” is synonymous with the phrase “contrite spirit” of Psalm 34 and also with the phrase “poor in spirit” of Matt 5:3. Yeshua was teaching “the good news of the kingdom” which was, simply put, care for your fellow man in the spirit of tzedakah, or acts of righteousness, or acts of kindness. This was in accordance with the commandments contained in Torah in passages like Leviticus, chapter 19, which we know was characterized by its verse 18, “…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self”; and Deuteronomy 15:7-11 characterized by the verse, “I command you, you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in the land.”
Yeshua’s yoke was Torah and the teachings of Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.) and everythong he taught was Torah. In doing this he describes himself as being “meek” – uncompromisingly righteous; and “lowly at heart” – uncompromisingly obedient to God’s word.
Who are the “poor in spirit”? Those who are uncompromisingly obedient to God’s word.
“…Poor in spirit…” is parallel to humble in spirit, broken in spirit, which means one who is sorrowful for his sins, who has repented of his sins, who has turned to God, who loves His word and who keeps His commandments. Dr Roy B. Blizzard
- Some great books to read: Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus by Dr Roy Blizzard; Mishnah and the Words of Jesus by Dr Roy Blizzard; Jesus by David Flusser; Jewish Sources in Early Christianity by David Flusser.
