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Poor in spirit

Matthew chapter5 teaches the beatitudes, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God". Being poor in spirit is not taking vows of poverty, instead it is a condition of the heart. According to Matthew Henry's Bible commentary, “the poverty of spirit is a gracious disposition of the soul, by which we are emptied of self, in order to our being filled with God”. In Luke Chapter 4, the Lord Jesus read from the Book of Isaiah (Chapter 61) while he was in the temple that gives us a deeper insight into this beatitude. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free and proclaim the year of Jubilee (acceptable year of the Lord)”.

After Israel conquered Canaan, the land was assigned to Israel’s clans and families as described in Numbers 26 and Joshua 15-22. The land was never to be sold in perpetuity for it belonged to the Lord, and not the people. When someone borrows money, the borrower would become temporarily bound to the creditor, any income earned would go as payment for the reduction of the debt. In the course of time, due to unforeseen events borrowers can become bankrupt. In order to stabilize the economic condition and to prevent any family from becoming permanently landless and poor for an extended time, Moses established a jubilee year. Along with a Sabbath year every seven years, jubilee year was to be observed every fifty years. Every fiftieth year, all leased or mortgaged lands were to be returned to their original owners and all mortgages and loans were written off. All slaves and bonded laborers were freed also (Leviticus 25). It is a year of rejoicing for the poor.

According to the UN definition, "poverty is the inability of having choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity." Total wealth increases when corporations and businesses make profits. World Bank data shows that there are still 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty without having one meal a day. The prophet Haggai said(Chpater 1), "You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." We earn, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences but less time. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life, but not life to years. We have social communities, but we communicate less. We have more clubs and activities, but people are becoming more lonely. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "Loneliness and the feeling of being uncared for and unwanted are the greatest poverty.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). A man asked Jesus to serve as an arbiter and make his brother share their inheritance. Jesus refused the request but went on to do the man a greater kindness. He pointed out the motive behind the man’s request and its consequences: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Then Jesus told a parable about a man who harvested a bumper crop and began to make plans to increase and enjoy his riches. He concluded: “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (vv.20-21).

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Blessings

Mathew Philip

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