It means to be poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit

Please explain how to understand the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”? How do we understand the expression “poor in spirit”? We have read that the poor in spirit are those who renounce the glory and ambition of this world, but it remains unclear why such people are called “poor in spirit”?

Priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery, answers:

In the patristic interpretation, a poor spirit is clearly understood as one who strives to acquire the most important Christian virtue - humility. Saint John Chrysostom says: “What does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and contrite in heart. He called the soul and disposition of man Spirit<…>Why didn’t He say: humble, but said beggars? Because the latter is more expressive than the former; He calls here poor those who fear and tremble at the commandments of God, whom through the prophet Isaiah God calls pleasing to Himself, saying: “Whom will I look upon: the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Is. 66:2)"(Conversations on St. Matthew the Evangelist, 25.2). Moral antipode poor in spirit is a proud person who considers himself spiritually rich.

When studying Orthodox commandments, people come across ideas that are not entirely clear. What does “blessed are the poor in spirit” mean? These words can now cause dissonance. After all, they prove to us from all sources of information that development is necessary to achieve success. People are encouraged not only to acquire professional skills, but also to grow spiritually. And this means cultivating willpower, determination, perseverance, and so on. And here “blessed are the poor in spirit.” How to understand this expression, what does it mean? Let's figure it out.

Let's take a closer look at the poor

Maybe this is not the most pleasant activity, but you will have to delve into the psychology of a poor person. The first commandment reads: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” How so? According to Jesus, the gates of heaven are open to people who have nothing in this life, do not create, do not produce. There seems to be some kind of contradiction in this, but only for a modern person, subject to the influence of society. Jesus looked at the beggar differently. Anyone who is, so to speak, at the bottom, has no ambitions. He is ready to accept any help as long as it is offered. This man does not have the pride of an ordinary person. He is not afraid of losses. He only has life. This person considers himself so insignificant that he does not judge others. He lives by simple interests. Today, eating bread and water is good. He thanks the Lord for this. And if there is nothing, then he will wait until help comes from good people. A beggar does not elevate himself, does not try to rise above society. This person does not know the usual worries about damage to property or problems at work. His soul is free from burdensome property worries and worries.

About spirituality

Have you ever thought about the direction in which our society is developing? If in past centuries people considered value mainly in material goods, now talents have become more valuable. Those who know how to generate knowledge and transfer it to others prosper. To them, too, Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit...” This phrase is intended so that the genius does not value his abilities above communication with the Lord. Our skills and abilities are capital; this is instilled in us from childhood. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it is not used to harm others. After all, the Lord grants the ability so that his children can improve the earth and develop this space. It is important not to feel proud because you can and have more than others. The sin lies in contempt for those who are deprived of talents. This applies to any abilities, including spiritual ones. There are people with incredible wisdom who know how to lead others. They have to constantly fight the temptation of pride. To be able to maintain faith in the Lord is what it means “blessed are the poor in spirit.” We must constantly remember: there is nothing more valuable than unity with the Almighty. Feeling it within yourself is the fulfillment of covenants. And those who are together with the Lord are protected from temptations, including from pride.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”: interpretation

Christianity considers humility to be the main virtue. It lies in the fact that a person trusts only in the Lord. He is not trying to give him, do or offer anything. There is no place for bargaining in these relationships. A Christian trusts in the goodness of God and trusts him completely and unconditionally. His soul is pure and sincere. There is not a shadow of doubt in her. Humility is the ability to accept everything from the world. Since these gifts come from the hands of the Lord. If something bad happens, you should thank the Almighty and not grumble. This means that you don’t deserve more today. And of course, you need to say “thank you” for every little thing you receive in life. After all, every person has more good than bad. We have become so accustomed to these gifts that we have stopped noticing them. And this is pride, sin. When you ask yourself how to understand “blessed are the poor in spirit,” try to focus on the joy that you receive on earth. Like this? Let's give an example.

What is good in our life?

Let's take the average person living in the Russian-speaking world. What does he get almost every day? You say, just problems and troubles, multiplied by the negativity spread by the media? And we will try to find something that you probably no longer appreciate:

• air that will allow you to live;
• supportive and helpful parents;
• food and shelter;
• work, if there is a desire to work;
• if it is necessary;
• health;
• support from friends;
• the smiles of loved ones;
• the opportunity to have children.

Believe me, the list can be endless. But do people really value these gifts? They consider them natural. And what does this lead to?

Consequences of Ingratitude

We won’t talk too much about it either. Here are a few chains that will demonstrate the logic, think of the rest yourself:

• Anyone who has shelter and income is afraid of losing it. He is afraid of robbers, wars, economic crises and more.
• A healthy person thinks with hostility about possible illnesses.
• He who has parents, family, and friends fears betrayal and death.
• Those who work and realize their talents are afraid of losing their place or chance.

This list can also be continued indefinitely. We took as an example only the most common things. Just the next time you think about what “blessed are the poor in spirit” means, remember the gifts of the Lord. There are people who are unlucky. They do not have health, or talent, or a peaceful sky above their heads. Do they all complain?

What is most valuable in life?

Perhaps the question posed in the subtitle is naive. Everyone has their own values. This is true and false at the same time. Yes They are quite difficult to refute completely. Believers believe that the most important thing is to be close to the Lord. Believe me, many tried to prove the opposite. It worked until disaster struck. And only after experiencing grief did a person realize that the support of the Almighty is the most important thing that he has. After all, no one can tear this power out of the soul. It does not depend on rulers or the media, the opinions of friends and enemies. This is a given that can be rejected or accepted, but its existence cannot be challenged. So, “blessed are the poor in spirit” - this is a commandment about love for God? The priests consider it rather a reminder. This is a short parable about the integrity of the world and its frailty at the same time.

Does modern man need this truth?

It is suggested to remember humility again. This is real wisdom, allowing you to look at yourself from the outside, to really evaluate your shortcomings and advantages. And once you understand what your value is, you know how to choose the right field to apply your strength. In addition, a person who evaluates himself adequately does not experience problems with communication, loves and receives reciprocity. He is happy! And you say that you need to strive for success at any cost. Always remember that blessed are the poor in spirit, that is, the people who love their Creator above all else. They have much less fears and conflicts in their souls. There is someone you can rely on. And he will never betray, cheat, manipulate or deceive. He is the essence

Conclusion

If you understand the frailty of those given to you material goods and intellectual values, then you live easier and more naturally. Try to forget about the fears generated by pride for at least one day. This little experiment will take you back to your childhood. Believe it or not, kids are practically the only category of people who truly understand the phrase under study. They have no worries, they completely trust their parents, seeing the Lord in them. Do you remember?

The service in the church is held in Old Church Slavonic, which is not entirely understandable to our contemporaries. Also in church everyday life there are many words and expressions that seem to be understandable, but not completely. Who are the blessed poor in spirit? We remember the blessed ones from films about the tsarist era, but how can this relate to the modern era? Will no one really enter the Kingdom of God unless he becomes blessed? This question worried me very much as a church-going Christian, and I decided to find out more about the meaning of this expression. It turns out that we are talking about Christian humility and overcoming pride. There is no need to become poor and wretched, you just need to humble your pride.

Christian humility

In Christianity, humility is the opposite of pride - a terrible sin leading to death. It was because of pride that the once bright angel Lucifer was cast out of heaven and called fallen. The church fathers teach that without humility one can forget about Christianity, for spiritual life begins only with overcoming pride.

Humility is the highest virtue before God.

A humble person does not notice the speck in his neighbor's eye, because he knows about his own logs. A humble person does not reproach anyone but himself. A humble person does not judge or condemn his neighbor, as he struggles with his sins and temptations. He knows how weak human nature is, so he acts this way.

Humility is the basis of Christian morality and religion, without which it is impossible to be a Christian. It is impossible, because a person leads an incorrect spiritual life and cannot partake of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Faith without works is dead - this is exactly the instruction the apostles gave to their first disciples. Therefore, faith without spiritual fruits leads to nothing.

Many people misunderstand Christian humility and compare it with some kind of despair and pessimism. This is also a wrong interpretation, since humility implies trust in God's mercy and grace. A person understands that he is in the hand of God, and that his life is completely subject to the will of God. Therefore, he humbles himself and trusts his Heavenly Father in everything. He does not scream or grumble when trouble comes, but remains in prayer and thanksgiving.

Why do Christians accept the blows of fate without complaint? Because they understand that God's grace has provided the best for them. Everyone knows about the proverb “If there was no happiness, but misfortune would help.” This was very wisely noted by our ancestors, who left us a legacy of life wisdom. An observant person may notice that very often unfavorable events lead to unexpectedly positive results. Therefore, it is unreasonable to grumble and blame God for your troubles.

Beatitudes

The first beatitude implies accepting one's sinful nature as a given and coming to terms with it. But humility should not condone sin; a person should simply be aware of his weak nature and not be proud of anything in front of others.

The Fall of man began with pride, when the devil promised Adam and Eve to become “like gods.” Humility returns everything to normal and makes one aware of one’s insignificance and complete helplessness before God.

Spiritual poverty has nothing to do with material lack, since we are talking about spiritual things. Spiritual poverty implies an appropriate system of thoughts in which pride and exaltation are excluded.

Spiritual poverty is the recognition of the impossibility of becoming righteous through one’s own efforts. If a person were able to correct his sinful nature on his own, the sacrifice of Christ would lose all meaning. A Christian must admit his spiritual imperfection and accept the sacrifice of Christ as a gift. Only by uniting with Christ by faith can we become holy and righteous. A person is not able to reach such spiritual heights on his own.

What does a poor person in the world dream about? All his thoughts are aimed at someone giving him a piece of bread to maintain his spirit. Spiritual poverty is an extreme need for God's help to gain grace and salvation. A person says to himself: “I’ve passed, I can’t, I’m not capable, I need help.” This is the correct spiritual state that leads to salvation.

A beggar in the world understands that he cannot earn his bread, and hopes for the mercy of the giver. The poor in spirit also understand that they are not worthy of grace, so they hope only for the mercy of God. The poor in spirit do not seek to earn a reward from God, but humbly await mercy. Alms are given not because the beggar has earned it, but simply out of the kindness of the heart. At the same time, the beggar understands that he cannot repay the giver in any way.

It is precisely such poverty that becomes the condition for receiving God's grace and salvation. All that is required from a person is gratitude for the generous gift and nothing more. The beggar understands that no one needs him. Likewise, a Christian understands that it is not Christ who needs him, but Christ who needs him. If a person fully understands this, he will be able to achieve salvation. Spiritual poverty completely annuls pride, and therefore is a condition for receiving God's grace and the free gift of salvation.

Humility and inferiority complex

Opponents of Christianity sometimes call humility a manifestation of an inferiority complex. Is it so? Inferiority complex and Christian humility have different spiritual roots. An inferiority complex develops when a person is ashamed of other people for their awkwardness or inability to do something correctly. For example, plump girls do not fit the global standard of beauty, so they have complexes.

Christian humility comes from the fact that a person realizes the sinfulness of his nature and the impossibility of correcting it through his own efforts. No matter how hard he tries to live according to the gospel, some sin will inevitably be revealed or unworthy thoughts will come to his mind. Then the Christian begins to intensely pray and repent, which brings him even closer to the Lord.

An example of true humility was Jesus Christ, who humbled his soul to the Cross.

Only one who has realized the need for the help of Jesus Christ in his salvation can become a Christian. As long as a person relies on his own strength, he is full of pride and vanity. Only when he humbles his pride and becomes needy in Christ will he find eternal salvation of his soul and grace. That is why it is said in the first beatitude that only the poor in spirit (humble) are worthy of the Kingdom of God. A beggar is a needy, dependent, dependent person. God wants us to realize our spiritual poverty - our need for Christ, our dependence on him and our complete lack of independence in our futile efforts.

Sincere repentance for sins brings a person closer to God, but the feeling of one’s own infallibility moves him away. A repentant sinner is dearer to God than a self-righteous person. Therefore, the church fathers always call for repentance, for it leads to grace. “God, have mercy on me a sinner” - these are the most important words Christian.

Answer

What can I really be proud of? After all, I must imitate Christ in my life, live as He lived, strive for the perfection available to me. This is the meaning of my life! And if I understand this, if I try to compare myself with Christ and find out whether I live as I should live, then I will be forced to recognize my moral insignificance in comparison with the Model of human perfection given to me to follow.

So let's take a look at ourselves! Let's look into the depths of our soul, in which lies much unknown to others! Let's remember our past! Remembering, we will weigh each of our actions that comes to mind, and we will ask ourselves: would Christ have acted as we did? Let us remember our past life more often, compare ourselves with Christ more often! And if we are not deaf to the divine voice of conscience embedded in us, then we will be horrified when we see how far we are from Christ, what a huge difference between us and what we should be, what we can be. And then we will be like a man who for the first time looked through a microscope at the water that he considered pure, like crystal: just as the concept of the purity of water instantly disappears at the sight of countless microorganisms teeming in the water, so do we, who considered our soul as pure as crystal , let us shudder from the moral filth that has clung to it. And when we reach such a consciousness, where will our pride go? We will then understand that we have nothing to be proud of; and we admit that our greatness that seemed to us is like a mirage in the desert: from afar, wonderful pictures are drawn to the traveler’s imagination, but when he comes closer, there is nothing. And then pride will leave us and give way to humility in our hearts. And only under this condition will we have a desire to correct ourselves, to lag behind our sins. While I was proud, while I thought only about my greatness, about my imaginary merits and imaginary superiority over other people, while I, like the Pharisee in the parable of the Lord, considered myself not like other people (Luke 8:11), - I and did not notice my shortcomings, sins, and through this I could not have the desire to improve, to become a better person.

So, the first step at the beginning of self-correction is the consciousness of one’s insignificance in comparison with Christ, who serves for us as a Model of the perfection possible for us; awareness of our poverty by those qualities of the soul and those good deeds that bring us closer to Christ; in a word, awareness of one’s spiritual and moral poverty. And the Lord began His Sermon on the Mount by pointing out this first step in the matter of self-correction.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, He said, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

Blessed are the poor in spirit. This saying of the Lord is taken literally by some and therefore interpreted completely wrongly. Instead of considering the consciousness of their spiritual poverty as a means to achieving the goal, that is, bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven, they consider poverty itself in spirit to be an independent goal, true bliss. In their opinion, true bliss lies in spiritual poverty, in the absence of spiritual forces or in poverty with these forces; and they call such powerless, mediocre people blessed.

But they are wrong. The Lord did not speak about such poverty. He did not say that bliss lies in poverty of spirit; He said that bliss is in the Kingdom of Heaven, that only those who begin their re-education with the consciousness of their insignificance in comparison with what a person should be will be blessed there. Poverty in spirit is opposed to pride, a person’s false confidence in his imaginary superiority over other people; Poverty in spirit is humility, which does not exclude the need for strength of spirit.

Others say: “The poor in spirit cannot be blessed; only blessed strong-willed! But they are also mistaken. In order from a proud person to become poor in spirit, that is, humble, aware of his moral poverty, aware of himself worse than many, great strength of spirit, great effort of will are needed; Without this strength you cannot humble yourself, you cannot break your pride. Consequently, the concepts of poverty in spirit and strength of spirit not only do not contradict each other, but, on the contrary, complement one another: without possessing strength of spirit, one cannot become poor in spirit; and great strength is needed. It is difficult for a proud person, accustomed to consider himself superior to everyone, not like other people, to realize that he is worse than many, and perhaps worse than everyone. If disappointment in a friend is hard, then what is it like to debunk oneself, to throw oneself off the cliff to which one was elevated by one’s pride, to throw one’s idol into the dust! Such disappointment in oneself causes, at first, unspeakable mental anguish; you have to suffer a lot and overcome many temptations. How many seductive thoughts invade the soul, how many strivings for self-justification, for whitewashing all one’s dirty deeds! To withstand all these temptations and defeat them, great strength of spirit is needed.

Let us realize our insignificance in comparison with Christ the Man, the Model of perfection available to us! Let us shake off the pride inspired by insane selfishness! Let us cast our idol into the dust, and boldly, with God’s help, take the first step! Let's stand on a firm foot so as not to stumble and fall down! Let us stand and move forward, without taking our eyes off Christ standing above, waiting for us with open arms! Let's go to Him! He is waiting for us and will receive us not as a formidable judge, but as a loving father meets his prodigal son!

(from the interpretation of the Gospels from B.I. Gladkov)

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3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Holy Gospel of Matthew 5:3)

Jesus began his greatest sermon with the words “blessed are the poor in spirit,” because it is to such that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs. To understand the meaning of this phrase, we must understand who the poor in spirit represent and how they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

"They will inherit the kingdom"

At the dawn of the formation of the nation of Israel, the Jews were given a promise

5. so, if you obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be My inheritance from all nations, for all the earth is Mine, 6. a you will be with me kingdom of priests and the holy people; These are the words that you will speak to the children of Israel (Exodus 19:5,6)

The prophet Daniel also wrote about the kingdom of priests

44. And in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will raise up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be transferred to another people; it will crush and destroy all kingdoms, but it will stand forever...(Daniel 2:44)

It was about this kingdom that Jesus Christ taught when he came to earth. And he did not mean earthly government, but heavenly reward.

6. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: the second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him a thousand years.(Revelation of John the Evangelist 20:6)

Poor in spirit

To enter the Heavenly Kingdom, you must have poverty of spirit. What is it? And how poverty can be a positive sign. After all, if we want to praise a person for his developed inner world, we would rather say that he is spiritually rich. But the bad, as a rule, is called feeble-minded.

In fact, there is no contradiction here. Remember that the coming of Jesus was compared to the shining of a great light, meaning the truth and righteousness that it brought. Accordingly, before this people were in darkness.

This idea is confirmed by the allegorical prophecy of Isaiah.

5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. (Isaiah 35:5)

Of course, first of all, spiritual blindness was meant. And in general, absolutely all people were blind. But in different ways. The Pharisees and Sadducees, on the contrary, considered themselves very knowledgeable and understanding of the Law. But in fact, they were evil and twisted God's word, replacing it with traditions.

But there were also those who were aware of the surrounding injustice and disorder that was happening in Israel. Unable to do anything, to radically change the situation, they still strived in every possible way for truth and righteousness. They were internally poor, but they were beggars, i.e. realized their poverty and this prompted them to seek spiritual riches. (The Pharisees, as you understand, did not need to look for anything; they were rich in their own eyes).

Whoever is thirsty, come and drink

The source of power that can rebuild a person’s inner world is the Holy Spirit.

13. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. (Holy Gospel of John 16:13)

And therefore Jesus, turning to all those who were seeking, thirsting, and poor in spirit, called on them to find this power by coming to him.

37. On the last great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried, saying: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.39. This He said about the Spirit, which those who believed on Him were about to receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet on them, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (Holy Gospel of John 7:37,39)

This call sounded to all the descendants of Abraham. And it is logical to assume that the scribes and Pharisees, well-read people, should have been the very first to recognize Jesus as the messiah. But they were not poor in spirit. For them, religion was only a way to assert themselves in society, a tool for improving social status and provisions. They accepted false interpretations of the Law on faith and were too lazy to lift a finger to examine it themselves. Why, if you might be considered an outcast? Isn’t it better not to stand out and be held in high esteem and in office?

But Solomon warned.

3. if you call on knowledge and appeal to reason;4. if you search for it like silver and search for it like treasure,5. then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)

And another parable says that

12. The ear that hears and the eye that sees - the Lord created both. (Proverbs 20:12)

Naturally, the amazing blindness of the Pharisees was also from God, who did not open their minds to understanding. He didn't give me ears or eyes. Thus the proud spiritual teachers cursed themselves, just as Daniel had predicted.

10 And none of the wicked will understand this, but the wise will understand. (Daniel 12:10)

The wise will understand

The wise will understand- prophetically indicates the blessing of the Holy Spirit on all sincere and pure in heart. When the first congregation was born again at Pentecost in the first century, at the same time they received the gift of understanding, wisdom from God, and the power to teach others. Thanks to this power, a worldwide preaching began, which turned people from sins to the Almighty.

As we said above, to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven means to receive a Heavenly reward. Daniel compared it to the eternal shining of the stars.

3. And those who have understanding will shine like the lights of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

It is important to know!

Everything recorded in the gospels serves as an example for last days, a visual model showing what awaits us in the future.

Despite the huge number of denominations and teachers, we can confidently say that Christianity for the most part has lost its way, following in the footsteps of false shepherds.

And it’s up to you to decide what to do... Try to get a good job in a warm place. Putting your conscience to sleep, being the same as everyone else - supposedly righteous and supposedly reborn. Or be completely honest and admit to yourself who you really are... Become poor in your own eyes, so that later, using this knowledge as a motive, you can become rich with God.