What means "poor in spirit"?

cameo-d

Does poor in spirit mean you are lacking something?

Why is "poor in spirit" a qualification to "see god"?

cameo-d

Here the "poor in spirit" are those who lack the boldness and "hard heart" necessary to execute the wicked in God's holy war.

Leolaia, Thanks for the research. But could you give me your resolution of this on your own terms?

oompa

I really think poor in spit just means you don't have enough saliva.....ya...that was a Gilda Radner/Rosann Rosanna Dana moment...............oompa

possible-san

Mr. Thomas Poole.

Since you had replied to others' post unusually, I came in order to see it.
But it was a meaningless answer.

Your thought does not have anything.

possible
http://bb2.atbb.jp/possible/

It means your ghost is broke and looking for a handout.

Actually my own on-the-spot hyper-literal translation from the Koine Greek manuscript (photocopy) I'm looking at would be "Happy the spirit the poor to theirs is the kingdom of the heavens." (Greek is in no way related to English and the two share very little in common grammatcally.)

"Basilea ouranos" (kingdom of the heavens) is simply another term for "basilea theou" (kingdom of God) for they're used interchangably from one synoptic to another.

I think the verse was written to comfort poor people so they wouldn't rise up in revolt against the rich. Religion has always placated, mollified, and pacified the masses of poor, which most humans are and always have been. Or else all I have to be is dirt broke and I'll "see God." Some people interpret the so-called Sermon on the Mount dispensationally and say this applies to Christs future literal rule of the earth from Jerusalem. Why there would be poor people in a Theocracy is beyond me, but dispensationalists are masters of blarney. Others say this is a moral code for the here-and-now follower of Christ. This is why many become "monos" and have lived alone in a forest, desert, or cave so they could be poor and better commune with God.We call them "monks." (Or nuns in the case of the Western churches. Male and female renunicates of the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church are both referred to as monks because "monk" is derived from "monos" which simply means "one" as in mono-theism or one-Godism.)

Take your pick, do some study, it pretty much means what you want it to mean. That's one of the main reasons there are about 35,000 Christian sects registered with the IRS. Start your own and slurp some of the gravy.

Saint Martin the Bold

cameo-d

FNB..This is a very good answer and seems to be logical reasoning. Thank you for responding.

I think the verse was written to comfort poor people so they wouldn't rise up in revolt against the rich. Religion has always placated, mollified, and pacified the masses of poor

I can thnk of other scriptures that would uphold this line of thought.

It is better to eat back beans and rice in peace and harmony than to have a rib eye with noise and argument.

Kind of a way to play "pollyana" to sour grapes, huh?

Or else all I have to be is dirt broke and I'll "see God."

This is like finding money in the fish mouth. You can be broke and when you have an unexpected windfall then you are so very grateful (and as it would be heretical to consider serendipity), you must thank the gods for your good fortune which "they" have provided. Therefore when broke, you "see god" in action if he comes to rescue. If not, then you must choose life of crime or die.

Why there would be poor people in a Theocracy is beyond me, but dispensationalists are masters of blarney

Also makes me think of the truism phrases like "fat and jolly"...."poor and happy".

Of course the poor are happy with their plight. They have much less responsibility and worries, don't you think? The rich must always worry that someone wants to climb your tree just to fall out and sue you.

hmike

Leolaia & others,

Luke's version of this passage states, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Lk 6:20). Of all the evangelists, Luke is the strongest advocate for the destitute and socially rejected, and comes down hardest on the wealthy because of their insensitivity. Hence, I can see him saying "Blessed are the poor... ." The book of Matthew, whether written by a tax collector or not, is not so harsh concerning wealth. My feeling here is that, while Luke makes a blanket indictment of wealth, Matthew allows for wealth so long as it is not corrupting. Matthew, perhaps written by a person of means, or at least by someone with ties to the wealthy community, may be seeking to qualify the statement by saying that what is important is to have the humility of the poor, that is, having the heart of someone of low social and economic status—"poor in spirit"—regardless of how much they possess materially.

Leolaia

hmike....Great point, and indeed it has been widely noticed that the phrasing in Luke goes hand-in-hand with the special Lukan focus on poverty and wealth (which extends as well to Acts). Incidentally, this is one datum that Mark Goodacre mentions in favor of Luke being dependent on Matthew as opposed to both being dependent on a hypothetical "Q".

What means "poor in spirit"?

cameo-d

oompa

crazyblondeb

cameo-d

oompa

possible-san

FireNBandits

cameo-d

hmike

Leolaia

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