And He lifted up his eyes on His disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20
Just for the record, our text is not declaring that all poor people are godly people. Some of the most profane and nasty people I know are pathetically poor, in fact, that may be a big reason why they are poor. Our text is also not directing us to dispose of all of our finances and other assets and take up a life of abject poverty. If God has blessed us materially, we would be thankless and poor stewards to dispose of it all, although in receiving material blessings we need to always acknowledge the Giver and reckon what we have as being on loan from Him. So what is the Lord Jesus referring to when He proclaims this particular blessing on the poor? Firstly, He is referring to a correct attitude toward earthly and heavenly things. Secondly, He is referring to an identification with Himself.
Hebrews 13:5 tells us to ‘Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ Being content with such things as we have means that our primary goal in life should not be to grasp and gain. We should take contentment in what God has enabled us to provide for ourselves and our families. There is absolutely nothing wrong with providing more than enough for our needs, but we need to do so carefully and in the fear of God. If we place the proper value on spiritual things, it won’t matter what we have materially. Those spiritual things include our own spiritual welfare and development, the support for the spread of the Gospel, the support of God’s Assembly, the welfare of God’s people, and the maintenance of a good testimony for our Lord before the world.
Consider to whom the Lord Jesus was speaking: his disciples. These were the men who were the closest to Him, those whose very purpose of living was to serve and follow Him. They knew Him better than anyone else, even better than members of His own family. They knew that He was poor. They understood what He meant when he said ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head’ Matthew 8:20. They also knew that He had been rich (2 Corinthians 8:9), although they were still learning the reason for His descent into poverty. These men were satisfied with being affiliated with Him in His poverty. Are we? Being affiliated with the Lord Jesus is not popular these days, and it could cost us to identify with Him. Being affiliated with the Lord Jesus could be expensive, if we are called to be of service for Him. Being affiliated with Him means understanding the difference between having things in this world and having treasure in the next. Remember how the Lord Jesus instructed us to ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21).
We don’t mind being poor here when we consider how rich we will be up there! -Jim MacIntosh