Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
The poor in spirit are those predisposed to neediness. The needy. It’s amazing that Jesus is valuing neediness, and look at His message throughout.
He tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector: one came to God boasting of how great he was; the other came to God saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:9–14). Needy. He came to God as being needy.
In the book of John, He healed the eyes of someone born blind and used that as an illustration to say, “I have come into this world so that those who do not see may see” (John 9:39). The Pharisees said to Him, “Are we also blind?” He replied, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains” (John 9:40–41).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” When John the Baptist sent messengers to Him, one of the things Jesus said was that “the poor have good news proclaimed to them” (Matthew 11:5). The needy—both materially and dispositionally needy—those who do not see themselves as having arrived.
Peter said, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6). People who submit themselves to the mighty hand of God —who express neediness for God—mean there is something missing, and Christ is the One who will meet the need. To express neediness is actually elevated when it comes to God.
That is what you do in prayer: you express neediness. You are expressing that you do not have it all together. You are expressing that you need God’s grace in this moment, in this hour. In Hebrews 4:16 we are told to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Christ is prioritizing, putting a value on the needy. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). God’s deposit in Christ is to help the needy, to help those who do not have it all together.
If that is you, then “come to Me.” He said it Himself: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy‑laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).
Come to Him. You do not have to have it all together. You are not valuable based on how well you can “take care of business.” No. You are not able to take care of business; come to Him—He will help you. He is the wisdom of God; He is the righteousness of God (1 Corinthians 1:30). He is the “how‑to” of God. Come to Him. You need Him.
This is such a fundamental understanding of the reality of being a Christian: that our needs are met in Christ. “I am the good shepherd,” He said (John 10:11). The sheep have this frame of dependence, this frame of being led, this disposition to be led.
He also said, “Let the little children come to Me… for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). If there is something about children, it is that the expression of neediness is what marks the child.
“Seek the Lord and you will find Him” (Jeremiah 29:13, in essence). When Jesus said some hard words and many departed from Him, Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). You are the source. You are the help. You are what we need. You are the resource from God for us.
God bless you. See you later.