The power of ptochos

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 5:3

Greek has two very different words that are translated into English as “poor.” 

One is penes, which describes a person who has nothing to spare, e.g., the family living hand-to-mouth, surviving paycheck to paycheck. 

But this is not the word in our text.

The first Beatitude employs a different Greek word: ptochos, which describes a person who has nothing at all, e.g., the family that is starving to death, who has no idea where their next meal is coming from.

Translating his words directly, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are starving to death spiritually.” 

The Message puts it: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.” 

The New English Bible says, “Blessed are those who know their need of God.” 

This is the exact opposite of how Jesus’ culture and ours measure success.

The Jews and Romans of Jesus’ day believed that material prosperity was a direct sign of divine blessing. None would say that a spiritually starving person is blessed. But that’s exactly Jesus’ claim.

How is this possible?

Those who recognize their absolute need for God and are not dependent on their own circumstances are the only people positioned to receive blessings from God.

When we note the good in our lives and focus on the role we played in attaining it, a fundamental part of its blessing is the sense of pride and accomplishment we feel as a result. However, such an approach focuses on us more than on our Lord. And it keeps us from making him the king of our lives (more on this tomorrow).

By contrast, those who are truly poor in spirit see every blessing through the lens of God’s role in their lives. Every bit of good leads them back to his throne, and every experience of blessing fills them with gratitude for their Lord.

Jesus definitively states that the poor in spirit will be blessed because only the poor in spirit have fully embraced the reality that a strong relationship with the Lord—one in which he is the king of their lives—is the greatest blessing we can ever receive.

Pray through these questions:

• How do you measure worldly success? What about spiritual success?
• Are you “starving to death spiritually”? Why or why not?