By: Rita Early
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5; 3-5
Years ago, when I was new to the faith, I would often encounter a woman who, when asked how she was doing would always reply, “I’m blessed.” I found that hard to believe as I knew about her financial and personal circumstances. In my opinion, she was anything but blessed. Or was she?
In Matthew 5: 3-5, Jesus gives us examples of what a blessed life looks like.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
I wonder if the widow in Luke 21: 1-4 called herself blessed? In her impoverished state she chose to trust and give all she had, two copper coins. In faith, she showed up at the temple alone, no longer with her husband by her side. She continued to believe despite her circumstances. She sought God’s word and He saw her.
This is a stark contrast to the rich man in Matthew 19:16 who, according to him, kept the commandments and lacked nothing. He had it so good that he needed to ask Jesus, “What do I still lack?” Jesus suggested that if the man wanted to be perfect, then he ought to sell his possessions and give to the poor in order to follow him and receive treasures in heaven. “The man went away sad because he had great wealth.” The rich man refused to be completely dependent on Jesus. The heavenly reward was too costly to give up his status and earthly comforts. Jesus proclaimed, “Truly, I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The disciples were perplexed as the rich man had great qualifications. If he couldn’t make the cut, then who? The answer was… them. They had left family, friends, and jobs to follow Jesus. To them, he promised twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel and to all others who sacrificed relationships and belongings to follow him he offered one hundred times as much in heaven as what they had on earth plus an inheritance of eternal life. (Mathew 19:28-29)
In God’s economy, a blessed life is one where we choose to follow him humbly regardless of status, income, or circumstance. The blessing comes from our relationship with God not our accomplishments.