Poor In Spirit

Jesus dealt in holy irony. He still does.

Lay down your life to find it. Love your enemies. The first will be last and the last will be first. On and on he goes, subverting our culturally shaped striving and pride, revealing the topsy-turvy ways of his kingdom. And then, as he sits on the side of a hill, blessing the whole world with his chapters-long manifesto for kingdom living, we get this little beauty:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...”

Ok, then. Holy irony.

The Greek word that is translated as “blessed” here is simply, happy.

The word for “poor” means cowering like a beggar and destitute.

The word for “spirit” here is pneuma, which means breath or air.

So, let’s get this straight. We are happy when we are totally spiritually spent? When we’re helpless and needy? That’s like saying we're rested when our bodies are out of oxygen! Right?

Author Andrew Root, in his book Faith Formation in a Secular Age, talks about kenosis and theosis. Simply put, kenosis means self-emptying, and theosis means sharing in personhood.

The idea here is that through self-emptying we come to a place of spiritual union with Jesus. That is to say, his life and my life begin to unite in Oneness. We signify this union and it’s high cost every time we partake in the Eucharist. Does that sound mystical? Mysterious? Good! Because it is.

But the path to this Oneness through self-emptying is laid out for us. It was taught to us by Jesus through his incarnation, teaching, praying, living, and dying and reinforced and expanded through Paul’s writings. Just as Jesus took on full humanity, emptied himself even to death on a cross, was raised to new life and union with God…so are we, if we walk the path of the Way.

Am I saying that we should poorly steward our energies until we are left exhausted and depressed? No. Jesus’ life also taught us much about rest, retreat, and refueling - this is the crucial other side of the coin here. What I am saying is that what makes us blessed, or happy, or fulfilled, is union with our Creator - identifying with him through our suffering, our emptying, our giving, our sharing. As we suffer, empty, give, and share, mysterious things begin to happen. Things like the purging of our addiction to consumption, our idolatry, our self-centeredness, our self-reliance, and our self-worship. As we empty ourselves for others in the way Jesus did, we also begin to be emptied of the lesser loves and filled with the reality of Love Himself.

What about this part: “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven...”? The kingdom of heaven is not something we possess. It is something we learn to see and participate in. When our self-emptying (kenosis) leads to shared personhood with Jesus (theosis), we begin to see the kingdom of heaven for what it is. It is realization through participation. That way of seeing, of living, is life in the kingdom of heaven. And when we are “poor in spirit”, there is space for the Oneness to flourish.

Can you imagine a world where this is the kind of faith that followers of Christ are embodying? I can. I want to be poor in spirit. Who’s with me?

Author: Benjamin NeSmith

Benjamin NeSmith has spent his life working with people. He put his social science education degree to use teaching students of all ages, including those with special needs, for over a decade. He spent years as a recording and performing musician and is now a Certified Professional Coach and Pastor at Element Church Tampa. Benjamin enjoys family time, hiking, and creating meaningful liturgical experiences for others.