Stop Explaining Away the “Poor” in “Poor in Spirit” - Zoltan Dohi

Our problem is right at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mountain. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit. And we say, okay, what it means to be poor in spirit. Wait a minute, brother. We know very well what it means in a practical way.

Because in the other Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples, "Blessed are you, poor." How the disciples became poor? Because they were not poor originally. They were having small businesses, boats, houses, everything. And they said, "We gave up everything for you." Why? Because Jesus said so. Come and follow me. Matthew left his place at the Texas.

Peter and the others, John left their nets and their boats. And they became poor because of the Gospel. They became poor for the Spirit. They were spiritually poor because there are a lot of people who are poor, but they are not spiritual.

They are not poor for the Spirit, in the Spirit, because of the Spirit. They are poor because they are lazy, or they have some addictions, or they are poor because there is a war, or there is some struggle, some difficulty. They are poor because they are sick. There are many reasons to be poor.

But the disciples to whom the Sermon on the Mountain was given, they were all poor for one reason, because they gave up everything for Jesus. And Jesus is not teaching the whole crowd when he's giving the Sermon. He's teaching the disciples, "Blessed are you, poor." So if we put in parallel, blessed are those who are poor in the Spirit.

You are in the Spirit, and because of that, you are poor. Because you received Christ's Spirit. Christ was also poor. He was saying that, "I don't have a place where to sleep." His clothes were taken, and he became more poor on the cross.

He had no clothes. He had nothing.

And blessed are those. And we are afraid. Material security. Is there such a thing as material security? Who wants us to believe that there is such a thing as material security? Christ or the world, Satan? My family's material security was the land, the animals, the means of working the land, carts and plows and everything. Everything was taken just like this.

And my ancestors became very poor in an instance. And they started to work like the lowest class of people to the coal holes, for the state. And they were paid very poorly because of that. And we read about this kind of people in the Scriptures when you received with joy when your wealth was taken away from you. And those were really Christians. Those were really disciples. My family, they were not disciples. They were not obeying God because they had no joy. Everything was taken away, and they became bitter and resentful and alcoholic and cursing and everything like that. So this was not the way of Christ. The other is the narrow way of Christ begins with the beginning of the Sermon on the Mountain.

Blessed are those who are poor. Those who are spiritually poor. And it doesn't mean, as I understand, because we have to understand the whole picture, this issue is touched by many in many ways. Jesus was saying to one of the rich guys, "Sell your wealth and give it to the poor." And we think that this is kind of a missionary way. No. No. Those poor people to whom you give your wealth, they will be poor the next day or the next week because they will spend that money very fastly and many times very foolishly. But you, you became free.

For that person, the wealth was a bondage. He was not able to think freely about obeying God because all the time he said, "Okay, if I will do this, what will happen with my wealth or my social status or anything like that?" You are in a bondage. Get free. Get free. And when Jesus said, "Better cut your hand or pluck out your eye or whatever," he doesn't want us to mutilate ourselves. It's a sin to mutilate yourself in the Scripture because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. But he's saying how serious we should be about getting free from everything which is holding us back from following Christ freely.

That's how I understand it. And when Zacchaeus gave only half of his wealth to the poor, Jesus was not saying, "No, no, no, no, wait a minute, Zacchaeus, there is another half. Give it and then you will be received in the kingdom." No, he said, "Okay, you are in the kingdom.

This house is in the kingdom." Because he showed that he is free. And I don't want to enter into that, but there are some interesting details there. And when Lydia or some other rich Christians received the Gospel, they were not selling everything, but they were not holding it for themselves. They were not using it for themselves. Those who have it, like it's not theirs, those who have wives or houses or wealth or whatever, they became only the administrators, only faithful servants with those, and everything is God's. Anyway, it's his property, but it's another thing to recognize it and accept it and rejoice in it, not accept it with some bitterness or resentfulness. No, rejoice in it that, "Oh God, thank you.

I don't have to worry anymore for my wealth, for the lands and for the house or for whatever. It's your worry. I have to worry only for one thing, how to obey you. And if during that process, while I obey you, I will lose everything or all these things will be destroyed, I don't care because everything will be destroyed anyways. But if my soul is growing in your love and your obedience towards you, or others are saved during this process while I'm losing all the stuff or the material, it's not a problem. It's my joy." That's how I understand. And there are a lot of details, a lot of practical parts. I'm not saying that I'm still struggling, but I want to struggle.

I don't want to say, "Oh, you have to understand it this way. You are poor in the Spirit when you recognize that you need God for everything." Okay, everybody recognizes this who is a little bit sincere with himself, but you didn't do anything about it. It's not making any practical change in your life.