Entry
Blessed / Spiritually well
What did Jesus mean
You are living in the kingdom of Heaven and receive love from Jesus.
Where did Jesus say this
Matthew 5:3–11 — 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. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
A (not so) quick sidenote
To understand “blessed,” we have to break down this conversation line by line. Each line is a type of spiritual posture (an attitude or mindset).
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
→ You recognize a need (this has to happen first).
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
→ You feel sadness for the wrong choices you’ve made.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
→ Your strength is not authority.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
→ You speak and want what’s true.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
→ You love like Jesus loves.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
→ You are honest with yourself and Jesus.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
→ You seek resolution, not division.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
→ You feel the resistance.
Words Behind the Words
In Greek, the word for poor is ptochos, which means destitute, bankrupt, or having nothing. That means, “poor in spirit” would translate to “having no spirit.” But that sounds odd, doesn’t it? Why would Jesus say someone who has no spirit is blessed? In fact, it seems like he’d say the opposite, right? Because it means a bit more than that. If a person is poor in spirit, it means they understand they are not in the kingdom of Heaven and need Jesus’ help to get there. Two things are happening here. They are able to recognize they have no spiritual connection with Jesus. They want to change it.
What Jesus did not mean
Jesus did not mean that you are blessed simply because you have good luck or good fortune.
You are not blessed because you are rich. You are not blessed because you got a promotion. You are not blessed because you have healthy kids.
Jesus also did not mean that you are blessed simply because someone offers to bless you.
These are all external. You can be very grateful for these situations or experiences. But you are not blessed because of them.
Being blessed and being grateful are two very different things. One is a feeling (grateful); the other is a process (blessed) that grants you access to a place (kingdom of Heaven).
Words Behind the Words
In Greek, the word for “blessed” is makarios, which translates to deep and lasting happiness (not fleeting or temporary). External circumstances don’t change this.
Where to start
Recognize you have a need and ask Jesus for guidance. This starts with prayer.
Benefits
Blessed is an internal “posture.” (Remember that word from earlier?)
Blessed is how you feel and think inside.
Think of it as another version of yourself.
There is a version of yourself that is not blessed. This version of yourself does not have a relationship with Jesus.
As a result, this version of yourself might be stuck with bad habits, patterns, and people.
Then there is a version of yourself that is blessed. This version of yourself does have a relationship with Jesus.
As a result, this version of yourself can step away from bad habits, patterns, and people.
And when you do that, you find yourself in a place of deep and lasting happiness (makarios).
Also said as: the Beatitudes · blessed are the poor in spirit · the Sermon on the Mount blessings