Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20; ESV). When we think of being blessed poor is not what we typically consider. Most of us, when we think of being blessed, we think of our health, our family, our finances, and our property. Typically, when we look at those who are, what we consider, poor in material things, the word ‘blessed’ is not what comes to our thought; on the contrary, we either pity them or we think poorly of them, thinking they are addicted to something or just up to no good. But that is not the case for everyone who is poor.
According to Jesus, those who are poor in material things are blessed. But lets understand this a bit further. Are we to believe that people who have less in material things are more blessed than someone who has more? To understand this we must look at the word “poor”. In the Old Testament the word “poor” is ptochos, this is the same Greek word in the Septuagint found in the New Testament, and it refers to someone who is pious poor. Someone who is pious poor is someone who looked to and depended on God, even though they have very little in regards to wealth and possessions. Knowing this, we can infer that Jesus is not communicating that someone who is poor in material things is more blessed than someone who is rich in material things. If someone is poor, but not looking to or depending on God, if they do not trust in God then, that person would not be considered blessed in the sense that Jesus means. In this case, a person is blessed when their poverty is attended by dependence and trust in God. And by the way, for those who are poor in material things, and still trust in God, theirs “is the kingdom of God.” Such people might not have much on this side of heaven, but because they depend on God, despite their circumstance, they will receive a rich blessing in God’s kingdom.
On the other hand, in Luke 6:24, Jesus said, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” This does not meant that because someone has much in regards to material things they are doomed. Just because a person is rich in wealth does not mean they are not blessed in the way Jesus means or that they will not inherit the kingdom of God. What Jesus is doing is ushering a warning, and it is certainly a warning that we should be very mindful of. It is a warning to people who are rich to be very careful they do not find their fulfillment through their wealth. It is a warning to be cautious that we do not delight in, look to, depend on, or trust in riches and possessions more than we do God; in that case, we become idolaters. What we must understand, especially as Americans, is this: The more we have in regards to wealth and possessions, the greater the temptation is to depend on those things rather than on God.
In essence, we should be like the man in a short parable Jesus told in Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” We have to understand that that the kingdom of God is so valuable it is worth joyfully giving up everything we own to obtain it. We should be like the Apostle Paul who said, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7-8; ESV). Now, I am not arguing we should go sell everything we have and live in poverty; unless Jesus calls you to do so. However, I am saying, knowing that Jesus is so valuable, we must consider all that this world has to offer us as “rubbish”. To know Christ is far better, more valuable, and a greater treasure than all the worlds riches and possessions.