THE BLESSED POOR IN SPIRIT
by Tarquin Maylam
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4).
After possibly 4000 years or so of Bible and history, the Hope of so many righteous-seeking hearts appeared in the form of Jesus Christ. In the sermon on the Mount (Matt.5-7) appeared some of God’s glorious truth to which the righteous seeker’s hearts longed to hear, but daily events seldom seemed to substantiate until then. Job typified the righteous man’s pain, in ‘pre-Christ’ history, when he lost all and was then accused of being wicked by ‘friends’. Job knew, “That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction…”(Job 21:30); but alas, till then he knew they often faired exceedingly well in the land of the living (unlike his own situation). Job, in type, correctly deduced, “Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established… Their houses are safe… Their bull gendereth… Their children dance… They take the timbrel… They spend their days in wealth…”(Job 21:7-13). Indeed, the Psalmist exudes, “LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" (Psalm 94:3). Yet, the Psalmist and Job were not faithless and ignorant, but knew the fate of the wicked as Paul does in Colossians 3:6, saying, “For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience…” What are these ‘things’? They are “fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry…”. The same verse in Colossians implores us to, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth…” which Christ refers in the sermon on the Mount, stating, “cut it off… and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell”(Matt.5: 28-30). If this was literal, there would not be a limb of a Christian left attached, not even a head upon a neck! Yet, Jesus the LORD is probing much deeper to make the believer conscious of his wicked heart. The ‘things’ of Colossians 3 are all ‘things’, which we as believers can have in the heart - thus the knife of repentance must be plunged even into our drifting thoughts, that we would be ever mindful that God is righteous and holy.
However, how pathetic we seem… we are chastened by God and repent, while the wicked repent not, yet rejoice and prosper. Thus, ‘blessed’ are the ears of 4000 years waiting, which finally realized Jesus Words from the Mount, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… Blessed… Blessed… Blessed… Blessed… Blessed… Blessed… Blessed… Blessed…”(Matt.5:3-11). Only those who are obedient to His Word can truly be called blessed.