Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
King James Version (KJV)
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This is the first of the Beatitudes that open the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' foundational teaching delivered to His disciples and the gathered crowds on a mountainside in Galilee.
What Does Matthew 5:3 Mean?
To be "poor in spirit" is to recognize one's own spiritual emptiness and need before God -- and Jesus says such people are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. This is the first of the Beatitudes, the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. The kingdom begins not with the proud and self-sufficient but with those who know they have nothing to bring.
The phrase describes an inner posture, not financial poverty. The poor in spirit are those who do not lean on their own righteousness, status, or strength, but come to God empty-handed and dependent. This is the opposite of spiritual self-confidence. There is profound comfort here, for the kingdom is promised precisely to those who feel least qualified to claim it. Notice the present tense: "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The reward is not merely future; it begins now for those who humble themselves. By opening His great sermon this way, Jesus overturns the world's measures of worth. The doorway into His kingdom is humility, and the gate is low enough that only those willing to stoop can enter. Far from being a disadvantage, knowing your need is the very thing that opens heaven's door.
In the Original Language
The Greek makarios, "blessed," means deeply happy or favored. "Poor," ptochos, describes one utterly destitute, who must beg -- here applied to spiritual dependence on God.
Cross References
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
- Isaiah 57:15
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
- Psalm 34:18
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
- Luke 18:13
Application
Stop trying to impress God with your strength; come to Him empty-handed and aware of your need, for that is exactly the heart to which He gives His kingdom.