Bankrupt

 

And he [Jesus] opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:2-3 ESV).

 

For many people, success is about their accomplishments or status in the eyes of others. All of us have some kind of definition of success based on achievement. We tend to feel “successful” when we earn a promotion, raise well-adjusted kids, or receive good grades. Often, we define success by how much we have gained or accomplished. Certainly no one would argue that “bankruptcy” is a success. Yet when we come to the first teaching of Jesus in the Beatitudes is an admonition to become spiritually “bankrupt”

 

Jesus turns our definition of success upside down. He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” using an image of poverty and feeling worn down to describe what it means to be right with God.

 

Jesus wants us to understand that no matter what our job title is, or how much money we have in the bank, we are spiritually destitute. We are sinners, each one of us, alienated from our Creator and unable to live faithfully for him. Only when we face the truth of our spiritual condition are we rightly called blessed. And only by letting go of what we can do in our own strength can we receive what God has done for us.

 

Jesus wants us to understand that a disciple is not someone who must have all the answers or achieve great things. A disciple is honest about being sinful, comes to God empty handed, and trusts that our gracious Father will provide everything needed for real, full life. Have you reached that point in your life? It is the only first step to real life.