• A Servant is Poor in Spirit.

At first glance, some people mistakenly think Jesus is saying, “Blessed are the poor.” They think He is referring to people with little or no money – people with zero financial security. But when we look at Jesus’ words more closely, we notice that He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

• Commentator William Barclay clarifies things, writing, “These words in Hebrew underwent a four-stage development of meaning. (i) They began by meaning simply poor. (ii) They went on to mean, because poor, therefore having no influence or power, or help or prestige. (iii) They went on to mean, because having no influence, therefore down-trodden and oppressed by men. (iv) Finally, they came to describe the man who, because he has no earthly resources whatever, put his whole trust in God. So, in Hebrew the word “poor” was used to describe the humble and the helpless man who put his whole trust in God.”

So, being poor in spirit is an attitude of absolute, unvarnished humility. That is certainly a good place to start to paint the portrait of a servant. A servant is a person who sees themselves as spiritually bankrupt, deserving of nothing, who then turns to Almighty God in total trust. There is an old, familiar hymn that so well expresses those feelings and thoughts: And that’s the hymn we sang before this sermon today, Please look with me in stanza 3 that says:

“Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Vile, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die.”

When I think of this character trait, I think of the story that Jesus told of the Pharisee and the Publican. The one man was so proud, and the other was so humble. The one man had no awareness of his own sinfulness, and the other was so keenly aware. The one failed to ask God for mercy and therefore received none, the other asked for God’s mercy and received it. This spirit of humility is a very rare in our day of strong-willed, proud-as-a-peacock attitudes. The clinched fist has replaced the bowed head. And as you have seen in this election cycle, the big mouth and biting word now dominate the scene once occupied by quiet godliness and civility. This is why we are called to be different – we are called to be servants with humble hearts.

Jesus gives a special promise that goes with the trait of spiritual helplessness…“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The indispensable condition of receiving a part in the kingdom of heaven is acknowledging our spiritual poverty. The person who is poor in spirit, is like a child who trusts completely in his or her parent’s provision, and is promised a place in Christ’s kingdom. But that place in the kingdom is not earned, but is granted to the authentic servant who has a deep and abiding dependency on the Lord.

 

1. A Servant Mourns

Jesus chose a strong term when He said, “Blessed are they that mourn.” It is a heavy word – a passionate lament for one who was loved with profound devotion. The word conveys the sorrow of a broken heart, the ache of soul, the anguished mind. The mourning that Jesus is talking about could include several things:

• Mourning over wrong in the world.
• Mourning over personal loss.
• Mourning over one’s own sinfulness.
• Mourning over the death of someone close.
• Interestingly, this particular term also includes compassion – a sincere caring for others.
• Perhaps a good paraphrase would read: “How happy are those who feel their own hurts, sorrows and losses, and care intensely for the hurts, sorrows, and losses of others.”
• Scripture commands that we mourn with those who mourn. (Rom. 12:15)
• Peter summarized it well when he wrote: Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. (1 Pet. 3:8)

Because a true servant knows what it is to mourn and have sorrow, they have compassion upon others who are suffering. How sad it is that people can see someone hurting or in need and not have a heart to help. A popular preacher name Charles Swindoll tells the story of a member of his church who fell in the shower and broke the glass shower door in the process and was seriously cut. An ambulance rushed to the house, loaded him up and raced him to the hospital. Thankfully, his life was saved and he fully recovered. The man’s wife shared the sad news that not a single neighbor took notice. No one even looked out their door or came over to see if they could help, not at the time or afterward.

When I think of this trait, I think of Jesus’ amazing story of the Good Samaritan. How sad to think of the people who passed by the man in need. But how wonderful to think of the man who stopped and helped. The man went above and beyond the call of duty. He was a servant who mourned and showed compassion! That kind of love and compassion only comes when someone has been through it and understands what it feels like to be in that situation. That’s why I love the passage in Hebrews that says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

Jesus has been through everything and He understands completely. And we see how compassionate Jesus was during his ministry. Whether it was someone suffering from leprosy, or demon possession, or someone who was hungry, Jesus cared and He did something about the person’s need. Then there was that time that Jesus came upon a funeral procession. The Bible says: Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. (Luke 7:11-15)

True servants are like their Lord, they know how to mourn and they are filled with compassion. And what is the promise for those who mourn? Jesus says that they will be comforted. It is interesting that there is no mention of the source or channel of the comfort, only that it will come. Perhaps it will come from God Himself, or on the other hand it may come from those who have received the comfort and compassion we gave them in the past. Thus far, we’ve explored two attitudes in true servants – humble dependence and caring compassion, but there is more.