Blessing

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

Matthew 5:3

The first of the Beatitudes in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke addresses an issue that was of critical importance during the time of Jesus' mission: poverty, pride, arrogance, and religious superiority. Unfortunately, as with many of his teachings, this issue has been neglected for two thousand years. Among the last things people would associate with modern Christianity is being "poor in spirit." And the same can be said of Muslims. But this Beatitude was not a casual, unimportant utterance by the Blessed Jesus. And it applies equally to Christians and Muslims; it applies to all who believe in God. And it is the first of the Beatitudes.

To start, what, exactly, is meant by the word "Beatitude?" The term itself can be translated as "blessings". Essentially all the history we have of the life of Jesus is contained in the four Canonical Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The remainder of the New Testament contains the history of the early years after Jesus (Acts of the Apostles), the letters of Saint Paul and Peter which are largely devoted to how the Church should be run, and the visions of Saint John of Patmos, another category altogether.

We know very little about Jesus before he began his mission at about thirty years of age. His first action was to perform the 'Prophet's fast' of forty days, followed by the direct confrontation with Satan. This confrontation proved that Jesus was essentially 'dead' to the material world, and that the temptations of the material world had no hold over him. He then sought John the Baptist and became baptized in the Judaic tradition. This was followed by a gathering of the disciples, traditionally known to be twelve men.

With the disciples, Jesus then went to the side of a mountain in Galilee and delivered his first sermon, the 'Sermon on the Mount.' This collection of teachings, the first part of which is the nine Beatitudes, is considered to be the essential aspects of the teachings of Jesus. This sermon also contains the 'Lord's Prayer,' and other well-known verses. Of interest is that what is contained in the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes is not actually new, and can be found throughout the Old Testament. What Jesus so beautifully did was to synthesize the law of God with the language of love.

The Beatitudes in the Gospel of Saint Matthew are also present in the Gospel of Mark, ironically called the Sermon on the Plain, with minor differences. The fact that they are present in two separate Gospels adds credence that Jesus spoke these words.

Definition of 'Poor in Spirit'

While Roman legions occupied the territory, the day to day rule of Israel was left to the Sadducees and Pharisees, two groups who had slightly differing views on Jewish law and history. The Sadducees or "righteous ones" ran the temple, collected taxes and generally kept order. The Pharisees called themselves the "separate ones." Jesus was not quite as harsh with them as they believed in life after death and were awaiting the appearance of the Messiah.

But both groups kept themselves apart from the rabble of the day, considering themselves to be elite, and superior to the commoners. They would not eat with the poor, and one claim against Jesus was that he shared food with the lower classes, food which was thus considered 'unclean.' In many places in the Canonical Gospels Jesus refers to the arrogance and pride of those who considered themselves to be the religious elite. They were neither poor in worldly goods nor spirit. It was these arrogant to whom he referred to as "vipers."

You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?

Matthew 23: 33

Note that Jesus is not polite in his condemnation, nor is he mincing words; this issue is of critical importance. If any topic be at the centerpiece of Christian teaching, this is it.

To be 'poor in spirit' does not mean to be weak in faith or poor in spiritual strength. As with many personal qualities, it is easily defined by its opposites. Arrogance and pride can never co-exist with being poor in spirit. The feeling of superiority breeds pride and arrogance. And superiority is a concept that is absurd for anyone who believes in God, anyone who recognizes our existence as minor compared to the glory of God. Being a 'believer' demands being 'poor in spirit'.

Nay, seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; it is indeed hard except to those who bring a lowly spirit.

Qur'an 2: 45

Pride as a Deadly Sin

The central place of humility in religious teaching is not a hidden mystery. Pride has been called one of the seven 'deadly sins' since the organization of Christianity. Yet despite this, we see it in nearly every public face of religion. Television evangelists radiate pride in their preaching, arrogance in their crystal cathedrals; this arrogance is useful to bring in contributions. The message of superiority is encouraged in modern Christianity with auto bumper stickers that read "I am saved." Is there much difference between the moderns who claim to be 'saved' and the Pharisees during the time of Jesus?

For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

Matthew 6: 5

And here is a point we will return to over and over in our discussions. Those who display pride have their reward in the act of performing their pious appearance. Their reward is their self-satisfaction. But they will not get additional reward from God. It is one or the other: respect in man's eyes or reward from God. The reward to the ego cancels out the reward from God.

Pride in Qur'an

And it is not just in Christianity that we see this deadly sin displayed so arrogantly. As Muslims, we believe that we have the final Revelation, but does the Qur'an save us if we are arrogant? Qur'an talks frequently of those who have been given the message of Truth and then became arrogant. Their arrogance cancelled the gift that had come to them and they fell to the depths.

Of course pride was what caused the downfall of Satan in both the Old Testament and in Qur'an. The descriptions are remarkably similar.

And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis (Satan). He refused and was haughty; he was of those who reject Faith.

Quran 2: 34

And the display of arrogance or pride is the same as the rejection of faith. The story of Satan is really important to those who try to increase their faith. Satan is not just some mythical creature of the old days. He is alive and well in present times. Understanding the Qur'an and what it says about Satan is essential for Muslims, particularly those who treat lightly the roots and stems of evil. Qur'an presents practical steps to avoid this evil. I find it...