Blessed are the poor in spirit

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit

This verse can be easily misunderstood at first glance. Firstly it is not saying financially poor people are blessed. Secondly it is also not saying that people who are down and not cheerful are blessed. The poor in spirit means the realization of our own inadequacy to be with God and there is nothing we can do to help ourselves. Having that realization, and then coming to Yshua Lord to receive Him as our only Hope and only Way, are what is meant by poor in spirit. 

Jesus took the Twelve aside

Luke 18:31
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them ...

Jesus had chosen twelve men in His ministry. These twelve will be imparted with his teachings and power to spread the news of the Kingdom. We are inclined to think that there are 11 good men and 1 bad man who betrayed our Lord. However, to Yshua, all have fallen short of God's glory. Although we know Judas fell, perhaps others may have fell or chosen to follow their own wills too. God did not choose the men because they were good, but rather all twelve of them were willing to follow Him. People cannot become Christians because they have some useful abilities, rather they know their moral poverty - poor in spirit - hence willing to be led by Yshua Ha Masiach.

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

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

For many years I have read this without understanding the phrase poor in spirit. Only recently I discovered the interpretation from various sources. Instead of explaining with a few single word, poor in spirit means something like the opposite of self-righteousness. It is not strictly about humility. It is a person who realises that it is beyond his ability to achieve any kind of right standing or do anything that will be counted as anything in God's eyes. Our Lord Yshua opened the teaching of the Beatitudes with this because people need to reach this stage of poor in spirit before they can realise they need a Saviour to help them get right with God. Without this realisation the journey with Messiah cannot even begin. By ourselves, the situation is quite hopeless since we cannot earn any kind of salvation, then the realisation that Yshua has done it for us gives us the confidence that indeed we have the kingdom of heaven.