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Presence Weekly 3/16/26: The Poor in Spirit

An exposition of the Sermon on the Mount for the Public Square

President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., December 2, 2025.

[First Things]

  • New Cohorts (new date): We are launching two new discipleship bi-weekly cohorts the week of April 6, using our 1 Peter: Whole Life Discipleship for the Public Square curriculum. Click here to request more information.

    • In-person Washington-focused cohort meeting bi-weekly on Wednesday mornings at 6:30 am near Metro Center station.

    • Online ministry leaders cohort meeting bi-weekly on Saturday mornings at 7:00 am via Zoom.

[The Devo] Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matt 5:1–12.

In the last three lessons, we have introduced the Sermon on the Mount. Over the past two, we have expounded on how the original audience would have had both the traditionally Jewish Old Testament understanding of blessedness and an increasingly Hellenized version of happiness and flourishing. With that foundation laid, we turn to the first words of Jesus.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus unpacks a way of living differently in the world, based on a different set of virtues and ethics, which are ultimately about pursuing a different endgame. In short, Jesus’s goal is to encourage a different sense of human flourishing.

It’s important to differentiate between being poor in spirit and the concept of a downcast soul or clinical depression. Those who are dealing with unshakeable grief will find plenty of encouragement from Jesus, but that’s not what Jesus is getting at here. Further, this phrase is not aimed at the “Eeyores” in the audience who see everything through the worst possible light as it relates to them. Jesus will have words for them as well, but those, too, come later.

The poor in spirit are those who see themselves properly in light of the Gospel, rather than subscribing to the frequently rewarded traits of self-reliance, self-confidence, and even self-delusion. The poor in spirit understand their true position in the world and, more importantly, in relation to the Father.

As we will see, Jesus is focused not just on the spiritual well-being and formation of his followers, but also on the emotional, relational, vocational, ideological, and cultural aspects of their lives. Because taken together, these aspects equip their evangelical actions.

Trouble at the Top

After three years of listening to Jesus teach, even his closest disciples seemed unable to grasp the first line of his first sermon.

In Matthew 19 and 20, we read of the encounter with the rich young ruler, who asked how to attain eternal life (the kingdom of God), and of the subsequent conversations with the disciples. The rich young ruler had asked a seemingly simple question, but received an answer that was as perplexing as it was exposing.

21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19:23–26.

Believing that what Jesus had in mind was a vow of poverty, Peter chimes in almost immediately with another of his classic attempts to show his worthiness as a member of the inner circle.

27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:27–30.

After some extended teaching on the nature of the kingdom of God and the different virtues and ethics valued by its members, James and John chime in through their mother.

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt 20: 20–26

These questions and requests from the inner circle reveal emotional, relational, vocational, ideological, and cultural flaws that underscore the importance of being poor in spirit as a virtue.

Public Square Implications

The public square is the place where people come to serve and not to be served.

Servants and leaders in the public square understand the difficulty and importance of coming to terms with the idea that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” However, elements of the public square frequently reward self-reliance, self-confidence, and even self-delusion. These rewards, wrongly seen as blessings, lure many to exchange the call to serve with the desire to be served on their way to accumulating power, which they can use to lord it over others.

It is easy to come up with the list of servants and leaders — on both sides of the aisle, and including professing Christians — who have come to embody the exact opposite of what Jesus had in mind. We should keep in mind that those who succumb to such temptations are in good company with Peter, James, and John.

Thankfully, we are given a picture of someone who exemplifies being poor in spirit within the same series of events that followed the interaction with the rich young ruler.

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Matt 20:29–34.

These men understood their position in the world and in relation to Jesus. Rather than believing they were in a position to leverage their relationship with Jesus to attain power, thanks to their past support for his work, they see themselves as blind beggars and all that entails in the first century. Yet, despite their blindness, they truly see both themselves and Jesus. As a result, they respond to the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” by asking for exactly the right thing — mercy and healing. As a result, these two unnamed men followed Jesus in a manner that still eluded Peter, James, and John. Their proper self-realization as being poor in spirit allowed them to pursue and partake of the blessedness, good life, and flourishing they were created to experience both on this earth and the life to come.

For those serving and leading in the public square, fully embracing the reality that the kingdom of heaven is already in your possession, based not upon your efforts, but upon recognition and embrace of your true standing as a fallen person in need of the mercy of Jesus, is mission-critical. Because this sets the stage for participation in Christ’s mission of making all things new, not through power but a service-oriented posture of faithful presence.

Application Questions

What was the initial impact of the responses of Peter, James, and John to the rich young ruler’s conversation on the rest of the disciples? How could this have undermined the mission Christ had in mind for them?

As you consider your work in and for the public square, in what situations do you find resonance with Peter, James, and John? In what situations are you more apt to respond like the blind beggars?

[Faithful Prayer] 

  • Cabinet Agency: The servants & leaders at the Department of State, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as they navigate widespread diplomatic fallout amidst current military operations in Iran.

  • Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The Center for Strategic and International Studies, as they continue their bipartisan, non-profit analysis of global politics and conflict.

  • Weekly delegation: The servants and leaders with the delegation of the State of California, as the state navigates spikes in energy prices and concerns over terrorist threats due to ongoing events in the Middle East.

  • News events: The price of a barrel of oil once again exceeded $100 yesterday amid ongoing military operations and unclear territorial control in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passageway for nearly 20% of global oil supply. As a result, the Department of Energy is working to alleviate some of the price pressure on domestic markets, as U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright released the following statement regarding the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), “Earlier today, 32 member nations of the International Energy Agency unanimously agreed to President Trump’s request to lower energy prices with a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil and refined products from their respective reserves. As part of this effort, President Trump authorized the Department of Energy to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, beginning next week. This will take approximately 120 days to deliver based on planned discharge rates.”

  • Personal: For two families serving overseas as part of the US diplomatic corps who are adjusting to dynamic security issues. For someone still awaiting word on a possible promotion. For a single mom struggling to keep it all together. For two couples hoping to conceive. For someone in an extremely toxic work situation and their efforts to move to another office. For someone travelling on a diplomatic mission. For two individuals giving important briefings this week.

  • For Faithful Presence, as we work on several internal projects that will greatly expand our ministry capacity!

[The Page, The Pod & The Stack]

  • LISTEN to this FIRST → The American Enterprise Institute’s Senior Fellow Marc A. Thiessen published this fascinating op-ed in The Washington Post discussing what the Trump administration might consider a ‘victory’ amidst current military operations in Iran.

  • READ this NEXT → Christian Scholars Review published this article discussing the concept of empathy, and current arguments within Christian communities over this emotional process.

  • STACK this FIRST → The Barna Group published this analysis, using data collected from pastors nationwide to show a noticeable increase in young adult engagement nationwide.

  • Fair Observer published an interesting article about the Chinese/Russian alliance and their geopolitical strategies and aims.

  • The Center for Public Justice published this article about the effects of growing power within the Executive branch on America’s long-held tradition of religious freedom.

[What’s Happening]

This Week 

  • Monday, March 16, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm, the Brookings Institution is hosting a conversation with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) discussing Turkey in a Middle East at War.

  • Tuesday, March 17, 8:00 am - 9:00 am, Faith and Law is hosting a member breakfast, Benjamin Rush: The Most Important Founding Father You’ve Never Heard Of, discussing the little-known Chief Surgeon in Washington’s army, fervent abolitionist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

  • Wednesday, March 18, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, the RAND Corporation is hosting an online discussion, America’s Housing Crunch: What the Evidence Says, on the causes and effects of rising domestic real estate prices.

  • Wednesday, March 18, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm, the American Enterprise Institute is hosting an in-person panel conversation, Inside America’s Opioid Crisis: A Book Event, discussing what drove the epidemic and giving recommendations to policymakers for future drug threats.

  • Saturday, March 21, the National Cherry Blossom Festival begins! The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki to the city of Washington, DC, and celebrates the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. Today’s Festival now spans four weeks and welcomes more than 1.6 million people to enjoy diverse and creative programming that promotes traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Events are primarily free and open to the public.

     

Next Week

[Last Things]

  • We are recording podcasts, but posting is on hold during a website remodeling project.

  • Please let us know how we can serve you, and any prayer requests, which are always kept confidential

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