The Beatitudes of Christ

There is an old adage that says, “Your attitude determines your altitude,” which means the way you think determines how high you can succeed in life. But the mystery of the parable Jesus taught rests in having a poor person’s attitude in spirit. It’s challenging to wrap your mind around being associated with anything remotely close to poverty, because a poor person is often perceived to be addicted to substances, or so mentally ill that either no one can hire them, or they are too convinced that begging others is a better way to live.

It should not come as a surprise that Jesus knew how His audience’s minds would trigger similar thoughts about the concept of being poor. He knew that the attitude of being poor would challenge us to rearrange our material-seeking minds in ...