God blesses those who are poor...

Matthew 5:4

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Matthew 5:4

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount in a jarring fashion, “God blesses those who are poor.”

It still seems ridiculous even though I’ve read it hundreds of times. It is so hard for me to get my head around the concept that the poor are the ones that God is blessing when my eyes tell me repeatedly it is better to be rich.

The NLT translation instead of using the phrase, “poor in spirit” chooses to say instead “poor and realize their need for him.” While it is not as concise, I find this translation helpful.