After weeks of being on lockdown, it’s quite amazing to see how well people have been doing so far. But with each passing day the level of anxiety and worry increases and cracks are starting to show. People who were living check to check now have most of their bills past due. Some who had savings accounts have depleted them and they are getting more and more anxious. As a consequence, we’re seeing an increase in domestic violence trends as well as addictions. And now people are beginning to protest in different parts of the nation. They just want to be able to provide for their families and they want the shutdown to end. As they contemplate their circumstances they no longer believe that their government is looking out for them.

In the first century when Jesus entered our world, the people of Israel had similar feelings and in some ways perhaps worse. They did not trust the Roman government who oppressed them, they didn’t have much more trust for their religious leaders, and they could not even trust their fellow Israelites. They were at the end of the rope without much hope until they started hearing about a man named Jesus. They hoped they he would be the liberator leader they were looking for. So, a multitude gathered to hear what he had to say.

The first word that came out of Jesus’ mouth was blessed, which means super blessed, you’re the envy of the entire world blessed. As people looked around and analyzed their circumstances, what Jesus said made absolutely no sense to them. But Jesus understanding their confusion proceeded to explain to them why they were so blessed.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. – Matthew 5:3 NIV

The phrase poor in spirit refers to someone at the end of their rope, it referees to a person who looks at their circumstances and concludes that they’re doomed. That’s exactly how they felt and that’s exactly the way many people feel today emotionally, spiritually, financially, relationally and some physically. Jesus explained that those at the end of their rope are so blessed because the kingdom of heaven belonged to them. I’m guessing that they were thinking that’s great but what about now, here and today? Let me explain, every time Jesus spoke about the “kingdom of heaven” he was not speaking about an actual physical kingdom but rather the agenda of God’s kingdom. He was saying to the people, God is looking out for you. 

Let me sum it up, they’re blessed at the end of their rope because now they’re willing to look to God not as a helper but as their savior. And for those of us who today may be at the end of the rope, if we would for a moment look towards Jesus and not our circumstances, we would not only find hope we would also discover that God has his entire kingdom, angels, archangels and even his son working to save us.