‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ was just one of the inspired teachings Jesus delivered as part of what we now call the Sermon on the Mount. This remarkable event happened early in Jesus’ ministry on Earth. Huge crowds were starting to follow Jesus as news of His incredible miracles spread. Jesus retreated to a mountain for a day and night to pray and be with God. When He returned, He sat down to teach His disciples, with the eager crowd listening in.
To understand the significance of the Sermon of the Mount, you have to try and put yourself in those dusty sandals on that mountaintop, hearing Jesus speak about your life and religion in a way you’ve never heard before. It’s believed Jesus was speaking primarily to his disciples when He taught, but the invitation was there for the crowd to listen too.
The crowd that day would have been a real mix of people. From those raised as Jews who would have known the Hebrew Bible like the back of their hands to those who wouldn’t have known much at all about the history of God’s people.
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the times that Jesus managed to break down entrenched historical barriers simply with the power of His words.
