"On a hill far away" Jesus started His public ministry. Matthew chapter 5 says that Jesus saw the multitudes who were following Him and "went up into a mountain" to speak with them. There are many hills around Capernaum and no one knows which Jesus chose to deliver what we call The Sermon on the Mount from. We can imagine the scene though, a peaceful hillside away from the hustle and bustle of town where Jesus would have the full attention of His listeners.
The Beatitudes are a familiar and much loved part of the Sermon on the mount in the Gospel of Matthew. They tell us who Jesus says is "Blessed" or "Happy". I think it is significant that Jesus began His ministry this way...on a positive note. So much in our lives is negative, generating feelings of discontent. Jesus wants us to be content, to find a place of security in this insecure world. He knew then what the people who came to Him needed. He knows we need the same message now. And so Jesus starts His earthly message with "How to be Happy".
The first thing that Jesus mentions that will bring about a state of Blessedness or Happiness is being "poor in spirit". That sounds like a contradiction doesn't it? Why should being poor bring us happiness or make us feel Blessed? What exactly does it mean to be "poor in spirit"?
Being poor in spirit is an attitude that Jesus wanted to see in His followers. Those who realize they lack things in the spiritual realm and are in fact poverty stricken when it comes to spiritual riches are the very ones who will come to Jesus to be filled. We need to come to a point where we feel that there is something to learn, something to gain before we are reachable by Christ. If we feel like we are "just fine" or "alright" what do we need Him for? Coming to realize our own spiritual poverty is the first step to salvation. We have nothing within us that can save our souls from the penalty of sin. Only Jesus has what we need.
The whole attitude here that Jesus is seeking in His followers is one of humility. If we are proud of ourselves and our accomplishments in life, if we feel like we "have it all" then we will never come to Him in the right way. In order for Jesus to be able to work in our lives we have to have a humble spirit, seeking the things that we know He has to fill the emptiness in our lives. And that humble spirit is something that we will keep as we follow Jesus. Because we realize we can never "know it all".
This feeling of poverty carries over to our physical lives as well. Things like wealth and fame lose their importance in our lives. What does it matter if we "gain the whole world and lose our soul" (Matthew 16:26). A feeling of true humility starts in our soul, in our heart of hearts. Jesus knew that in this state we can find happiness, because once we realize that our goals are spiritual, the "things of earth will grow strangely dim". We run with eagerness the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12) and our earthly circumstances are not important any longer. Our eyes are on the prize! Our goal is "the Kingdom of Heaven" which has been promised to us by the Son of God Himself! Such a goal brings Happiness and Blessedness into our lives.