The Sermon on the Mount Opens With the Poor
The first word of the first beatitude is 'blessed' and the first subject is the poor — a juxtaposition with no precedent in beatitude literature.
Matthew 5:3: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' Luke 6:20 has simply: 'Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.' The beatitude form was not invented by Jesus — Psalm 1:1 begins 'Blessed is the man,' and the Psalms contain multiple beatitudes. The Qumran scrolls contain beatitudes in the wisdom tradition. But in the beatitude tradition, the blessed are typically the wise, the righteous, the obedient. The opening of the Sermon on the Mount places the poor first — and in Luke's version, unqualifiedly: not 'poor in spirit' but simply 'poor.' The juxtaposition of 'blessed' and 'poor' is the structural opening of the longest recorded discourse.
Red Letter Sources
Matthew 5:3Luke 6:20
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Evidence Notes
Beatitude form documented in Psalms and Qumran literature. The 'poor' as the opening subject is a departure from wisdom-tradition beatitude patterns.
