The Art of Being a Blessed Beggar

There was an art to begging. From bitter experience beggars knew that they were far more likely to receive a handout if they approached people nicely and appealed to their better nature with a little discreet flattery rather than if they were aggressive and demanding. So they usually appealed for help by saying, "Kyrie, eleison!," "Lord, have mercy!" This cry was heard almost every day in every street. The Gospels tell us that needy people used the same cry when they appealed to Jesus for His help (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; Mark 10:47-48; Luke 17:13).
It was, of course, shameful to beg. Respectable citizens took pride in earning a living and in having enough wealth to support their dependents. Apart from some con men and women, no one chose to become a beggar. Desperation alone drove them to seek charity from others in public-and they begged only if they had no other option.
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) contains the teaching of Jesus on the life of a disciple. That sermon begins with an astonishing summary of His teaching: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Here Jesus congratulates those who are spiritually impoverished and commends spiritual poverty as the mark of discipleship. The Greek word for "poor" is also the term for a beggar. Those who are poor in spirit have no spiritual assets or credentials. They have nothing to offer to God the Father; they receive everything from Him. The poor in spirit are not spiritually rich and powerful; they receive the Holy Spirit as beggars who ask for what they do not have. The Father's kingdom is theirs as a gift, something that is always received and yet never possessed. Unless they receive God's kingdom, they can never enter it and reign in it as kings together with Christ (Mark 10:15; Luke 12:32; 22:28-30).
This countercultural beatitude sums up the whole of Christian spirituality. It contradicts popular religion and common piety. Popular piety presupposes our unrealized spiritual potential; it seeks spiritual enrichment and empowerment through the practice of appropriate spiritual exercises. In contrast to this desire for spiritual self-improvement and self-development, Jesus teaches that we begin, continue, and end our spiritual journey with Him as beggars before God the Father, the heavenly King. We do not, as we follow Jesus, become increasingly self-sufficient. Rather, we learn, bit by bit, the art of begging from God the Father, until at our death we can do nothing but say, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me!"
Martin Luther knew all about begging. On the evening of the night before he died, he penned a short meditation on how he had learned to understand the Scriptures from his pastoral experience. His short reflection ends with the words, "We are beggars. That is true.."
Because our spiritual life depends on our receiving from God, Christ teaches us to become beggars together with Him. Like Him, we receive everything from God the Father (John 3:35; 5:19; 8:28). This makes it hard, yet at the same time easy, for us to live as His disciples. It is hard because we take such great pride in our own achievements and self-sufficiency. We do not like to ask God, or anyone, for anything. Far better to do without than to become dependent on others! Yet it is also easy because our spirituality does not depend on our performance but on our receiving from God. No one is more or less spiritually advantaged. To change the picture, we must all become as little children, helpless infants that are totally dependent on their mothers (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:14-15; 1 Peter 2:2).”
From: GRACE UPON GRACE by John Kleinig CPH 2008

On the Cross – Christ was made povertous of things earthly and things divine. His cry on the Cross was that of a beggar – WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME SO POOR, SO NOTHING? SO LIKE EVERY HUMAN BORN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH?
The Resurrection of povertous beggar Jesus Christ on that first Easter is the message of what the Living God provides for the sinful povertous beggars who come in humble repentance and faith, just as they are, without one plea, but that the blood of Jesus – the beggar was shed for me.

Kyrie! Kyrie, eleison!