“Poor In Spirit” Beatitudes Coloring Page

Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with what are called “The Beatitudes.” As a whole, The Beatitudes help us understand the nature of God’s kingdom and challenge us to live as kingdom citizens. You can read an article about The Beatitudes here. Each of the beatitudes points to some aspect of the kingdom that God’s people should pursue.

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

Jesus’ Jewish audience would have understood the phrase “the poor in spirit” (v. 3) as a reference to themselves living under the oppression of Rome. Jesus wanted them to understand and rejoice in the reality that the kingdom belongs to the Jews, but the kingdom He is announcing is not the kingdom they were expecting. In fact, in the true Kingdom of God, everything will be turned upside down and very different from the world’s understanding of kingdom. The beatitudes, then, become a clarification of what Yahweh’s true kingdom would be.

The “poor in spirit” would be those who long for God to restore the Davidic kingdom, but feel powerless, individually and corporately, to bring it to pass. The things that would make us powerless and “poor in spirit” in the eyes of the world are the very things that prepare us to be the true owners of the Kingdom of God.

This “Poor In Spirit” Beatitudes Coloring Page will help remind kids that the ways of God’s kingdom are not the ways of the world.

See other activities related to The Beatitudes. You can also see a list of the types of free, printable Bible activities we provide on the site.

For other related activities, see the links below.