Blessed are the poor vs poor in spirit

[tonychanyt]

Lk 6:

20 Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Luke targeted the Gentile readers. He focused on material poverty and God's social concern for the economically disadvantaged. The Kingdom of God brought hope and reversal of circumstances for those who suffered from a lack in this life.

On the other hand, Mt 5:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mathew was Jewish and more religious. He focused on spiritual needs and spiritual humility. He believed that people should look to God to fill their spirits and satisfy their spiritual needs. They depended on God to grow spiritually. When they did that, they belonged to the kingdom of God.

Luke wrote for a broader audience. He emphasized Jesus' concern for the poor, oppressed, and socially marginalized. Matthew wrote for a Jewish audience. He spiritualized Jesus' teachings to highlight their deeper theological significance. The differences between Luke and Matthew's versions reflected their distinct audiences and theological emphases.

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

Lk 6:


Luke targeted the Gentile readers. He focused on material poverty and God's social concern for the economically disadvantaged. The Kingdom of God brought hope and reversal of circumstances for those who suffered from a lack in this life.

On the other hand, Mt 5:


Mathew was Jewish and more religious. He focused on spiritual needs and spiritual humility. He believed that people should look to God to fill their spirits and satisfy their spiritual needs. They depended on God to grow spiritually. When they did that, they belonged to the kingdom of God.

Luke wrote for a broader audience. He emphasized Jesus' concern for the poor, oppressed, and socially marginalized. Matthew wrote for a Jewish audience. He spiritualized Jesus' teachings to highlight their deeper theological significance. The differences between Luke and Matthew's versions reflected their distinct audiences and theological emphases.

What you say is probably correct, it just leaves the uncomfortable observation we don't really know for sure what exactly Yeshua has said at this point in the Sermon on the Mount. If one of the accounts are His words verbatim - then the other account must be a paraphrasing according to the interpretation of the author.

The 'poor' is quite a different meaning from 'poor in spirit' - they may overlap for some people, but it's semantically very different. Maybe Yeshua said 'poor' but in His explanation detailed He was referring to the 'poor in the spirit' ...

 

[tonychanyt]

If one of the accounts are His words verbatim - then the other account must be a paraphrasing according to the interpretation of the author.

Jesus likely spoke in Aramaic. Both Luke and Matthew had to translate/interpret his speech into Greek for their intended audience.