Recently, the United States government passed a law to send out a third stimulus package to struggling Americans in this pandemic. It was interesting to hear that part of the reasoning behind this stimulus package was to ‘lift some out of poverty’ with anti-poverty programs getting significant increases. While this article is not the time or place to comment on governmental policies, it did cause me to think about how we view poverty from a Biblical mindset.
There is an interesting story that can focus our thoughts about this that is found in the gospel of Matthew (26:6-13). It is before the Last Supper and a woman takes some very costly perfume and pours it on Jesus’ head. The disciples are upset thinking this was a waste and that it could have been sold and given to the poor. Then, Jesus makes an interesting statement defending the actions of the woman. He says, “you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me” (v 11).
What does Jesus mean by this statement? Is He telling us He is more important than the poor? Is He telling us to do nothing for the poor, because they will always be around? Let’s think about this in the article for this month.
First, Jesus makes it clear that there will always be those who are poor. Think of it like this: if there was a scale of wealth with levels from 1-10. Number 1 is the poorest of the poor and number 10 is the richest of the rich and everyone falls into one level somewhere. The thought is: we should help the people in level 1. If we give a whole bunch of money to people in level #1, and lift them out of poverty so that they now become level #3, is it time to celebrate how we have lifted some out of poverty? Sure, but what we have inadvertently done is make the level #2 people the new level #1. Do you see how that works? If you lift the lowest of the low, then the people they jumped become the new low. This is what Jesus means by saying there will always be the poor. It is impossible to end poverty in totality because even as collective wealth increases, some will always be at the bottom of that scale.
Second, the Bible does tell us to give to the poor. Deuteronomy 15:11 tells us to ‘open our hand wide to your brothers, the needy, and the poor.’ In Galatians 2:10 Paul was asked to remember the poor, and he says he was eager to do that anyway. Proverbs 19:17 says that those who are generous to the poor actually lend to the Lord, and He will repay. James 2 spends significant time talking about how we cannot help people with just promises and words but in actuality, providing what they need (2:16-17). And there are many other verses we could cite as well. Just because we will always have the poor doesn’t mean we should do nothing to alleviate some of their suffering. We cannot be uncaring or unmerciful to those in need.
Third, Jesus does prioritize Himself over the poor. This is the time when He needs to come first. That’s why He defends the woman for her actions. She is preparing Him for burial because He is going away to be crucified. Now is the time to put Jesus first. This causes us to realize that sometimes worship to God must come before helping those in need.
In summary, Christians should be known as people who are generous and merciful, especially to those hurting the most. We cannot just ignore the suffering of those around us. However, we must not lose our focus on worshiping Christ as well. Sometimes it is right to honor the Lord with an upgrade to the church or with a gift to the church, in place of that normal donation to the poor. We must remember that “The rich and poor have a common bond, the Lord is the maker of them all (Pro 22:2).
I encourage you to listen to our new study on Wednesday nights beginning on April 7th which will be a study of the Old Testament prophet Amos. The primary focus of that book is God detailing His anger with Israel for their social sins against one another; sins like an improper treatment of the poor. Amos can help us see what God thinks of how a Christian should treat the helpless and the weakest.