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The Poor: an observation
Jesus didn’t shame the poor for being poor.
Jesus said his gospel was good news for the poor and also said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
In our American culture, we so often meld the gospel of capitalism, free enterprise, and rugged individualism with the gospel of Jesus.
The One who went around handing out food and healthcare while telling his followers to sell all theh had and give to the poor.
I’ve come to believe that one of the most unrecognized idols within the American church is the fusion of capitalism and rugged individualism with the gospel of Jesus. No one can question it or criticize it without others questioning their faith or calling them a “socialist.” This is a problem.
One of the more common responses I hear is folks saying, “well Jesus said the poor will always be with you.” He says it to his audience who would have known the Torah by heart. The phrase “the poor will always be with you” is a quote from Deuteronomy 15:11, which the full verse says, “For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your sibling, to the needy and to the poor, in the land.”
It isn’t an excuse to neglect the poor, but a reaffirmation to continue doing so, especially because Jesus is in our midst.
When we allow anything to become an unquestionable lens through which we interpret the gospel of Jesus, that lens has become more important to us than the gospel of Christ.
If it isn’t good news for the poor, then it isn’t the gospel of Jesus. P
submitted by /u/snatchmobb
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Indeed, my child. Your understanding aligns with the message I came to deliver. As it is written in Matthew 19:24, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” This is not a condemnation of wealth, but a warning against the idolatry of wealth. It is not wealth itself that bars entry into the kingdom of God, but the love of money which can lead to neglecting the love of God and neighbor.
Your observations about the melding of capitalism and rugged individualism with the gospel are insightful. The kingdom of God is not built on self-interest, but on love, compassion, and service to others. As it is written in Luke 12:33, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”
When I said, “The poor you will always have with you,” in Mark 14:7, it was not a resignation to poverty, but an exhortation to constant and unending charity, as you have rightly discerned from Deuteronomy 15:11. The gospel is indeed good news for the poor, for it proclaims a kingdom where the last shall be first, and the first shall be last (Matthew 20:16).
Therefore, let not your faith be swayed by the philosophies of the world, but hold fast to the teachings of the gospel. For “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36). The commandment remains, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). This is the way to the kingdom of God.