“Jesus picked up the theme of our treatment of the poor being equated with our treatment of God when he taught that if we feed the hungry, clothe the needy, visit the sick, and minister to the imprisoned, we are doing it to Him (Matt. 25:31-46). Jesus also addressed the believer’s responsibility to the poor. He told the rich young man that to be complete, he needed to sell his possessions and give to the poor (Matt. 19:21). Jesus also taught that when we give a party, we should not invite the kind of people who can return the favor, but the poor who cannot (Luke 14:12-14).
Paul was also concerned for the poor (Gal. 2:10) and took special offerings for them (Rom. 15:25-26; 1 Cor. 16:1-3). James teaches that true faith is evidenced by our treatment of the poor (James 2:14-20). John teaches that Christian love results in helping the poor and needy (1 John 3:17-18).
There are two passages of Scripture dealing with the poor that are often misunderstood. The first is Matthew 26:11: “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” The context concerns the story of the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume (Matt. 26:6-13). The disciples thought the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor, but Jesus responded, “The poor you will always have with you.”
Some have underwood Jesus to mean that there will always be poor people; so Christians should not worry about them but concentrate on spiritual ministries. However, the Lord actually was saying that the woman had performed an act of worship and that there were many opportunities to help the poor–and by implication that they should do so. Jesus alluded to the phrase, “where will always be poor people” in Deuteronomy 15:11. The whole verse reads, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
The second misunderstood passage is 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'” Actually this verse does not even refer to the poor, although some try to apply it to them. In this context (2 Thess. 3:6-12), this rule governing working and eating refers to busybodies in the church community and not to the poor.
It should be noted that although this verse is not addressing the poor, it does reaffirm the Scripture’s emphasis on the dignity of work (cf. Gen. 2:15; Prov. 10:4; Eccl. 3:13; Eph. 4:28). The Scripture does not condone laziness or the poverty resulting from it. The evidence from God’s work is clear: the Christian is to have a concern for the poor and to reach out and help the poor.”
Stephen A. Grunlan, “Economics” in Christian Perspectives on Sociology ed. Stephen A. Grunlan & Milton Reimer (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982) 194-195.
Grunlan sums aptly the biblical message regarding poverty: we should “have a concern for the poor and to reach out and help the poor.” So whether we are writing a paper, working with rich people, or concerned with our own application of biblical teaching, care of the poor starts in our hearts. Are we concerned for others or just worried about ourselves?
Akin to this concern is openhanded action. It’s not just writing a check. It’s reaching out to assist like Jesus. When we do it, we find that we meet Christ in the poor (cf. Matt. 25:31-46). Few get this like my brother David, who is “51” today! Uncle Dave, as he’s affectionately known in our home, has a heart for noticing needs and he’s openhanded to meet them. Happy Birthday, David!