If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:7-11
“Deuteronomy 15:7-11 … shows that an “open-handed” disposition toward the poor is required: “The poor will always be with you in your land, and that is why I command you to be open-handed towards any of your countrymen there who are in poverty and need.” This passage is the source of Jesus’ famous saying in Mark 14:7: “You have the poor among you always, and you can help them whenever you like; but you will not always have me.” By citing this passage, Jesus responds to those who would condemn the woman when she anoints Jesus with expensive oil, rather than cashing in the ointment and using the money to help the poor. But Jesus uses this text from Deuteronomy to expose the criticizers’ insincerity. “The poor are with you always,” he says in Matthew 26:11 and John 12:8 leaving the remainder of the text unspoken but implied — “therefore be open-handed toward them.” Jesus, Judas and those who were condemning the woman no doubt knew the full text. They recognized that the text did not mandate that they keep the poor in poverty, but that the presence of the poor was to serve as the reason to be constantly open-handed toward them.”
Kent A. Van Til in Less Than Two Dollars a Day: A Christian View of World Poverty and the Free Market (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007) 77-78.
Open-handed living runs contrary to our flesh, which cries “mine” to all that which our gracious God puts in our hands. God, forgive us for our selfishness. Teach us to live open-handed, and in so doing, to show the world your love. Amen.