IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
God’s concern for the poor and needy continues to be revealed in the New Testament. Besides writing more of the New Testament than any other writer, Luke also highlights God’s special concern for the poor more than any other. Like a good reporter, Luke crafts his message by what facts of eyewitness (Luke 1:2; Acts 1:1) he relates and by the way he orders them. Like those eyewitnesses he is a “servant of the word” (Luke 1:2), not a creator of it.
What is God the Father doing by sending his Son into the world? His purpose for the salvation of the world is framed in terms of his love and concern for the weak, the helpless and the fallen, all those beat down by his arch enemy Satan. Satan, the deceiver, has exalted himself up with a desire to take God’s place. Like the king of Tyre, Satan in the pride of his heart said, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas” (Ezekiel 28:2). Because of his pride, sin, and violence God took him down (Ezekiel 28:16). God did the same to all the other ancient kingdoms, including the corrupt government in Jerusalem, that raged against God’s people [footnote: Isaiah 13-24; Jeremiah 46-51; Ezekiel 27-32). By toppling the proud, God is opening up a place for the poor and humble to thrive.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, a young virgin received a visit from the angel Gabriel who announced the birth of a son through the conception of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). The angel told her to name the child Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31-33). This what Mary celebrated in song when she visited her relative Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant [That’s Mary]. . . . He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:46,47, 52, 53).
Luke continues his narrative. At the outset of his ministry, Jesus defined his purpose and ministry using a text from the prophet Isaiah. “Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went to the synagogues, as was his custom” (4:16). There Jesus opened the scroll that was handed to him, and he read these words from the Prophet Isaiah (61:1-2),
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18,19).
Jesus repeated this same theme when John the Baptist from prison sent messengers to him. John heard about all that Jesus was doing, so he sent two of his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:19). Note Jesus reply, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Luke 7:22, 23; Matthew 11:2-4).
Luke’s emphasis on the poor can be seen by comparing his record of the Beatitudes with that of Matthew. While Matthew interprets the spiritual significance of the first and fourth beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit. . . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 5:3,6), Luke simply writes, “Blessed are you who are poor. . . .Blessed are you who hunger now” (Luke 6:20,21). The poor, those who hunger and thirst, who seek God belong to the kingdom. All of their needs will be satisfied, as Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9; Matthew 7:7). The first and greatest gift is the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), but also included is our physical and emotional well-being in the life. “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. . . . But seek his [the Father’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:29, 31; Matthew 6:31, 33).
Included in Luke’s report of the Sermon on the Mount are these words, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 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” (Luke 12:32,33).
A pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not wash [his hands, Mark 7:2ff]. Jesus then explained that what is inside the heart reveals whether one is defiled or clean. “But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will e clean for you” (Luke 11:41).
Luke reports that on another occasion, when Jesus and his disciples were being hosted at a meal in the home of a Pharisee, Jesus said,
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the band, and you will be blessed” (Luke 14:12, 13).
This reflects the God’s desire that the poor be at the table at the banquet of salvation (Luke 12:23).
All the synoptic Gospels tell the story of a rich, young, ruler. He had everything the world offered: wealth, youth, and position. In addition, he had a rich heritage based upon the Lord’s commandments, yet he was not satisfied. Jesus told him, “You lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). Upon hearing this, the man turned away.
One person who heard the message of Jesus and took it to heart was Zachaeus, a chief tax collector, evidently wealthy and supervisor of other tax collectors (Lk 19:1-2). When Jesus indicated his desire to go to his house, he immediately came down from the tree and welcomed Jesus gladly (Lk 19:6). In response to Jesus’ message, he responded, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus replied, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:8-10).
Along with Mark Luke tells of the widow’s offering of two very small copper coins. What value did Jesus give that? He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. . . . She out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21, 3,4; Mark 12:42-44).
Jesus told a parable about a rich man who ignored a disgusting (“covered with sores”) beggar at his gate. Lazarus was given a name whose meaning is “helped by God.” With no personal name, the rich man’s only support was his wealth and this was taken away at his death. Although rejected by man in this life, Lazarus was not forgotten by God in the hour of death. He was taken to Abraham’s side, while the rich man was abandoned to the torment of Hades, the realm of the lost dead. Jesus implied that had he listened to Moses and the Prophets, the Old Testament scriptures, and been concerned about the plight of the poor (Luke 16:29), he would not be in torment.
And we must not omit the Parable of the Good Samaritan that teaches that our neighbor is anyone who is in need. We are to love our neighbor, especially one in need, as we would love ourselves. The Samaritan was neighbor to the man beaten up by thieves because he showed him mercy. Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37).
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). For people who were hungry and weary Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish that he broke, gave thanks for, and gave to his disciples to distribute to a crowd of at least 5,000 men (Matthew 14:21). The significance of this was not lost on the people. They asked for a further sign, “What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness” (John 6:30). Sadly, they wanted more perishable food, while Jesus was offering himself, the true bread from heaven, the bread of life (John 6:32, 35). Whoever believes in him will live forever (John 6:51).
Matthew records Jesus’ last major discourse before betrayal, suffering and death. That discourse is capped with Jesus telling about his return in glory to sit on his glorious throne in judgment. As a shepherd separates sheep from goats, so Jesus will separate those who are is followers from those who are not. About his sheep, his followers, he says,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:34-36).
The Christian church, formed at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, had as one of its identifying characteristics the selling of their property and possessions in order to give to anyone who had need (Acts 2:45). It did what Israel failed to do by not obeying the Law of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-55) the church did by the power of the Spirit. Each fiftieth year Israel did not blow the trumpet everywhere in the land to proclaim liberty to all (25:9,10). The slaves were not freed. The land that an Israelite was forced to sell because of poverty was not redeemed and given back to the family. Debts were not cancelled and the land did not receive its rest. In sum, the poor were not cared for, but rather exploited.
On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out. The Apostles received freedom and power to bear witness to his resurrection (Acts 1:8), Those who turned to God and were baptized were “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer, . . . They were together and held everything in common” (Acts 2:42, 44).
With the increase to over five-thousand (Acts 4:4) of the number of men who became disciples, some of the needy were being overlooked. Part of it took on a certain ethnic discrimination, by overlooking the need of Greek speaking widows. When the Hellenistic (Greek speaking) Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, the apostles did not ignore the complaint. The cries of the weak and marginalized were heard. The Apostles appointed deacons, leaders with Greek names, to administer daily distribution of food. (Acts 6:1-6).
Dorcas, whom Peter raised from death, was “always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36). Making robes and other clothing were just a couple of ways that she helped widows (Acts 9:39). The centurion Cornelius, who with his whole household (family and servants) was devout and God-fearing, gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly (Acts 10:2). Upon hearing Peter’s message, he and his household received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and were baptized (Acts 10:44-48), in spite of the fact that they were Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul was concerned about the division in the Corinthian church caused by the exclusion of the poor when it gathered for its love feast, the celebration of the communion supper in memory of the Lord Jesus. He wrote, “Some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk” (1 Corinthians 11:21). They were not “discerning the body of Christ” and were thus eating and drinking “judgment on themselves” (1 Corinthians 11:29). The rich acted like club members at a feast while the “servants” looked on, wishing they could participate. These were not treated as brothers and sisters of one family, sharing together on an equal basis—all being sinners redeemed by the blood of Jesus and participants in the benefits of his offering.
Paul also devoted two chapters in his second letter to the Corinthian church urging them to contribute liberally towards the offering of the Gentile churches towards the “poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem” (2 Corinthians 8-9, Romans 15:26, Acts 24:17). When the issue of whether Paul and the others who preached the gospel to the Gentiles were allowed to baptize their converts without first being circumcised, that is, being Jews, the Synod in Jerusalem gave its blessing on the practice. In reporting this decision to the Galatians Paul wrote, “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10). This was not reported in the Synod’s final requirements for the Gentile churches (Acts 15:29), but evidently was communicated to the delegates–Paul, Barnabas, Judas and Silas–by word of mouth (Acts 15:27), so much so, that Paul remembered it as one of the most important things to remember.
When Paul left Ephesus to go into Macedonia, he instructed Timothy to stay there (1 Timothy 1:3) and continue to administer the church in matters of worship, the selection and appointment of elders and deacons, and more. He was to devote himself “to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching (1 Timothy 4:13). He also gave instruction about which widows were worthy of support and what their ministry in the church should be (1 Timothy 5:3-16). Provision for a ministry like this need to come from somewhere; so he tells Timothy to “command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:15-17). He was illustrating the general principle, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).
The Apostle John in his first letter says that if we understand the love of Christ that led him to lay down his life for us, we will be ready to lay down our lives for other believers. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions” (1 John 3:16-18).