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But Jesus brings it to a point in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). This rich man dresses in grand clothes and lives in luxury, while he does nothing to help relieve Lazarus, who is dying of hunger and disease. Lazarus dies, but so, of course, does the rich man, which reminds us that wealth has no great power after all.
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- Concern for The Wealthy
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Jun 30, 2024 · The Death of the Rich Man. Verse 22 says, “The rich man also died and was buried.” Death is “the great equalizer.” Proverbs 22:2 says, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.” The poor man and the rich man died. That is the only thing they share in common.
- Jesus’ Economy Is Based on Self-Sacrifice
- Jesus’ Currency Is Love
- Old Testament Laws Make Provision For The Impoverished
- The Prophets Were Infuriated When The Poor Were Neglected
- The Psalms and Proverbs Highlight The Needs of The Poor
- The Early Church Focused on Smart Giving, Right Away
- True Religion Includes Caring For The Marginalized
Understanding the issues of poverty starts with understanding Jesus’ ministry — and what he called people to do. Near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he goes to his local synagogue and quotes Isaiah 60:1–2: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release...
If Jesus’ economy is based on self-sacrifice, then his currency is love. When Jesus asks the rich young ruler to sell all he has and follow him, this is because Jesus’ economy does not function like our economy (Luke 18:18–30). Jesus wants us to use all of our resources for the sake of those in need. Instead of looking at what we lack, Jesus invite...
Jesus’ teachings on poverty (and the hurting and marginalized) are based on Old Testament laws that made provisions for the impoverished. The people of Israel were instructed by God to make margin for the poor. Rather than consumerism operating their economy, provision was made to leave parts of their harvest. Room was made for the poor and the ref...
Despite the great vision for a community that cared for the poor, the words of Israel’s prophets show that the impoverished were often neglected and oppressed. The words from the book of Isaiah that Jesus quotes near the beginning of his ministry (Isaiah 61:1–2, quoted in Luke 4:18–19) were the vision of a better world, where the poor were loved. B...
Throughout the book of Psalms and Proverbs — Israel’s book of worship and book of wisdom, respectively — we see that the God-fearing and wise choose to care for the impoverished and marginalized. We’re told that “the needy shall not always be forgotten; the hope of the poor shall never perish” (Psalm 9:18LEB). And we’re reminded: “In arrogance the ...
But how are we to care for the impoverished? To start with, it begins with each of us examining our own resources to see if we can give more. We see a testimony to this in the early church. The radical, self-sacrificial giving that Jesus proposed actually happens. Some of the earliest descriptions of the church in Jerusalem include these lines: “Al...
Jesus’ economy of self-sacrifice, his currency of love, was central to the early church. The care for the most destitute is core to the gospel of Jesus. Jesus even says that he will recognize his followers when he returns based on how they cared for the poor, marginalized, and those on the underside of power (see Matthew 25:31–46). James summarizes...
- John D. Barry
Feb 23, 2016 · Poverty itself is not presented in the Gospels — or anywhere in Scripture, for that matter — as being inherently sinful. During his incarnation, Jesus was relatively poor, at times voluntarily so, yet was without sin (see 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15). However, the Bible does recognize the causes and effects of poverty to be oftentimes sinful.
Jan 26, 2021 · With all that said, let’s look a little closer at the first paradox: the poor being rich. James 1:9 says, “Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them” (NLT). Some translations say it like this, “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation” (ESV) or “Let the brother in humble circumstances glory ...
Jan 4, 2022 · True followers of Christ will not be indifferent to the plight of the poor like the rich man in this story was. God loves the poor and is offended when His children neglect them (Proverbs 17:5; 22:9, 22-23; 29:7; 31:8-9). In fact, those who show mercy to the poor are in effect ministering to Christ personally (Matthew 25:35-40).
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May 20, 2014 · So while Deuteronomy 15 promises that there will be no poor among God’s people if they live under God’s rule, it is also realistic enough to say: “There will never cease to be poor in the land” (Deut. 15:11). In other words, only a transformation of the rebellious heart of humanity will bring an end to poverty. Generosity, Not Apathy
