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Small Faith in A Big God
Texts: Matthew 14:22-33
The Bible has a great deal to say about the poor. In the Old Testament, God has a special concern for the poor. Clearly, the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt is a deliverance from bondage and abject poverty. God constantly warns his people not to mistreat the poor and the oppressed amongst us. Take Deuteronomy 15:9 as an example: “Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year of cancelling debts , is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.”
There is a whole series of provisions was made for the welfare of the poor. Every third year a tithe was to be given to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow (see Deuteronomy 14:28-29). A promise was attached to faithful observance of this command: “that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.” The sabbatical year (i.e. every seventh year) was particularly significant: the landowners were not to sow in the fields, and the poor were to be allowed to gather for themselves what simply grew of itself (see Exodus 23:10-11; Leviticus 25:3-6); Hebrew slaves were turned free after six years of service (see Exodus 21:2). At all times part of the produce of the fields and vineyards was to be left for the poor to glean (Leviticus 19:9-10), and a hungry person was allowed to eat fruit and ripe grain in a field, but not to carry any away (Deuteronomy 23:24-25).
Jesus himself was one of the poor. This is made clear in the account of his being brought as an infant to Jerusalem for the ritual of purification. The law prescribed that a lamb and a turtledove or pigeon were to be sacrificed. However, “if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Leviticus 12:6-8). The fact that Jesus’ family offered “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24), rather than a lamb is an indication of their poverty. While Jesus in his ministry apparently did not suffer from actual hardship or deprivation, he certainly did not have abundance, and evidently depended often upon the hospitality of others such as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He referred to his lack of means when he said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).
Jesus’ teachings also include a great deal about the poor and poverty. By quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus indicated that he had come to preach good news to the poor (Luke 4:18, 21). Concern for the poor lay at the very core of his ministry. He spoke of the blessedness of the poor (Luke 6:20). Among the wonders which he wanted reported to John was the fact that the poor had the gospel preached to them (Luke 7:22).
When we talk about the poor, we cannot forget about the rich. Jesus pointed out repeatedly the danger of the wealth “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” (Mark 10:25). In the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, the rich man after death is in the place of torment, but Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham. Abraham says to the rich man, “Son, remember that you in your lifetime received good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (Luke 16:25). It should be noted that wealth per se is no more of a cause for discrimination than is poverty. It is the preoccupation with riches (Mark 10:17-31; Luke 8:14) or the abuse of wealth that is the target of Jesus’ warnings and admonition.
James also had some rather sharp things to say about mistreating the poor within the congregation. He describes a situation in which a rich man comes finely dressed into the assembly. A great fuss is made over him and he is offered a good seat. On the other hand, when a poor man enters, he is told to sit in a lowlier place. The drawing of distinctions in favour of the wealthy comes in for severe criticism: “Have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:4-5).
Many other parts of the Bible emphasise that the poor and the rich are equal before God and that the righteous poor are superior to the ungodly rich. We read in the Book of Proverbs: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favour is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:1-2). Earlier in the same book we find: “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool….What is desired in a man is loyalty, and a poor man is better than a liar” (Proverb 19:1,22). It is clear that in the sight of God it does not matter whether one has great wealth or little. It is God who has given the wealth and decided where it is distributed; he is the cause of individual differences of circumstance. As a church, we should adopt God’s perspective on wealth and poverty and regard the rich and the poor alike. |
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Church of the Ascension, 13
Francis Thomas Drive, Singapore 359339 |