“The Church and the Poor”
In the Old Testament justice and defense of the poor are connected. God
doesn’t forget but rescues, promises to bless, and aims the Law at helping
the poor. Jesus’ life/ministry offers entry into the kingdom to the poor - the
impure, despised, outcast and disabled. Desmond Tutu exclaimed: “The poor
are God’s stand-ins.”
Scripture points us toward helping the poor. The Old Testament’s 39 books
mention the poor 245 times directly and allude to them hundreds of times.
Jesus reminds the disciples that when they help the needy it is as if they are
helping him. James says that true religion is visiting the widows and if you
help the hungry and the oppressed Isaiah says, "your light will rise in the
darkness.”
In the early church Acts 2:47 got the attention of the known world and
helped rapidly grow its membership. Over the ensuing years the church has
been unrivaled in its capacity to respond to the challenges of global poverty.
Progress will continue to be made as we love God and others together. In
fact, extreme poverty has been reduced from 52 to 26% in the last 20 years
because of gains in India and China.
Someone said, “A church without the poor is a place God has obviously left.”
Concern for the poor has given the church identity and integrity. William
Booth, a Methodist minister, founded the Salvation Army in the 19th century
by feeding the poor in London and sharing the Gospel. In the West , we
define who is poor by material things- lack of food, potable water, poor
sanitation and necessary medicines. When the poor describe what it means
to be poor they use the words such as shame, inferiority and powerlessness.
These words express isolation, voicelessness, and loss of dignity. Dignity and
worth bring hopefulness. Poverty is not merely physical but innately spiritual.
Matthew Parris, an atheist, noticed a difference in (African) Christians, who
acted liberated and relaxed. He attributed the difference to the fact that
Christians address the whole person-body, mind and spirit.
Richard Stearns believes we have had a “hole in the Gospel.” We have lost
the urgency of Matthew 25 to do what we can for "the least” of those among
us and to raise the visibility of the problem. If God is love, then feeding the
poor is natural and essential. In fact, clean water, de-worming children,
providing mosquito nets, sponsoring a child, and donating farm animals are
other ways we can help address the issue of poverty.
“There will always be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you to be
open-handed toward your fellow Israelites, who are poor and needy in your
land” (Deut. 15:11). “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their
maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Prov. 14:31).
Who were the poor in New Testament times? Was poverty an economic or
social term, or both? How did people become poor? How were the poor
identified?
The Greek language had two terms for poor- penes and ptochos. Penes
referred to a person who did manual labor. It is the source of our word
penury, meaning destitution. In contrast, a plousis- a member of the upper
class - did not work. Our English word plutocrat is derived from the Greek,
financial tycoon. The aristocrat had his money do his work for him.
A ptochus, however, referred to a person reduced to begging. They received
alms while penes had sufficient means to maintain independent life. One
historian commented ptochus had lost most or all of his family ties. A
wanderer, he was bereft of all social and economic support. Here’s the social
layout of the day: Aristocrats 1-2%; Tax collectors, scribes, priests 5-7%;
Merchants, fisherman, farmers 75%, and few were rich; and Untouchables
or ptochus 15%. There was a high tax which took monies from the 75% group
often up to 30-40%, which meant that the wolf was always at the door.
The begging poor were assigned to gates, roadways and places beyond the
city, remember, Jesus said to his disciples, “go outside the city to the
highways and hedges.” In Israel, almsgiving was a sacred obligation which
often included more than money. “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I
was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you took care of me. I
was in prison, and you visited me” (Mt 25:35).
When it comes to the poor in the Bible one needs to be aware of the cultural
shifts: 1. Giving was quid pro quo or everyone gives and gets, but Jesus and
his followers operated differently; Zacchaeus taught us by giving 50% to the
begging poor. 2. Contractual giving was replaced by unconditional gift when
Jesus told the rich young man to give all he had to the poor. 3. The most
valuable possession was family or a kinship group which provided basic
needs; losing the father meant the threat of falling into the ranks of the
begging poor. 4. Bettering oneself was almost impossible, but the potential
descent of the working poor to begging poor was frequent. 5. Wealth and
honor fitted like hand in glove and land was its highest value. Wealth was
symbolized by outward means including feasts, jewelry, clothing and music.
Dignity in the Christian ethos was not dependent on wealth. God chose the
foolish to contend with what people thought was wise and what was weak to
challenge what was regarded as strong. He honored the shamed. The
crucifixion of Jesus itself was humiliating, a punishment for slaves and
bandits. Christ crucified, as Paul said, was a scandal to the Jews, foolishness
to the Greeks. Christians saw his death as turning shame into glory,
humiliation into honor.
Challenge of the Week!
10/30-11/5/2016
Weekly Challenge
How can you help the poor if you are not informed? Spend an hour this week
researching the needs of the poor in the county in which you live (Carroll,
Frederick, Howard, Montgomery), praying for those folks and their needs,
and taking/making the time to do one practical thing to support or
contribute to the effort to help them.
11/5
Church Clean Up Day!
11/6
All Saints’ Day
11/13
Healing & Hope Luncheon
(9:00 AM)
(12:15 PM)
Book Club: “Queen of Katwe”
by Tim Crothers (6:00 PM)
11/20
Thanksgiving Table Worship Service/
Pledge Sunday
(10:00 AM)
Adult Bible Class, Women’s Bible Class
(8:45 AM)
FINK Class
(9:00 AM)
Sunday School (CANCELLED)
11/22
Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
at Oakdale Emory Church (7:30 PM)
11/27
Worship Service
(10:00 AM)
Voters’ Meeting
(9:00 AM)
Sunday School
(9:00 AM)
Adult Bible Classes (CANCELLED)
FINK (CANCELLED)