What the Bible Teaches about the Poor
My first encounter with the poor occurred when I was just a toddler. During the Christmas season in 1992, my brother, sister, and I were too sick to visit Santa. Thus, in 1993, my mother and grandmother were absolutely determined to take my brother, sister, and me to see Santa. When the local newspaper ran an article inviting local children to visit Santa at East Elementary School, my grandmother, who read the article, immediately called my mother. They made plans; the Francis children were going to visit Santa! Little did these well-intentioned women know, this particular Santa visit was arranged to provide for needy families within our community. Upon arriving to see Santa with her three overly excited children, my mom realized that she had inadvertently taken us to an event that was intended to provide Christmas presents for families who could not afford to buy presents. Very embarrassed to be given panty hose, fruit, toothbrushes, and hand knitted hats and gloves, my mom tried to tell the individual in charge of the event that her children did not need to be given presents from Santa, she only wanted them to have a chance to sit on his lap. The event worker refused her attempt to prevent what my mom considered to be taking from families in need. The worker told my mom that there were enough presents for everyone and that we would be going home with gifts. My mom always reminds us that it was the best trip to see Santa any of us, including herself, ever had. We walked away from the event with arms full of recycled gifts and a mother who learned to receive.
This story embodies several aspects of Biblical teaching about the poor. One of the most foundational of these teachings is the doctrine of imago dei, the idea that humans are made in the image of God. Imago dei carries with it the belief that because humans are made in the image of God, individuals have inherent and indisputable worth simply because they exist. This doctrine is based on Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’…so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” This verse bestows equality and value to every human being; to those who go to visit Santa to give presents and those who go to receive them. From this doctrine, we view and understand individuals as equals. In teachings about the poor, imago dei is a conviction that ensures that we refrain from paternalistic actions and instead, causes us to act with compassion as Henri Nowen describes in his book Compassion. Nowen says, “It [compassion] is not a bending toward the under-privileged from a privileged position; it is not a reaching out from on high to those who are less fortunate below; it is not a gesture of sympathy or pity for those who fail to make it on the upward pull. On the contrary, compassion means going directly to those people and places where suffering is most acute and building a home there.” Taken concurrently, imago dei informs and augments other Biblical teachings about the poor by maintaining neighborly or familial equality among human beings with no consideration of our economic statuses.
Imago dei is not the only Biblical teaching that rejects paternalistic thoughts or actions. In Psalm 140:12, the writer says, “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” Similarly, Isaiah 41:17 says, “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel will not forsake them” (emphasis added to both verses). Though Christians may be the hands and feet of Christ on earth, it is ultimately God Himself who is fighting for the poor and ‘securing justice’ for them. For this reason, a Biblical understanding of poverty includes a belief that because God is the one at work. We cannot boast of our own actions or view ourselves as bringing something to poor people that they would not have without us because we believe that God is the principle actor. This view of God also prevents burnout when living among the poor by reminding us that God is in control.
God not only acts on behalf of the poor, He identifies with the poor. In Proverbs, the writer says, “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (14:31) and Matthew’s gospel reminds us of Jesus’ words, “whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (25:40). Indisputably, the most significant identification of God with the poor is the example of Christ coming to earth to walk among humans. 2 Corinthians 8:9 announces, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty, you might become rich.” His richness was greater than we can comprehend, but that did not stop Him from moving into our neighborhood, make Him question if He could relate to us, wonder if He could fit into our culture, or place His safety above our needs. Christ moved into the most impoverished place in the universe to share his riches with us. This is the example our Lord sets for us. This is Biblical teaching about the poor and this as Jesus says in Luke 4:18 is ‘good news for the poor.’
In light of Christ’s example of identifying with, acting for, and working for the poor, what are those who are not poor to do? First, those who are not poor must recognize that poverty, be it physical poverty, spiritual poverty, or emotional poverty, is a force that opens our lives in an undefined, mysterious way that allows us to experience God differently. In the case of my mom mentioned earlier, her alignment with the poor allowed her to see receiving and God in a new way. In my experience, it is very difficult for me to encounter God when I am dwelling in my illusion of self-sufficiency; however, when I sense my own poverty, I comprehend my absolute and undeniable need for God. There is, perhaps, something sacred about recognizing our poverty. In Luke 6:20-21 Jesus says “Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” In verses 24-26, Jesus continues, “But woe to you who are rich for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.” Jesus’ words to those who are rich seem harsh, but in reality, these words are full of grace. With these words, Jesus is graciously reminding the rich, ‘You are filling your life with a substitute. Be like the poor and you will become truly rich.’ Just as Jesus’ life serves as a blatant example of how we should live, Jesus’ words in Luke 6 demonstrate where true value lies. Jesus does not exclude the rich through His words, but allows His life to serve as an example of someone who was rich, but became poor.
As we consider what it means to become poor, we must also recognize that, according to the Law, it is the obligation of those who possess much to give to those who do not. Deuteronomy 26:12 says, “When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied” and Luke 3:11 says, “the man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” The Bible is clear that if we possess abundance, it belongs to the poor and as “every good and perfect gift comes from above” (James 1:17) our possessions are not truly ours to give, they are God’s. If we are hesitant to sacrifice so much in order to love the poor as we love Christ, we should spend time dwelling on the provisions in the Law for the poor. As Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert suggest in their book When Helping Hurts, the commands concerning practices for dealing with the poor were intended to completely eradicate poverty. Deuteronomy 15:4 states, “There should be no poor among you.” This sentiment is echoed in the words of Luke about the idyllic Acts church. In Acts 4:34, Luke says, “There was no one needy among them.” This is one of the highest praises a group can receive in the Bible. As for the Law, it includes provisions for rest for the slave and the alien and a year for the poor to glean from the fields (Exodus 23:10-12 and Deuteronomy 15:1-18). Both of these provisions occur through the observation of the Sabbath. Finally, the Law worked to eradicate poverty in daily life by commanding that individuals who are not poor include the poor in their tithes, allow the poor to glean the edges of their fields, and forgive the debts of debtors (Leviticus 25:35-38, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Leviticus 18:9-10). In light of such provisions in the Law, God’s intended order for society, we absolutely must recognize that Biblical teaching about the poor commits us alleviating poverty.
Finally, Biblical teaching about the poor includes a mandate to work to change structures and systems that aggravate and worsen poverty. Nehemiah chapter five provides an example for us in fighting against the structural oppression of the poor. Nehemiah, the appointed governor of Judah, visited Jerusalem during the rebuilding of the temple wall. While he was in Jerusalem, the Jewish people told Nehemiah that they were “mortgaging their fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine” (5:3) and that they had to “borrow money to pay the king’s tax on their fields and vineyards” (5:4). Outraged by the government’s oppression and exploitation of the poor, Nehemiah used his power as governor of Judah to stand up to the other nobles and governors on behalf poor and by doing so, caused the nobles and governors to return to the poor what was rightfully theirs (5:6-13). The Bible provides this example of Nehemiah utilizing his position of power to oppose a corrupt system. In this vein, Biblical teaching about the poor calls us, today, to protest against, vote to eliminate, petition to change, and work to expose structural injustices such as inequality in education, injustice in the prison system, and exploitation of poor workers.
As my mother learned through our Santa visit, serving the poor and considering ourselves as equals with the poor by learning to receive alongside them can be two different things. Biblical teachings on imago dei, the role of God in bring about justice for the poor, God’s identification with the poor, the recognition of our personal poverty, our obligation to give to the poor, the mandates of the Law in eradicating poverty, and the example of Nehemiah in opposing structural injustice that affects the poor give us an obligation as Christians to follow the example of Christ when it comes to the poor. For each individual, mimicking Christ’s actions and living out God’s heart for the poor looks slightly different, but in every case, the poor should be viewed with dignity and respect. Finally, in serving the poor, we must remember that we are serving God Himself and in remembering this, give our very best out of whatever abundance He has granted us.
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