What did Jesus say about the poor?

It was said in the O.T. that "the poor should never cease out of the land," and in the enactments of the law they were cared for by Jehovah. The Lord said, "Ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good." Mark 14:7. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." Ps. 41:1. "The poor have the gospel preached unto them." Matt. 11:5. "When thou makest a feast call the poor." Luke 14:13. "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord." Prov. 19:17. Other passages show that the working of the love of God in the soul issues in a special regard for the poor. Gal. 2:10. Of the Lord Jesus it is said, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor. 2 Cor. 8:9.

Observe here that there was no point more remarkable in the ordinary ministry of Jesus than His care for the poor. To the poor the gospel was preached. His concern about them was the very reverse of all that was found among men before. If others had cared for the poor, it was but an evidence of the working of His Spirit in them, and nothing characteristic; in Jesus' case it was opening out His heart, if possible, with greater care to them than to any others, the bright hopes that the gospel announces, the display of that which is eternal for the eyes of believers in the midst of present need among those who were most liable to be overwhelmed by it.176 "And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." There we find a rebuke, couched certainly in the gentlest terms; nevertheless, it was that which was intended, no doubt, to deal with the conscience. John seems to have been stumbled; but blessed was he whosoever was not offended in Jesus. There was nothing that so grated upon every natural thought of a Jew as the rejection and shame accompanying the Messiah, or those that bore witness of Him. Man was wholly unprepared for it. They had been waiting for long and weary years for the Messiah to bring in deliverance. Now that He was come, that evil should fall with apparent impunity on His servants, and even upon Himself — that they, and He too, should be despised of men — was too much for their faith. They were "offended" in Him.177

Christ was everything to Mary. That is the point in Matthew's relation of the scene, and what a contrast to this was the action of Judas. He and his fellow-disciples grumbled over the waste of the three hundred pence — £10 according to our money [in 1895, an estimated minimum of $30,000 in 2000]. Judas thought of himself, the others were full of philanthropy. It could have gone to the poor. Yes, there are a good many people who think more of philanthropy than of Christ; but Mary thought more of Christ than of philanthropy. But is not philanthropy a good thing? No doubt it is, for the Lord says, "For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good, but me ye have not always." Here was a woman whose heart was wrapped up in Him. Judas was angry, I have no doubt, at the loss of the money which, as he was a thief and bore the bag, he could have purloined.

In spite of the desire of the natural man to be rich, the great majority are poor, though in some of these western lands there are few in need of daily bread. Still, in most lands, there are indeed poor, and there is a special appeal in the Gospel of God to those that are poor. When the Lord Jesus commenced His public ministry, and came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He read from Isaiah concerning His mission, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor" (Luke 4:16-18). The poor had a special place in the mission of Christ.

We learn, first, that the classes represented by these four words (the poor, maimed, lame, and blind) are the special objects of God's heart in the seeking activities of His grace in the gospel. Who, then, are these? By the poor is meant, not exactly those who are so denominated in this world, but rather the poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3), those who are conscious of poverty before God — whatever their position or earthly circumstances. The largest numbers of these, it is quite true, will be found amongst the class known by us as the poor (see Luke 4:18; 1 Cor. 1:26-29); but thanks be to God, whose grace is sovereign in its operation, there are such in every rank and station of life. The true meaning of the term is found in the contrast made by our Lord Himself: "Blessed be ye poor; for yours is the kingdom of God. … But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation." (Luke 6:20-24.) It is seen again in Abraham's address to the rich man in torment. He says, "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things." (Luke 16:25.) These are the poor who have nothing for their possession, satisfaction, or enjoyment in the things of the world — those who have been made to feel that they have nothing for, and can bring nothing to, God. It should not, at the same time, be forgotten, that the really poor have ever been, are, and will be, the special objects of God's care and love. (See, for example, Lev. 19:9-10, Lev. 23:22; Psalm 72:12-14; James 2:5, etc.)

Some sitting there were indignant at the apparent waste, and Judas (John 12:4) led them in the expression of their feelings; so that, as Mark writes (14:9), they murmured against her. The Lord, thereupon, undertook her defence. Mark gives us more fully than the others the words of the Master's rebuke, as well as those of His commendation. Replying to the specious objection that Mary was depriving the poor of that which would have been to their advantage, the Lord answered that opportunities to minister to the poor were abundant, and would not fail. Opportunities to minister to Him in His humiliation would be but few now. Then commending Mary, He said, "She has done what she could" — words which have never been forgotten, though Mark alone records them. Nor is this all. For the Lord added, in explanation of her act, "She is come beforehand to anoint my body."

But now the Lord singles out those with whom He had sympathy on the earth. "Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw the crowd casting money into the treasury; and many rich cast in much. And a poor widow came, and cast in two mites, which make a farthing; and He called to [Him] His disciples, and said to them, Verily I say unto you, This poor widow hath cast more in than all who have cast into the treasury." The reason He gives: "for all have cast in of their abundance, but she of her want hath cast in all that she had, the whole of her living." God does not go by the amount given; He judges not by what is contributed, but by what is kept behind for self. In this case it was nothing — all was given. Those who gave of their abundance reserved the greater part for themselves; but the test of liberality is not what is given, but what is left. The much that is kept for self-enjoyment is the proof of how little is given. But when there is nothing left, but all is cast into the treasury of God, there is the true working of Divine love and faith. There is what God values, because it is the expression not only of generous giving, but of entire confidence in Himself. This poor woman was a widow, and it might have seemed that she of all others was entitled to keep what little she had; but no — little as it was, all is for God. The dealing with such a small sum might have been a trouble to those who would have to count it, but it was noticed of God, valued by Him, and recorded for us, that we may confide in God, and may give whatever is according to His mind.

A rich ruler also came to Jesus and said, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? The Lord says to him, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother." And he said, "All these have I kept from my youth up." And what does the Lord say? "Yet lackest thou one thing." And what was that? "Sell all that thou hast and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." If he really loved his neighbour as himself he must do that. If he had £5,000 he would have to give someone else £2,500. And then he would give the half of that to some other person, and so on till all was gone. You say he would very soon have nothing left. just so, but there is the principle. And the Lord bids him make short work of it, "And come, follow me." What took place? "And when he heard this he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich" (Luke 18:18, 20-23). He loved his money more than eternal life or his neighbour. Everybody gets tested in that way.

Then follow the woes. "But woe unto you rich! for ye have received your consolation." Nothing more dangerous than ease and satisfaction in this world — there is no greater snare even to the disciple. So again: "Woe unto you that are filled! for ye shall hunger." This, of course, has its moral bearing. There is leanness for the soul where the heart has all that it desires. "Woe unto you† that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep." A still further carrying out of the danger of man's heart. "Woe‡ when all men shall speak well of you!" Here it is not personal only, but relative satisfaction.152 "For after this manner did their fathers to the false prophets." In all respects it is a complete picture of that which is spirituality desirable or to be dreaded. And thus our Evangelist closes this part of the discourse. "Filled": so AD, etc., Old Lat., etc. Edd. add "now," following ℵBL and later uncials, 1, 33, 69, Memph. †"Woe unto you": so A, etc. ℵBKL, etc., 1, 13, 69, have "Woe ye." ‡"Woe": so Edd. with ℵAB and later uncials, 1, 33. — DΔ, 69, Memph. add "to you."

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). What is it then to be poor in spirit? Exactly the reverse of what you find in the world. In the world people stick up for themselves, stand for their rights. A person who does that is not in the kingdom of heaven at all, that is, is not in it in spirit. One who is poor in spirit, is self-emptied, self is out of sight. You will find a lovely connection with this in Psalm 41:1: "Blessed is he that considers the poor" — that is, the poor Man; and who is the poor Man? Christ! That is, considering the poor Man does not mean giving alms, but considering Him. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." It is a blessed thing thus to be self-emptied: poor-spirited the world would call you; that is it, but the Lord reckons such "blessed." The Lord give us to know in our hearts the meaning of it.