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The ever-present poor
The ever-present poor
“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” – John 12:8
Jesus meant these words as a rebuke to Judas Iscariot, who was feigning indignation that Mary, Martha’s sister, would pour a year’s wages worth of perfume on Jesus’ feet instead of selling it and giving to the poor.
Judas’ audacity here really is striking. Here he was, the thief who filched from Jesus’ support fund, calling down a woman who showered her most precious possession on Him. She had, and she gave it to the One who deserved it most.
Jesus’ return rebuke to Judas should mean as much to us now as it did to the people in the room that day, but in a different way. We don’t have Christ with us in the body anymore, but we do have Him with us in the form of the poor. “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).’”
So if the poor are always with us, rather than read this with a fatalistic shrug, we ought to understand what Christ is saying to us today: We have endless opportunities to serve Him directly. They’re all around us. They have faces and names and families and needs. Jesus has given us a chance to serve Him by serving them. Will we with the resources take Him up on it?
F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, “The world, as a rule, does not live on beaches and in country clubs.”
Those of us with resources shouldn’t be content to live there, either. The world by and large, lives in shanties and under bridges and between whatever scraps its harried inhabitants can cobble together.
A report issued in 2000 by the World Bank’s Development Research Group estimated that as of 1998, more than 39 percent of the world’s population was living on less than $2 a day. Per month, that’s probably less than your phone bill.
If Christians take their faith as seriously as they say they do, then service to the poor must come first. Yes, service to your church and your friends and your family is valuable and necessary. But the Master specifically equates our heart for the poor with our heart for Him.
Who are the poor? Here’s a good definition: The Poor are whoever makes you glad you’re not them. They could be the woman serving your burgers and fries, the drunk walking past your car at night or your next-door neighbor. They could be your siblings or your parents. Whoever they are, we’re called to serve them on our knees like Mary served Jesus, like Jesus served his disciples when he washed their feet, like He served us all by dying for us.
Look around you. The poor are there. They are Christ, wanting to be served. We with the resources can do it.
Will we?
Will you?
 |
| Badjao boy in the Philippines |
Jesus meant these words as a rebuke to Judas Iscariot, who was feigning indignation that Mary, Martha’s sister, would pour a year’s wages worth of perfume on Jesus’ feet instead of selling it and giving to the poor.
Judas’ audacity here really is striking. Here he was, the thief who filched from Jesus’ support fund, calling down a woman who showered her most precious possession on Him. She had, and she gave it to the One who deserved it most.
Jesus’ return rebuke to Judas should mean as much to us now as it did to the people in the room that day, but in a different way. We don’t have Christ with us in the body anymore, but we do have Him with us in the form of the poor. “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).’”
So if the poor are always with us, rather than read this with a fatalistic shrug, we ought to understand what Christ is saying to us today: We have endless opportunities to serve Him directly. They’re all around us. They have faces and names and families and needs. Jesus has given us a chance to serve Him by serving them. Will we with the resources take Him up on it?
F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, “The world, as a rule, does not live on beaches and in country clubs.”
Those of us with resources shouldn’t be content to live there, either. The world by and large, lives in shanties and under bridges and between whatever scraps its harried inhabitants can cobble together.
A report issued in 2000 by the World Bank’s Development Research Group estimated that as of 1998, more than 39 percent of the world’s population was living on less than $2 a day. Per month, that’s probably less than your phone bill.
If Christians take their faith as seriously as they say they do, then service to the poor must come first. Yes, service to your church and your friends and your family is valuable and necessary. But the Master specifically equates our heart for the poor with our heart for Him.
Who are the poor? Here’s a good definition: The Poor are whoever makes you glad you’re not them. They could be the woman serving your burgers and fries, the drunk walking past your car at night or your next-door neighbor. They could be your siblings or your parents. Whoever they are, we’re called to serve them on our knees like Mary served Jesus, like Jesus served his disciples when he washed their feet, like He served us all by dying for us.
Look around you. The poor are there. They are Christ, wanting to be served. We with the resources can do it.
Will we?
Will you?
© 2006 Called and Sent Magazine. All Rights Reserved.