Francois Ntone

Jesus and the Poor

In Luke 6:20, Jesus says “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”  The corresponding statement in Matthew 5:3 says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.  The poor in spirit are the opposite of the spiritually proud and self-sufficient.  Given the Old Testament assumption that wealth and prosperity are a divine reward for righteousness (see for example Exodus 23:25-26), it is easy to see why the wealthy would have considered themselves as deserving of God’s favor.  At the same time the poor, in addition to their suffering, would have carried the guilt associated with the belief that their condition was divine punishment for their sins.  For that reason, the poor and the poor in spirit are essentially the same people.  Jesus’ declaration was a radical change in the values of the time: in God’s kingdom, those who were rejected and despised by society would become the ones favored by God, while the rich and the powerful would lose their status.

The idea that the poor had special status in God’s eyes was pervasive in early Christianity.  James, the brother of the Lord, who emerged as the leader of the Jerusalem church, states the following:

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?  But you have insulted the poor.  Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?  Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?” (James 2:5-7).

In this statement, the one referred to as “him to whom you belong” is of course Christ.  In addition to highlighting the special status of the poor, the statement indicates that the rich have a demonstrated tendency to resist the message of the kingdom of God.

The Poor in the Old Testament

In Ancient Israel, it was assumed that there would be no poverty in the land if the Israelites remained faithful to their covenant with their God:

“However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.”

But Mosaic Law had also prescribed rules that would serve as safeguards to rescue those who might fall into poverty.  For example, every seven years, debts had to be canceled (Deuteronomy 15:1-3).  In addition, the Israelites were strongly encouraged to go out of their way to help the poor among them:

“If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.  Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.  Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.  He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.  Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.  There will always be poor people in the land.  Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brother and toward the poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

The above passage shows that those who had been blessed with wealth had a special responsibility towards the poor.  The responsibility was not optional, and avoiding it was a sin against God.  Throughout the history of Israel, it turned out that the rich and powerful not only avoided their responsibility towards the poor, but they oppressed them and built wealth on their backs.  The prophets of the so-called Axial Age strongly denounced these violations of God’s will.  In particular, Amos made strong pronouncements against the rich and powerful in the northern kingdom:

“They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.  They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust on the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.” (Amos 2:6-7)

Like his contemporary Isaiah, Amos made it clear that sacrifices and acts of worship that were not accompanied by the pursuit of justice were meaningless to God:

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.  Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs!  I will not listen to the music of your harps.  But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:21-24)

Amos prophesied that the rich and powerful would be particularly targeted by God’s judgment when it comes:

“I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished.” (Amos 3:15)

This means that by the time Jesus came, the prophets of Israel had already rejected the idea that wealth was a reward for righteousness.  On the contrary, they had recognized that the pursuit of wealth had a corrupting influence, which made it difficult for rich people to be godly.  It is therefore not surprising that Jesus says: “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).

A Budget Is a Moral Statement

Religious leaders such as Jim Wallis have been pointing out that a government budget is a moral statement.  This has particular significance for national leaders who claim that they are Christians.  Recently the Trump administration released its budget for 2018 in a document titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness.”  The document calls for a 10% increase in military spending and 2.6 billion dollars in border security, including 1.6 billion dollars to begin construction of a wall at the border with Mexico.  It also includes huge tax cuts, primarily for the rich.

On the other hand, the budget calls for severe cuts in entitlement programs that benefit the poor, including poor voters who carried Trump to power.  It proposes a reduction of Medicaid expenses by 800 billion dollars.  As we know, the poor heavily rely on Medicaid for their health care expenses.  The budget also slices nutritional assistance programs by 192 billion dollars, and overall, reduces welfare programs by 272 billion dollars over a 10 year period.  Trump’s plan also cuts disability benefits by more than 72 billion dollars, and eliminates loan programs that subsidize college education for the poor.

Trump’s budget obviously corresponds to a reordering of national priorities away from the poor.  As explained by budget director Mick Mulvaney, “This is, I think, the first time in a long time that an administration has written a budget through the eyes of the people who are actually paying the taxes.”  In other words, Mulvaney believes that previous budgets had completely misguided priorities: they focused too much on assistance to the poor and were not sufficiently sensitive to the needs of those who really matter because they make enough money to pay taxes.

A new administration certainly has a right to pursue its priorities.  However an administration that claims to represent evangelical Christians is expected to pursue biblical priorities, and more importantly, Jesus’ priorities.  If Jesus declares that the poor have a special place in his kingdom, and if this administration considers the poor as insignificant, then obviously this administration rejects the priorities of the kingdom of God.  This administration rejects Jesus.

In a previous article I had examined the political positions emphasized by many white evangelicals.  One of the positions I discussed was the fact that they denounce attempts to help the poor as socialism, a buzzword that has a bad connotation in a society where individualism prevails.  They assume that the poor are lazy, deserve their condition, and should not be a burden on hard-working taxpayers.  I suppose those evangelicals would support the Trump budget.  That is their prerogative, but at least they should be honest enough to recognize that their position amounts to a rejection of Jesus’ agenda.