Mark 14:6-7
Some
truths are hard to swallow. One of the hardest is that there will always be
poor people. No matter how much money we take from the rich and give to the
poor, there will still be poor people. Robin Hood might have become a hero to
some in our political realm, but Robin Hood didn’t solve the problem of the
poor. And it isn’t a matter of scale either. Taking more money, making the rich
poor, won’t solve the problem of the poor. Poor is something on the inside, not
something reflected simply in the bank account.
Mathematically
we could make everyone’s income the same across the globe. We could balance the
purchasing power of every person so that we could all afford the same basic
items to sustain our lives. That could be done. But that wouldn’t solve the
problem. Some people would use their portion to buy something they didn’t need
and neglect some of the essentials, leaving them short at the end of the month.
Thus the problem of the poor would not be solved.
We
see it in action here in the States today. Many poor people have some extravagant
things in their lives. SUV’s, cable TV packages, big screen TVs, the newest
cell phones, and steak purchased with food stamps. But they can’t pay their
electric bill. Not every poor person in America is this way, but some are.
Jesus
said the poor will always be here. This is a hard statement. Our hearts want to
solve the problem of hunger and neglect. But we must put this statement in
context. The poor will always be here, but Jesus’ won’t! Jesus uses the poor to
highlight the fact that He is leaving. His days on earth are numbered. He is
going to die, come back to life, make some appearances and then return to Heaven
and wait for the final days. He is leaving. The poor will still be here. If the
disciples want to solve the poor problem, they can do it after He is gone.
And
in some respects, at certain times, the church has solved the poor problem. We
read about it in the book of Acts. People who had money freely gave in order
for the poor’s needs to be met. The poor recognized their need to work, to do
something to contribute to the welfare of not only themselves, but also the
community as a whole. They gave out of their poverty to enrich others, and in
the process they themselves were enriched in ways they could never have
imagined.
Historically,
the poor have received the most help from the church, and church run
operations. I don’t know of many Atheist or Humanist soup kitchens! There aren’t
many Progressive works programs that fund themselves. And yet day after day,
week after week, millions are fed, clothed and sheltered through the generosity
of God’s people. This often goes unnoticed and unappreciated by those on the
outside looking in. But for those that are helped, it saves their lives.
So
maybe today you look around your world and figure out how to help the poor in
your community in a way that will raise their dignity and empower them to grow.
If you want to read more about how to do this, read the book Toxic Charity by
Robert Lupton.