“THE POOR WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US”
“If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need Give generously to them 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 fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
– Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 9-11
I have never considered myself poor. I grew up in a lower middle-class family with a dad who worked two jobs and a mom who worked at home as they raised five children and hosted my paternal grandmother for over thirty years. There was always enough. No one complained. My siblings and I never noticed any particular lack.
If there ever was a time I felt close to poor it was the summer of 1979… at the age of 25… having two quarters to my name after buying a one way ticket to Hyannis Port, MA from NYC coming home from a two month summer archeological dig in Israel. I used one of those quarters to call my parents and the other to call my friend when to pick me up. I was home 5 days later having access to my savings account and have worked steadily since then until my retirement in 2020.
God is not a fan of poverty. God also does not punish those who are wealthy. The church often gets a bad rap for all of its historical wealth… especially in Europe and the way TV preachers in America seem to be asking people to contribute to their cause each and every Sunday suggesting that if people won’t… their outreach will go off the air! And at that I need to say the church is full of sinners… then and now! Besides… God doesn’t need your money… as Martin Luther reminded his peers in the 1500’s… “God doesn’t need your good works; but your neighbor does!” Faith matters as we’ve come to understand there is much blessing to be had by both the one being helped as well as the one doing the helping.
In the 14th chapter of St. Mark, Jesus quotes this thought from the Old Testament… saying… “The poor you will always have with you,” going on to emphasize… “and you can help them any time you want…” (v. 7) But do we? You might be surprised… and even more surprised to find out how many times Jesus challenged people to be good stewards of what God provides hinting at the question… ‘how much is enough?’ Faith matters.
Do you feel poor? Perhaps. Compared to whom? Compared to what? If your 2-person household income is $50,000… only 7.5% of the world’s population is richer than you. If your household income is $100,000 or more… you are wealthier than 98% of the rest of the world… and it may not feel like that… but that’s the data at hand. Just google “How Rich Am I”? for your own look.
But here’s some good news… because there are people in the world actually keeping track of stuff like this… like how many people globally were living in poverty in 1980 and how many people are living in poverty now? Again, you may be surprised to find out that churches and para-church organizations have worked hand in hand for decades to bring an end to world hunger… in our lifetime. Yes, that can be done because it’s happening right now… with over a billion fewer people living in poverty since 1980 and if you have helped with that… allow me to say, ‘thank you’ and ask that you keep up this good work as October 16, 2024, is World Food Day… a reminder the poor will always be with us… but as God is using us there are fewer neighbors needing help…
The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long-time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches over the last four decades in Texas and Louisiana. Read more following Brian’s blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Send comments and/or questions to godworks247365@gmail.com.
