The Bible continually points to the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the needy, and the oppressed. In the Old Testament, we read that Yahweh God especially loves the poor and does not forget them. Yahweh's anointed one "delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy" (Ps. 72:12-13). Yahweh "does not forget the cry of the afflicted" (Ps. 9:12). Yahweh has been "a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress" (Is. 25:4).
In the Old Testament social order, the poor received an economic advantage. The people were commanded to load freely to the poor, but not to charge interest (Deut. 15:7-11; Ex. 22:25). Part of the wheat and grape harvest was to be left ungathered for the benefit of the poor (Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22). Even part of the purpose of the tithe was to provide relief for the poor (Deut. 14:28-29; 26:12-13)—a welfare system.
The Old Testament emphasizes that Yahweh requires justice for the poor and will judge those who oppress them. Yahweh's words by the prophet Zechariah are representative: "Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy each to his brother, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor" (Zech. 7:9-10; compare Lev. 19:15; Deut. 16:18-20; 24:14-22; Prov. 31:9; Amos 2:6-7).
Finally, the Old Testament teaches that Yahweh's people bear a special ethical responsibility for the poor. Remembrance of their slavery in Egypt was to motivate the Israelites to show mercy to the oppressed (Deut. 24:17-22). The faithfulness of Yahweh's people was continually measured by their treatment of the poor.
Why does Yahweh care so much about the poor? Because poverty is of ethical significance—the poor is a moral category, relating to Yahweh's requirement for justice. In Yahweh's world, there is no human condition that escapes moral significance.
Jesus made the preaching of the Gospel to the poor a validation of His own ministry. He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18; citing Isaiah 61, compare Matthew 11:1-6). Jesus believed the poor were more ready and able to understand and accept His Gospel. Jesus prayed, "I thank you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will" (Matt. 11:25-26).
Jesus specifically directed the Gospel call to the poor. He said, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Jesus was not only speaking of the poor, but also of those burdened by the demands of the Law. On several occasions, Jesus recommended sowing partiality to the poor (Matt. 19:21; Luke 12:33; 14:12-14). Jesus demonstrated the same attitude toward the poor that Yahweh revealed in the Old Testament.
Even the apostles cared for the poor. When Paul went up before the Council in Jerusalem, James, Peter, and John "asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do" (Gal. 2:10).
Jesus' Ekklesia must likewise place special emphasis on the poor. A biblical ekklesia with biblical theology that seeks to be New Testament in spirit and practice must reflect the biblical concern for the poor. Bruce Kendrick wrote, "Instead of seeking the lost sheep—whether black or white or speckled—[Protestants] sought out those who thought as they thought, and dressed as they dressed, and talked as they talked." Instead of seeking the poor, "the Protestant church was cutting itself off from them and neglecting the fact that the sign of the Kingdom is that the poor have the Gospel preached to them." The American church has implied that its mission is meaningless to the poor, the hopeless, and the wretched—unless an ocean separates them.
"I was hungry and you gave me a press release" is how the American church largely deals with the poor. Wherever the poor are found, there is the focus of Christian responsibility. Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you" (Matt. 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8). Jesus was suggesting that while poverty will persist, it is not a reason to neglect helping those in need.
The priority among the poor is evangelism. "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them" (Matt. 11:5). Noting we can do for the poor is more relevant than evangelism. Ernest Campbell wrote in his Christian Manifesto, "A church so busily at work correcting the massive injustices of society that it cannot or will not make the effort to win men and women to an allegiance to Jesus Christ will soon become sterile and unable to produce after its kind." Not will its kind be worth producing after.
Are we more concerned with poverty than with the poor? Are we more concerned about a program than about people? Are we more interested in solving a social problem than meeting personal need?
We would do well to learn from 1 Corinthians 1:28-29: "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to being to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." American missionaries frequently have the bad habit of going into foreign countries and trying to win over the well-to-dos, the social elites, the upper class, and it fairs poorly for them. But those who go to the poor witness crazy growth.
Christian responsibility toward the poor does not end with evangelism. Loving involvement with persons, once begun, cannot simply be turned off. Christian responsibility toward the poor is an expression of love. Yahweh expects His people to see that the poor among them are cared for. Can we say with David, "I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread" (Ps. 37:25)? If not, then our "Christianity" is not meeting its biblical responsibility to the poor.
The Ekklesia needs the poor. Too many religious movements in history are born among the poor, rise on the socioeconomic ladder with subsequent generations, and then leave the poor behind, disinherited. This pattern recurs with remarkable regularity in the history of Christianity. The pattern of the flesh is to grow up into "respectability," leaving the poor behind. The pattern of the Spirit is to grow up into Christ. A healthy emphasis on the Gospel to the poor may be the surest antidote to institutionalism and irrelevant structures. We should never assume the necessity of an elaborate building; our approach should be people-centered. This only happens when meeting in small groups in homes where everyone can get to know everyone else intimately. It never happens in the church.
Our large man-made denominations are becoming Laodicean (Rev. 3:17) and will be left to die, as they should. These denominations only perpetuate among themselves, although statistics reveal that many of their children are leaving the faith. Institutional Christianity kills, and always has. Biblical Christianity is organic; it is open, spontaneous, and every-member functioning.
We ignorantly seem to think that the "mission field" only applies over the ocean. In our own countries we have the poor. Americans believe that the response would not be the same if the Gospel were preached to the poor in their cities. How do they know? They are not there. They have never tried. Both the Bible and history point the same way: preach the Gospel to the poor! Failure to minister to the poor witnesses a distorted view of the institutional church, and even an ekklesia.
There is a reason why Jesus said that the prostitutes and the drug dealers and the other "low-lifes" were entering the Kingdom ahead of the religious elite. Maybe we should ponder that promptly.