He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker:
but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. Proverbs 14:31
Jesus loves the poor
He tells us in many different ways that He loves the poor
He wants us to reach out to them,
give to them,
share with them,
not treat them as less than
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,
which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:
the rich man also died, and was buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,
and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things,
and likewise Lazarus evil things:
but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:
so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;
neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father,
that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him,
They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham:
but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:19-31
The term poor likely brings an image to your mind,
maybe a homeless person,
unkempt and with tattered clothing
Or maybe some other idea you have in your mind as a poor soul who is lacking
Jesus reached out to many who were poor,
some may have looked like your image of the poor
Some may not have
The woman at the well, who was a Samaritan John 4
The woman who was about to be stoned for adultery John 8
The man who couldn’t walk who was let through the roof on a mat Luke 5
The ten lepers Luke 17
The man possessed with demons with no clothing Luke 8
Their presentation was not important to Jesus
We should strive to be the same
and not elevate the things that the world elevates
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory, with partiality.
For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings,
in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,”
and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”
have you not shown partiality among yourselves,
and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my beloved brethren:
Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
But you have dishonored the poor man.
Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? James 2:1-7
God is not impressed with those who trust in their riches
And He is not pleased with those who oppress the poor
With much addiction in the world today,
we can excuse our lack of kindness
Jesus wouldn’t
Make sure you check with God
to see how He would like you to treat such encounters
There may be a way to help such people with kindness
while not encouraging their addiction
Try always to treat them with empathy
treating them the way you would like to be treated
if you were in their predicament
It is up to each of us to check our hearts
and reach out as the Lord would have us
Sometimes we are afraid,
or it might not be wise to approach an unpredictable stranger,
God knows all
There is no easy answer
It is something to pray about
so that we are open to what God would ask of us
Perhaps giving to a local charity who provides meals
and other services,
then, if possible, direct those you meet to those places that can help them
Whatever you and the Lord come up with
He has a way to work with you to help fulfill His will
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3
Poor in spirit
A different kind of poor than we might think of
Broken-hearted
Devastated
Suicidal
A weak person who is lacking strength or otherwise
or who could be considered wounded
or even not so easy to get along with
Seek the Lord for an extra measure of grace toward others
Some might be lacking in ways that we cannot fathom,
If we think back to encounters we have had,
were we as kind or as loving as Jesus would have been?
Did we speak to those who crossed our paths without judgment?
Were we able to look past their ugliness?
Or we as kind and compassionate as we know Jesus would have been?
Not an easy answer, but a good goal to strive for
Remember those who are poor in spirit
Some people were raised in very healthy homes
They have emotional security, have always felt loved
have many friends and family around
This is a gift from a God,
This also could be taken away by God in an instant
These strengths could be considered talents
If we only use our talents on those who love us, what reward have we?
Jesus would have us to love and be kind to all,
even to those who don’t deserve it
Love those less fortunate in these ways however Jesus directs you
Help them, spend time with them
without making them feel like you are doing it for a duty,
otherwise you may lose your reward
and more importantly, not be pleasing to God
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:46
If you love those who love you, do not the publicans the same?
Maybe the people put in your path are not very pleasant to be around
Maybe they are poor in a different way than you think
Poor in a fun personality
Or poor in intelligence
Or poor in consideration for others
Or they’re curt, no filter as they say
Or have some other unlikable trait
There are all kinds of conditions of being poor
that make others less desirable to be around
Jesus said: Love your neighbor as yourself
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,
Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You,
or thirsty and give You drink?
When did we see You a stranger and take You in,
or naked and clothe You?
Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
And the King will answer and say to them,
‘Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren,
you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25
Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard. Proverbs 21:13