The Enormous Pop Quiz

Jesus knew the end was coming.  What was this end?  Well, just the judgment of all humanity, the final determination of the destiny of every individual.

And the problem was, no one was ready.

The judgment wasn't based on how many sacrifices one made, how often someone went to church, whether they signed the correct doctrinal statement, or if they were nice people.  It was based on one thing alone-- how merciful we were to Gods's people, especially those in the most serious need.

Well, many people don't really have the opportunity to help folks like this, and many others think that God is so petty as to determine eternal judgment based on how far a person walked on the Sabbath or whether they refrained from masturbating.   So Jesus determined to establish a test.  He would send out evangelists, who had a pretty simple, short sermon: The kingdom of God is coming.  They would clearly be poor and in need, they would have no wallets, no baggage, no food.  To pass the test, all people had to do is to meet the needs of these testers.  If they don't feed or give them shelter, they fail the test.

This is the same test today.  Jesus sends out his people all over the world, and all we have to do is care for their basic needs, and we are good.  Who are these people?  Well, there are a few desperately poor pastors and evangelists who should be helped.  Also Christians who give everything to the poor and so become poor themselves-- they count.  But also the beggars.  The millions of beggars who are also God's people.

Did you know that a large percentage of the homeless are people doing their best to follow Jesus?  They love God and appreciate him.  Sure, many of them are weak, some of them are mentally ill and all of them are desperately poor.  But they are God's chosen apostles.  And they were sent to test you.

When you see a beggar hold a cardboard sign that says "God bless" that isn't some evil person seeking to steal your money-- that is an apostle sent by Jesus to test you.  You might give them something to eat.  You might give them some change.  You might go the extra mile and carry socks or hand warmers in your car to give them.  You might be very generous and offer them a place to stay overnight, perhaps a motel room.  But if you do nothing... if you reject God's opportunity to show mercy...

"Judgment will be merciless on those who do not show mercy" James 2:13

The Good and Bad News of Jesus

Here are some quotes from Walter Pilgrim's Good News to the Poor. This book is, in my opinion, the best book about Jesus' view of the poor and rich written yet, second only to John Chrysostom's sermons to the rich in scope and message. Why is this book out of print? We should all be studying this book in our churches.


The gospel of Mark’s “original intent was not that of a warning to the rich but as a word of promise and hope to the poor. It said something like this, ‘You who are least in the eyes of others and by the measure of earthly standards have the least, you will be abundantly blessed in the age to come.” The coming of God’s kingdom meant the end to their lowly status and God’s vindication of their cause.”

For the anawim, “the social and political life-settings are still there. The situations of distress are still those of literal poverty, persecution, oppression, affliction and the like. The anawim are truly the victims of life and their enemies are powerful and well-to-do. What makes them anawim, is the fact that their hope is in God and their cries reach out to Yahweh with confidence in His promised deliverance.”

“The Lucan birth narratives present the opening drama of a God who puts down the mighty and the rich from their positions of eminence and raises up those of low degree. In these stories the revelation of the new age begun in Jesus Christ is given to the poor and the lowly, as well as the pious and the not so pious…. Luke is here already anticipating the good news to the poor embodied in Jesus’ ministry throughout his Gospel.”

“Jesus’ acceptance of [sinners] into his fellowship points to his creation of a new community of those who were formerly on the outs with God and with other people. In this sense ‘the first will be last and the last first’ and God’s promised eschatological reversal for the poor has already become a reality in the ministry of Jesus.”

About the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16):
“How could anyone hear the vivid descriptions of the gross discrepancy in social conditions as anything other than a devastating critique against the rich who exploit the poor and live in social luxury, unmindful of the dying beggars at their gate? Moreover, God’s decisive siding with ths poor is not only alluded to in the name Lazarus, i.e., God helps, but in the great reversal which brings moral judgment. For the rich man is not just deprived of his possessions, he is punished (vv. 23-24), while Lazarus enjoys the eschatological blessings of the faithful elect. Hence we conclude that it is not just the great social inequality which results in judgment or blessing, but also the way of life associated with both…. The emphasis on the great disparity between the rich and poor raises the question acutely whether the rich as rich can avoid the eschatological reversal in the coming age.”

“Luke addressed himself to the rich Christians in his day. He does not insist that they give up all their possessions, nor does he require an elimination of all economic differences in the community. But Luke does say this to the rich Christians: ‘Your abundance and the poverty of other Christians are not in accordance with God’s will or with the spirit of Jesus. You must relinquish your abundance for the sake of the poor and work toward greater economic equality…’ ”