The Poor (in Luke)

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 preliminary look at the theme of the poor in Luke yields a mixture of results about real socio-economic situations and appropriate spiritual reactions to those situations. It may also bring to light for Luke an unexpected result of the Messiah’s arrival. The nature of the poor, and in many cases how they were overlooked by the people of Israel, may highlight how the people misunderstood their Messiah.

In one particular case, a man resides in Hades, and after calling for Lazarus to go warn his family, Abraham says that they have Moses and the Prophets. The rich man calls for Lazarus to go because he believes the man’s resurrection will convince his family. Abraham disagrees in a way foreshadowing Christ’s resurrection. But the most interesting part is what they might have been convinced to believe. The rich man wants someone to come back from the dead to convince his family to help the poor, and from this their eternal destiny would not be like his. Indeed, to understand the poor in Luke is to come uncomfortably close to a re-imagined soteriology; at the very least, it calls for a renewed understanding of how true faith is lived out in the spirit of Christ.

Some consideration should be given to what may be called non-traditional understandings of “poor.” To trace the theme, the word πτωχός (poor) will be observed in all its occurrences in the book of Luke, but in many other sections Jesus is healing, ministering, and among people of low class, though πτωχός may not be used of them. In fact, a large number of the people in need who Jesus met were in need of more than just money or sustenance.   Keeping this in mind, when Jesus speaks about the poor (πτωχός), those instances were not his only consideration of them or the only aspects of the poor Luke wished to highlight. The total picture includes Christ’s actions among people in need, whatever word was used to describe them. Still in tracing the theme, following the occurrences of πτωχός gives a framework. 

  ¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;  Isaiah 61:1 (King James Version)

Luke gives an appropriate commencement to a study of the poor in Jesus’ own citation of Isaiah 61:1. We find him citing this passage twice in Luke; both are in the early part of the book (4:18 and 7:22), and both citations are the only citations of the OT in which the poor are mentioned. Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1 (LXX) are almost identical except that Luke 4:18 reiterates the idea of release to captives while the LXX has a more obvious expression of binding broken hearts. In Luke 7:22 Jesus is responding to John the Baptists’ questions and gives his answer in rapid fire. From Isaiah 61 we can see “τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσιν” (give sight to the blind) and “πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται” (preach good news to the poor) as direct correlations to 7:22. The aspect to note from these two sections is that when Jesus announces his purposes (4:18) and identifies himself (7:22) he does so with respect to his purpose and ministry to the poor.

In forming this theme through the book of Luke, perhaps it would be appropriate to note that the theme of the poor as a part of the gospel began even before Luke, and before Christ came as man. The poor have been in mind from early times in regard to the Messiah. Jesus’ statements about the poor then should have been recognized in relation to his messianic position. When John’s disciples come to him in 7:22 it is because John’s perceptions of the Messiah are not being met.[1] Jesus’ response is a reiteration of his purposes and they are citations of messianic passages, passages that John should have known. It was Jesus’ action in his service to the poor and others of low class that identified him as the Messiah. Green even notes that 4:18 shows that Jesus came for the poor, that they were his primary purpose. Jesus is bringing those who were considered “outsiders” into the fold and showing that they too can be a part of God’s family.[2] It may be then that it is no coincidence that the gospel, salvation, and the poor are intricately connected in Jesus’ later interactions and discussions.

Between these sections Jesus preaches his sermon on the plain where he states “blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” While many seem to have run wild with ascetic aspirations based on this and other verses, it seems that the blessing is related to Jesus’ arrival. There is an aspect to the fulfillment of each blessing as well that has an eschatological outlook. To some extent, each group is blessed or “woed” in the present, but perhaps more so in the eschaton, presicely because Jesus has come to inaugurate the end of times. The poor are thus blessed because Jesus has finally arived on the scene, the Messiah of his people and the world. It is not to say there is some intrinsic blessing to being poor. Rather, hunger, being hated, being poor, etc. are curses which the Messiah’s coming reverses, or at least begins the process of reversal. Again we see Christ’s coming and purpose wrapped up with ministry to the cursed and to the poor.

After a significant break in Luke with no mention of the poor (πτωχός), we come upon Jesus’ exhortation to the Pharisees to invite the poor to their parties in 14:12-14. Once again we see a reversal of perceptions: The Messiah is not rubbing elbows with the religious elite, but rather he is focused on the poor and the outcast. Green notes that Jesus’ actions reversed the common understanding that the poor and lowly were outside God’s people, but that Jesus came to make them his family. He broke the social boundaries to ensure that all people, and especially the poor had access to God and honor from him. Jesus words and behavior “collapse the distance between rich and poor.”[3]

The poor are mentioned again in another section of Jesus’ teaching (16:20) when he relates the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Once again there is a purposeful correlation that Jesus is building between being a follower of God and helping the poor. Being identified with God was to identify with helping the poor, perhaps even identifying with the poor themselves. It may be that the point of the gospel which the people were missing was the aspect of true faith in God. It seems that the story is trying to say that the rich man’s family would not follow God rightly even if a man rose from the dead. Following God rightly in this case would have been caring for Lazarus. Besides being a good lesson on what it means to believe in God and follow him, it is also an indictment against Israel pointing out how they don’t recognize their Messiah, and perhaps a prediction that even after the resurrection, they still wouldn’t get it. Jesus is pointing out that if they had real or complete faith in God, real identity in Him, they would be doing what he was doing: helping the poor.

¹⁸And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  ¹⁹And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. ²⁰Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. ²¹And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. ²²Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. ²³And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. Luke 18:18-23 (King James Version)

When Luke writes in 18:18 and following about the rich man who comes to ask Jesus about eternal life, Jesus questions him about the law. The man replies that he has kept it all, and yet Christ requires one more thing from him. He calls him to sell all he has and give to the poor. It would seem that the theme of the poor in Luke is tied up in salvation and the law, and that ministry to the poor is some sort of missing piece. Perhaps it is the fact that the law itself could be kept without helping the poor, but the spirit of the law in some sense could not be kept without helping the poor. This teaching may be more significant than it seems, for if there is more than keeping the law that a Jew needed to do, what else might there be? It may be that Jesus was teaching that salvation is not about following any set of rules, but identifying with God and with the Messiah, who in turn identifies, ministers, gives, and loves the poor. Could it be that the rich man did not need to minister, give, or help the poor, but needed to be a minister, a giver, and a helper to the poor?

A similar lesson could be drawn out of 19:1-10 with the story of Zaccheus. When others begin to grumble about Zaccheus’ occupation as a tax collector, he addresses the issue himself, without a word from Christ. After claiming that he would give half his possessions to the poor and give back four times to anyone he might have defrauded, Christ proclaims that salvation came to his house and that Zacchues was a son of Abraham. Once again the law of Moses is in some sense subordinated to Christ’s mission. It is not following the law that makes this man a son of Abraham, but his generosity and how he gave to the poor (or at least claimed he would give to them). Luke is trying to show through this story how someone considered an outsider, someone who would never be considered a son of Abraham, certainly is one by his actions. By identifying with the Messiah and the work of the Messiah, Zaccheus shows his faith in who Jesus is. To take this just one step further, when they questioned him about being a sinner, he does not cite his credentials in relation to the law, but finds a defense in giving to the poor. Whether he realizes it or not, in this action he is identifying with the Messiah and his mission.  

Finally, in Luke 21:3 Jesus speaks about a poor widow who puts in her last bit of money. Without ever mentioning that she is blessed more than the others, Jesus still honors the woman by his mention of her and how she sacrificed to give. In this final instance of the poor in Luke, we find that Luke highlights a reversal of societal norms as Christ honors the lowly to a higher status than the others.

To conclude this brief look at “the poor” in Luke, some unforeseen realities begin to emerge. First, “the poor” as a theme does not seem to fit Luke. When the poor are mentioned it is always in close context to Christ, to his mission, purpose, character, and identity. In this way, “the poor” are never isolated from Christ, it is truly “the poor and Christ” in Luke, especially when the stories and passages where πτωχός is not mentioned are considered; Christ is very often with people in serious need. Second, the relationship between the Law and helping the poor is radically redrawn so that the value placed on these people seems to be greater than the rules and codes the people had handed down to them. Valuing people is based on true faith in God and His identity; if the people understood and obeyed God, they would have done what Christ did. Finally, and more simply, what can be said about “the poor and Christ” is that he valued them supremely, loved them dearly, and spent his time, resources, energy, and blood for their benefit, healing, and salvation. May we do the same with our lives.

 

Writer: David Witthoff is a Salvationist from the Oakbrook Terrace Corps. He recently graduated from the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago with a BA in Pastoral Ministry. Currently he lives in Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA where he is working towards a Master of Arts in Old Testament and a Master of Arts in Biblical Languages at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. David enjoys writing music, exegeting, sci-fi tv shows, running, soccer, languages and talking about the Army with his friends. His hope is to be the best soldier, officer, student and teacher of the scripture that he can be.

References: 

[1] Joel, B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1997) 295

[2] Green, 211

[3] Green, 553

5 Comments to The Poor (in Luke)

1. Well said!

   Bill G
Bill Garrett on November 4th, 2009

2. Great job Dave.

   I feel that this message can really help us (Salvationists)understand our real motive of helping and loving the poor.

   Keep on writing!

   D
Dave on November 4th, 2009

3. You Rock Dave!

   Helena
Helena Dreyer on November 5th, 2009

4. Great article Dave! Very eye-opening.

   But admit it, you wrote this whole thing just so you could use the word “soteriology”, right?

   Definitely had to look that one up!

   Jim
Jim Witthoff on November 6th, 2009

5. Well written, well documented, well done. Your essay was a blessing to me.

   Joe D
Joe on November 6th, 2009

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