Minister with His Hands and Heart

January 12

According to the Washington Times, Senator Marco Rubio has declared that the ‘War on Poverty’ has been lost. A recent post states his conclusion thusly: "Five decades and trillions of dollars after President Johnson waged his War on Poverty, the results of this big-government approach are in," he said. "We have four million Americans who have been out of work for six months or more."

Rubio added that "economic, social, cultural and educational changes and challenges" have caused poverty to get worse and that the federal government is not equipped to fix it.

One crucial factor that the government has not included in its futile effort to end poverty in our time is a truth that was spoken by Jesus in John 12:8, “The poor you shall always have with you…” Jesus spoke these words to Judas who had faulted Mary for pouring expensive perfume upon the Lord’s feet. Our Savior took the opportunity to say that her having done so was an anointing for His burial, for Jesus knew the work He came to do would soon be concluded on the cross.

But Jesus’ heart was not hardened to the poor, nor should ours be. He was simply stating the truth that His crucifixion was at hand. Throughout His ministry, Jesus interacted with compassion with the poor and destitute and sick and helpless. He ever manifested the compassion the Father had expressed in Deuteronomy 15.

The passage begins by talking about the remission of debts, and based upon this principle it asserts: that "there will be no poor among you." However, it then goes on to say: "If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be… Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so… For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore, I command you saying, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.'"

The clear message we can take from these passages is that there will, indeed be poor people among us but that we as believers are to endeavor to alleviate their poverty through our generosity. This is not the coerced largess of government that taxes one to supply another, it is not the 'redistribution of wealth,' but the heartfelt giving of a believer of substance to another whose circumstances are penurious.

What Senator Rubio has discovered is that government beneficence, carried on the backs of an over-taxed people, has failed. In every little hamlet, however, where believers in Christ reach out to meet the needs of their brothers, stomachs are full and homes are warm simply because brothers care for each other and labor in the behalf of those in need as does the Lord who invites us to, “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you,” I Peter 5:7.

May we ever minister to our brothers as with His own hands and as with His own heart.