What is poverty?
There are a lot of conversations happening in my country, South Africa, at the moment about black and white people.
But at the heart of many of those conversations is the distinction between rich and poor. As a result of the history of South Africa, the majority of the rich and poor divide still looks quite white and black. So economic issues and race issues end up quite interwoven.
I stumbled upon this Proverb in the Bible as I was sitting and thinking about these things:
“One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.” – Proverbs 22.6
What does that mean to you? To me, it reminded me that poverty is not about having no money or resources. It can appear in many different forms. Rich people who hold so desperately on to their wealth can appear much more poverty-stricken than poor people who are generous with their last bits of food, especially when visitors are present.
How rich are you?
Which reminds me again of one of my favourite little stories in the Bible that talks about the time Jesus was hanging around in the temple, people watching.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Jesus sees rich people and a poor person and He distinguishes between the two, but not in the way we are used to. He highlights the faith of the poor woman who put herself in the position of having to trust God and community to back up her faithfulness.
Whereas Jesus notes that the rich people tossed in their spare change. They were reliant on their wealth to take care of themselves and their money-tossing was simply a religious formality.
Where your money lies
I find so much of Jesus’ teaching about money to be freeing rather than constrictive. Yet I imagine when many people think about the church and money, there is some kind of negative reaction.
But listen to this, from Matthew 6:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Imagine if we could all really get this. Where your treasure is, there your heart is also. We see that in the widow. And we often observe that in the poor. But I know a lot of rich people whose possessions seem to have taken hold and with it, their souls have quickly followed.
The problem with chasing after money is that there will never be enough. But Jesus changes the norms of the world around and says, “Rather chase Me. I will be enough for you.”
As we hand over our lives to Him and trust Him with our finances and provision, so we have the capacity to look around us to other people. Which is why the church when it does church well, is one of the most attractive things in the entire world.
So you don’t have to have no money to be poor. How are you leveraging your time, energy and resources for other people right now?