The Poor Will Always Be With You, and Deuteronomy 15

While preaching last Sunday on the day's Gospel reading from John 12 (verses 1-8), I said I'd write a post about Jesus' response to Judas' complaint about Mary of Bethany's use of some REALLY expensive perfume to anoint Jesus' feet. This is it.

Jesus told Judas, and everyone else within earshot, "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me" (John 12:8).

What did he mean by that?

Many of the commentaries I read in preparation for preaching focused mostly on the first half of the sentence. Few spent much time discussing the fact that Jesus was only six days away from crucifixion here. Perhaps Jesus intended to draw attention to the fact that his death really was imminent. After all, he said that Mary "bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial." Here, on the day the lambs for sacrifice at Passover would have been selected, Mary's actions make it obvious that Jesus has been selected for sacrifice, as well. His days are numbered and tending to him is appropriate and right.

So, what about the poor? Does Jesus mean we're off that hook? In some times and places, some Christians have said, yes.

Carol Howard Merritt wrote at The Hardest Question last week about conversations and experiences she's had, in which people dismiss opportunities to help the poor, because "the poor will always be with us."

In my mind, he had twisted the words of Jesus to let me know that there was no use trying to work for the greater good of people, we might as well turn our back on the plight of the poor, because some people will just be victims of fateful poverty.

I heard the words when our church planned to spend millions of dollars to rearrange the furniture in the sanctuary. When people questioned spending so much money on cosmetic updates while so many homeless people needed to be fed in our neighborhood, I heard, “The poor will always be with us.”

In our country, as the middle class dwindles and the rich hoard more in their off-shore accounts than the GDP of many countries, I hate these words. And so the hardest question for me becomes, how do we preach the love of Christ, who fed and healed people, in the light of Jesus saying, “The poor will always be with us?”

(You can read her whole post here).

Yet Jesus didn't speak these words, nor did John record them, in a vacuum. If you flip to the Old Testament, you find that Jesus wasn't the first to say this. Deuteronomy 15:11: "...there will never cease to be some in need on the earth..." Ah. Right.

But wait a second, back up a bit more and read those words in context. Deuteronomy 15 is all about releasing the poor from debts. God's people were not to create a permanent underclass with borrowing that never saw an end or way out. Deut 15:1: "Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts." Radical? Yes.

Go grab your Bible and turn to Deuteronomy 15. Verses 4 and 5 say, "There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the LORD is sure to bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the LORD your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today."  It seems like that could be true, if everyone's debts are forgiven every 7 years.

But then check out verse 7: "If there is among you anyone in need..."

And then verse 11: "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.'"

That's a big move in just a few verses, from no one in need to no end of people in need. The command, though, is clear: be generous.

Mary was generous to Jesus. Jesus has been generous to us. Now we can be generous to all those in need.

What do YOU think? Comments welcome!