Do Not Tolerate Poverty

"However there should be no poor among you. For in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God . . . (Deuteronomy 15:4-5)."

Amazingly I shared this with a church leader last week and she responded, "you must be a socialist." We were discussing the greed and exploitation that the oil companies (with the assistance of Congress and the Supreme Court) continue to inflict on the American consumers. One of the things I have learned these past six years is that when you attempt to be faithful to the One who is unconditional love apart from faithfulness to His Word, you will come under the influence of deceptive spirits. These spirits have captured the minds of many American Christians causing us to live with a false consciousness and many delusions.

The Word of God is very clear on the subject of poverty. Jesus said that those who followed him must not only adhere to this Word (the Hebrew Bible) but to the "spirit of the law" as well. So verse one of this chapter begins, "At the end of seven years you must cancel all debts." Verse seven reads, "If there is a poor man among you. . . do not be hardhearted or tightfisted. . . ." Verse eight continues, "Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs." Verse ten concludes the matter, "Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything that you put your hand to."

This is not good capitalism--neither is it necessarily socialism. It is faithful discipleship. Those who follow God are not only held accountable for these commandments, but are promised a blessing in everything that you put your hand to." Those who have paid off Congress to keep student loan rates high, who think a free college and graduate school education for all who qualify is unthinkable, to bristle at paying any tax dollars to support free national health care--and claim to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnation of God's unconditional love--are deluding themselves, and robbing the community of faith of its real power and blessing. God is watching and will hold us accountable for our spiritual captivity to the god of greed.

Profits Trump People . . . Again

One-Year Bible, 2/20/12
“The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this . . . . When the people came out to Jesus they saw, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, dressed in his right mind. . . . Then the people plead with Jesus to leave their region (Mark 5:12-17).”

Reading this you might say not much has changed. Jesus had entered the beautiful hillsides of the Gerasenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It is a beautiful region of verdant hills not unlike Northern California. It was a very prosperous multicultural community, hence the herding of pigs—an unclean animal in the eyes of Jesus and his disciples.

Now Jesus had healed a man whose demented, tortured condition was well known. This man, a “cutter”, once so insane that he could not be subdued, was now in his right mind. Did they congratulate Jesus for finally curing the man of his extreme mental “dis-ease?” Did they celebrate the positive outcome? Were they encouraged that others who struggled with similar serious conditions might be relieved? No.

Their concern was the loss of profit--that they had lost the pigs, not that a man had been healed and returned to the community as a productive, happy and healthy citizen. The challenge that Jesus faced concerning human greed and disregard for human well-being continues to confront us as people of faith and people of good will. Will you stand against communities, leaders, political strategies programs and public policies that place profits before people?

Happy President’s Day