DO NOT (PART 1) - THE CAUSE OF THE POOR

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life.

Proverbs 22:22-23          

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today we begin looking at a series of “do not” statements found through Solomon’s 30 sayings of the wise. These sayings begin in Proverbs 22:17 and span across the remainder of Chapter 22 through Chapter 24.

Today’s saying is centered on the poor and perhaps we could have no better message for today as we look into the new year and consider how we might better carry out the will and way of Jesus.

I say this because of these words He spoke, first to a hometown audience within the Nazareth synagogue and then to His disciples:

He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because he has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’”

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’"

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’” Matthew 25:34-40

Let me address both of these statements and then connect the wise saying of Solomon.

First, Jesus, in His hometown of Nazareth, pronounces Himself as the anointed One who had come to fulfill the prophecy of the Old Testament messenger Isaiah and bring good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight for the blind, freedom from oppression, and proclamation of the Lord’s favor. Those who had been marginalized by Jewish society now had an advocate and not just any advocate but God’s one and only Son Jesus, the promised Messiah sent to deliver people in the present and future.

Think about how many people in our world today have been pushed aside because they aren’t as well off as others. Every nation has problems with hunger and homelessness and unattainable health care for many who die from preventable and treatable causes. Now think about the wealth in the world and how much money is squandered on unimportant matters. The truth of the matter is that no one in our world should be left in a place where they are not cared for and given a decent lease on life. Nations seem to feel they are only obligated to take care of their own when the truth of the matter is that everything they have came from the Lord who expects them to be proper stewards of His gifts. I wonder how He feels when a nation has enough money and resources to keep someone alive in the world and yet they die because no help was extended.

And lest we feel like this is only a national issue, it isn’t. For each and every person in the world who has the opportunity to give is obligated to return what is rightfully the Lord’s to care for His people. There is no doubt that the word of the Lord calls us to do so but how well are we responding?

For in looking at the second passage from Matthew, we are told by Jesus Himself that if you want to be considered righteous and thus end up with the sheep on the right when He returns, then you had better be obedient to His word that exhorts us to care for the less fortunate, for the hungry and thirsty, and estranged, and naked, and sick and imprisoned. He did it and if you are to be Christian and thus partnered with Christ, then you must live as Jesus lived and advocate for those considered the least in society.

All this now leads to Solomon’s second saying of the wise:

Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life. Proverbs 22:22-23

Solomon never had a chance to meet Jesus but they did have something in common: the wisdom of the same Father. And that wisdom led them both to support and campaign for the cause of the poor, the oppressed, the sick and lame, the hungry, and the incarcerated. There is to be no exploitation rather contribution toward giving those who are in need a better life, all the while letting them hear the good news of the salvation that comes only through Jesus, the motivator for our actions. We give because Christ gave first. We love because Christ first loved us. And we help others find their salvation because that is the purpose that Jesus gave us in His Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Solomon spoke out for the cause of those in need. Jesus came to liberate those who had been marginalized in Jewish society and then passed the torch of compassion and caring and charity for the least of these unto us.

As we enter 2014, we should explore how well we are carrying that torch, the torch that burns with the light of the One who was, is, and will always be the Light of the world for all people, rich or poor.  

Our first “do not” tells us to “do not” ignore the needs of the less fortunate.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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