The Spiritually Impoverished

Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.

The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.

By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.

What does the Bible tell us about poverty? Any references to the poor, in scripture, must be understood as referring to spiritually poverty, the lack of truth and understanding, love and compassion.

Among those who are spiritually poor are those who will inherit the kingdom, for they acknowledge their need of God. But they are also spiritually poor who dwell within themselves, who reject God and neglect the neighbor, who seek their own good from their own perspective.

Poverty is used in scripture to describe an inner state of emptiness. But the symbolism is not arbitrary, or accidental. Natural, material poverty corresponds to inner, spiritual poverty because it is spiritual poverty, a lack of compassion and justice, that is the cause of natural poverty. And natural poverty, the unnecessary lack of basic material needs, is the effect of spiritual poverty.

The issue of wealth and poverty is one of the most important issues facing the church today. Themes woven through the biblical texts are especially helpful reminders for the church at a time when society would abandon the poor. I have included a few examples here:

God can be trusted to meet our needs.
God cares for the poor.
God calls the church to be a community, for richer, for poorer.

Even so, with all this, the church alone cannot adequately respond to the systemic nature of poverty. We would do well to call upon our government to help create an economic environment that provides opportunities to earn a living wage and a safety net to protect the most vulnerable. But for that call to have integrity, it must be rooted in our life and practice as a church.

Scripture readings: Galatians 2:7-10; Proverbs 14:31; Psalms 41: 1-3; Psalms 10:1-2; Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 1:51-55; John 12:44-50; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Job 5:8-16; 2 Cor. 8:13-14; Psalm 140:12.

Let's pray:

Dear God, you taught us to speak out for what is right. Make us content with nothing less than a world that is transformed into the shape of love, where poverty shall be no more. Amen.

-special thanks to Anup Shah

Have a blessed day,

Joan