You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” vs. 8
John 12:4-8
Judas had weighed in on Mary’s extravagance by cynically suggesting that it would have been better to sell the perfume and give the money to the poor. But Jesus doesn’t bite. Instead he suggests that the poor will always be hanging around, but that his own time is limited. Ironically his words are often repeated by people who see no point in providing food for the hungry or making any other attempts to address the issues of poverty. They say that since Jesus said that the poor are always going to be with us we should just learn to accept poverty as an ever-present reality. Such an approach ignores one of the central tenets of his mission statement, i.e. “The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”
The presence of hungry, homeless people on the streets of our cities should be seen then as a challenge, and not a hopeless reality. Every congregation worth its salt will have multiple ways for its members to make life better for the poor. And because of the multiple crises facing our world in these times, we’re called to redouble our efforts. It’s an absolute travesty in a world oozing with wealth and riches that countless millions of people should be going hungry. Something major has gotten out of whack, and no Christian should rest when so many are in such dire need.
Thought for the Day: Why are there so many poor people?
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