Abundance vs. Scarcity - A Different Way to Look at Poverty

Luke 21:1-4

21 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said, “Truly I tell you; this poor widow has put in more than all of them, 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

Poverty seems to be a hot-button topic for Jesus. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus calling attention to the disparity in income between the wealthy and the poor, and in particular, the lack of care for orphans and widows.

In Jesus’ world, the Priests who managed all activities in the Temple were to also provide sustenance for widows and orphans. Instead, many were uncared for and often became a burden on society. The model of the church taking care of the people is prevalent throughout church history. As we approach the period of the Reformation, this is one of Luther’s complaints regarding the church’s structure—taking money from those who did not have it to give with the promise that their loved ones would be extracted from purgatory sooner. The paying of indulgences to pardoners was one of the many abuses in the church during the late Middle Ages.

The issue of poverty is not new. Throughout history, people have struggled to have enough. If we return to our understanding of the development of the human migration story, we can see that people began to gather in clusters as a way to support one another. In these earliest settlements, it is assumed that the people lived an egalitarian existence. Without written documentation of such a feat, there is no way to know how their societies were structured.

By the time towns and cities come into existence, however, we do see a division among the people. As leaders rose to govern the people, they also began to take advantage of their positions. The work contributed to society has never been fairly compensated from the perspective of the worker. Even today, we see laborers who receive only a fraction of the money they earn for the company for whom they work, with the CEOs of these companies reaping the lion share of revenue.

The story of the widow giving money to the church provides us with a story of poverty from the Bible where Jesus is the observer and the commentator on this act of giving. This is one of the few passages in scripture where Jesus points out an injustice but doesn’t do anything to change it or fix it. He is making a point to his disciples that they understand viscerally—most of them were also poor—but that they may not get spiritually. This passage, at first glance, seems to point to the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, but I think it goes further than that.

At the heart of this passage, Jesus is asking us to understand where our abundance comes from.

Abundance is a mindset. We are either living from a place of abundance or living from a place of scarcity. Looking at our passage again, the question we should be asking is, “Why did the widow give all she had?” From an economic perspective, it may not be a prudent investment. However, from a mental or even spiritual perspective, it makes perfect sense. This widow, it would seem, lived from a greater place of abundance than the wealthy who had an abundance to give.

So, what does it mean exactly to have an abundance mindset vs. a scarcity mindset. Let’s start with scarcity. When we have a scarcity mindset, we see the world from a place of lack. We never have enough. We never feel fulfilled in anything we do. There is always something missing in our lives, whether tangible or intangible. People who struggle with a scarcity mindset feel trapped in their circumstances. They no longer see the possibilities on that which is impossible. Life is met with a lot of fear, and it feels like the little that you do have can be snatched away at any moment.

On the other hand, when you live from a place of abundance, you see the world as filled with possibility and opportunity. There is always more to see, feel, and experience in a world of abundance. Those who have an abundance mindset don’t live in fear of everything being taken away; instead, they are more likely to give what they have. There is always enough because there is always this idea of generosity and gratitude that grounds the individual in the reality of their circumstances. They may not have much financially, but they are blessed in their spirits – usually because of relationships, family, and a spiritual life that fills them with joy.

These two different mindsets have the ability to change the world. The scarcity mindset gives us more of what we see every day, people struggling to make ends meet, hustling to try and put food on the table, striving to find a better job that pays just a little more. I point to these things because this is often how we frame scarcity – a general lack of material wealth. But I look at scarcity as much bigger than a job, or food on the table. Wealthy people actually seem to operate from a place of scarcity more than those who we label poor. The more you have to lose, the greater the fear that you will lose it.

Those, however, with a mindset of abundance always find a way to give; give of their time, their limited resources, their love, and more. Even wealthy people that live from a place of abundance give away a large portion of their wealth.

As we tackle the social issues of Jesus’ day, it is my hope and prayer that we can discover more about how we need to live in our own time. May your world be filled with abundance.

“The Alien Resident Among You”

Luke 4:22-30

“22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you; no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months and there was a severe famine over all the land, 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many with a skin disease in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

The problem of immigration is not new. If we can imagine for one moment the amount of movement throughout the Mediterranean Region (including Southern Europe and Northern Africa), India, and even Asia, we begin to comprehend the enormity of the immigration issue. To set the stage, we need to first understand how land borders were defined in Jesus’ day. First all that land that we recognize as Biblical was under the control of the Roman Empire. The Empire established vast networks of forts and outposts along trade routes, rivers, and other natural landmarks that helped establish a border. Individuals, however, could cross borders without any form of documentation – if you lived within the Empire, you were part of the whole of the Empire.

Great! Now that we understand a tad bit of the geography, what in the world does that have to do with our passage?

The question that Jesus poses to his hometown crowd, “Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum,” sets the stage for the confrontation about to ensue. Jesus heals a servant of a Centurion. Yikes.

Why does this matter?

Jesus is challenging his own people to broaden their understanding of the kingdom of God. He isn’t pulling any punches with his cultural references. Those he encounters in the synagogue know the stories of how he healed the Centurion’s servant – both of which are not Israeli. God’s favor and blessing were bestowed on them through the Centurion’s faith alone. Jesus proclaims that “in no one in Israel have I found such faith” as that possessed by the Centurion, who knew Jesus could heal his servant with just a word.

He goes on to refer to Elijah, truly a prophet and man of God, who had to travel a distance to find a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. This widow was not an Israelite either. And yet, she garnered God’s favor. She provided lodging and food for Elijah and was spared certain death—she and her son being down to the last of her meal and oil—by following Elijah’s instructions from God. The widow’s son becomes ill during Elijah’s time there and Elijah cries out to God who then revives the son. The widow also had an uncanny belief in a God that was not her own, thus her son was spared.

And finally, Jesus mentions Naaman from Syria, another foreigner who was the head of Aram’s army and who suffered a skin disease. On a recent raid of an Israelite city, Naaman came into possession of a young girl who became his wife’s attendant. The young girl remarked to Naaman that if he prayed to the God of Israel that God would heal his skin disease. Naaman told Aram this news and was given permission to reach out to the King of Israel. The King, somewhat displeased with the request, made a spectacle of himself at which time Elisha steps in and saves the day. Naaman was instructed to wash in the Jordan River seven times and his skin disease would be healed. After a rebuff of Elisha’s prescription, he complied with some coaxing from his advisors and was healed.

Three examples are given in this passage. Three examples of faith held by those who were not Israeli, who were healed and restored by the power of God. This is what upset the people of Jesus’ hometown to the point of almost shoving him off the cliff’s edge. Jesus is tying his message of good news to those outside the Jewish faith. He is exclaiming in this moment that everyone is part of God’s kingdom, not just the people of Israel. This is a monumental claim.

The Israelites believed that they were the “chosen” people of God. Jesus turns that revelation on its head. Now we see him proclaiming God’s favor on all people. The blessing that the Israelites believed they possessed exclusively was no longer exclusive – actually, it never was. Jesus reorients us once again to an inclusive understanding of the gospel.

As we consider the implications for our own time, we might consider the lesson that Jesus provides his hometown, that all people are created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus points to these specific individuals who were not Israeli but still received God’s favor as a touchpoint of how we are to respond to those who are not like us or who come from somewhere else.

The practical side of immigration is obviously more difficult than healing someone in the Jordan River, raising someone from the dead, or with a word healing someone from a great distance. In truth, we have placed ourselves in a position to have to defend borders that perhaps God never intended. If we could see every person as a child of God, as part of the whole of the created order, would that change how we also see our borders? Would it change how we understand God’s blessing?

If we erase our man-made borders and only take notice of God’s kingdom as the whole human race, we might find that we have fewer differences than we think. Then we can begin to heal all of the wounds that borders create – literal borders and figurate borders.

Introduction - The Social Ills of Jesus' Day

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

We are in a post-Easter moment as we watch the world struggle with what it means to be truly resurrected; changed and transformed, for the sake of the gospel, the good news that God is with us; now and always.

In Jesus' inaugural sermon to his hometown of Nazareth, he places justice front and center as his primary ministerial purpose. For Jesus, justice isn't a side hustle that earns him extra cash on the weekends. His entire ministry is built upon a justice platform - addressing classism, ethno-centrism, health care, poverty, and other evils in the world, all while connecting these things to a proclamation of good news.

What is that good news?

In the Book of Luke, Jesus often equates the Kingdom of God with the good news. We often think of the Kingdom of God as being Heaven, or something far off in the distance. But in Luke 17:20-21 it reads: Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Understanding what the proclamation of good news is all about changes how we work for and achieve justice. Knowing that God's Kingdom resides within us means that we have everything we need in order to makes this world more just; a place where all are welcome and all are afforded the things that we all need in order to thrive.

Jesus doesn't hesitate to put the wealthy, including the religious leaders of his day, on notice. They gobble up a large portion of the resources while those who work tirelessly to make their bosses wealthy exist of a fraction of those resources. Jesus speaks loudly and clearly to the necessity of welcoming the immigrant and foreigner. The misnomer that calls for keeping the races separate and pure was never God's intention.

We see Jesus healing every disease under the sun without charging anyone for his time or trouble. He brings sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, makes the cripple or lame walk, he heals the disease of leprosy, he heals mental illnesses, a hemorrhagic woman, sick children, and even raises people from the dead (both spiritually and physically). Jesus also frees the oppressed - that means literally every one who is shoved into the margins for the color of their skin, for who they love, for their country of origin, for their lack of resources, for being born a woman, and so much more.

This work that Jesus is engaged in is Kingdom work. Jesus is showing us exactly what it means to participate in abundant life right now - by recognizing that the kingdom of God is within and by being aware of the social ills that prevent God's justice. It is up to us to do something about the injustices that we bear witness to on a daily basis.

We are now living in a time where our social ills will be our undoing. Every day on the news we hear about new legislation begin passed somewhere in the US that limits the freedom of those most oppressed in our society. We are blind to the hypocrisy of our words - to say that we believe in the sanctity of all "life," but refuse to limit access to certain types of guns which ends life; to keep people in poverty by limiting their access to resources while those who have resources in abundance continue to thrive; to profit off of other people's pain by charging exorbitant prices for prescription drugs and other medical care which encourages folks to choose between life-saving medication and/or treatment, and putting food on their tables; and we do this all the while claiming the love of God.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to take a deep dive into the social ills of Jesus' day and compare that to where we are now. Have we made any progress at all in ushering in a more just society? Or, have we perfected the practice of idolatry by placing money and things over relationships?

It is is true that God's kingdom is within, then how to make that kingdom fully known in our time? How do we reshape our message of love and hope so that those who are looking for a God who genuinely cares for them can actually be found? At what point do we stop attributing so much hatred to God and actually start loving our neighbor as ourselves?

May the message of Christ be fresh in your hearts as we continue in this Easter season. The power of resurrection is that we can always start over; may that moment be now.