Essay: How Jesus Viewed Poverty

Sample Essay

Words 2,120

“What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.” (Matthew 11:7-8 New International Version)

Jesus never built a house for himself. According to the Gospels, Jesus had no house of his own; he used to travel around the country, preaching to people. He said of himself, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58 New International Version)

According to Paul, Jesus lived a life of voluntary poverty. According to Paul, Jesus, being God, could have chosen to be born in a rich family, but he chose the company of the poor:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor” (2 Cor.8:9 New International Version). This can be considered one more example of the esteem, Jesus had for the poor.

In Jesus’ view, the Kingdom of Heaven was the inheritance of the poor. Jesus commanded those of his followers who had wealth to adopt voluntary poverty as well. The gospels depict an incident in which a certain ruler came to Jesus, professing his belief in him and wanting to know what he must do to inherit the everlasting life of Heaven. Jesus first commanded him to keep the commandments and then to sell everything he had and give it in charity to the poor and then to follow him (Luke 18:18-30 New International Version).

Jesus taught his disciples that although it was not completely impossible for a rich man to enter heaven but it was certainly very difficult. It was more difficult for a rich man to enter Heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. (Luke 18:18-27 New International Version)

He comforted those who had adopted poverty at his command with the promise that they will receive in heaven, a reward many time greater than what they gave up (Luke 18:28-30 New International Version)

In the famous ‘Sermon on the Plain’ in Gospel of Luke, Jesus taught that the poor, the hungry, the sad and those who are persecuted for following him are the blessed ones of God and are those God has selected for inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Luke 6:20-21 New International Version). The rich, the well-fed, the joyous and those that are praised by others, on the other hand, are accursed, because God has marked them for hunger, sorrow and misery in the afterlife. (Luke 6:24-25 New International Version)

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