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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 21, 2008 Good News for the Poor |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, January 21, 2008 by Fritz Foltz
Matthew 4: 17, 23-25...Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’…Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
It had to be forty years ago, but it still bothers me. As a young pastor I had offered the grace at a synod meeting. My very short prayer included a petition asking God to care for the “poorest of the poor”. When I returned to my seat, an older very prominent colleague frowned and rather roughly criticized me, “Fritz, I don’t want to be reminded of the poor. I think we should be thanking God for what he has given us.”
It still bothers me, because I could not comprehend what he was saying. I had been trained to hear Jesus proclaiming the good news to the poor and to see his healings as signs that all those in need would be cared for in the future. That led to our present mission which in part was to do as much as possible for the needy right here and now.
Since that time I have heard my critical colleague echoed quite a bit in the proponents of the “The Success Gospel” or “The Prosperity Gospel” or “The God Has Your Miracle If You Will Claim It Gospel”. All this implies that the poverty of the poor is their own fault, because they do not follow God’s law or ask him in an appropriate way for relief.
It is important to remind ourselves that in the Gospels Jesus scolds those who follow him only because they want supernatural gifts for themselves and neglect others in need. As he makes this point, more and more of the crowds leave him until he is down to a very few on Good Friday.
Jesus comes proclaiming the good news that the Kingdom of God has started, teaching us this gives us the security to love and share right now, and illustrating all this by healing and feeding those in need brought to him.
I thought of that forty- year old incident recently when I offered much the same prayer for the “poorest of the poor” at a family dinner. Again I was criticized, but this time with laughter as I was asked what happened to the rest of the poor. “Is God only to help the poorest of them?” I hope I remember that criticism in the next forty years. It teaches me quite a bit.
Let us pray: Thank you, Gracious Father, for all the good things you pour out upon us. Care this day for the poorest of the poor, and the rest of the poor, and all the rest of us as well. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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