Did Jesus Give Us Any Bible Passages about Poverty?
During His time here on earth, Jesus spoke much about money and caring for the poor. He gave us many Bible passages about poverty. Here is a sampling:
In Isaiah 61, the prophet spoke these words, and seven centuries later, Jesus opened the scroll and applied the message to Himself. He would be the one to provide salvation to the poor. It is His gift that provides salvation for our souls.
“And he [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’” – Luke 4:16-19
This next passage is in the context of Jesus sharing parables—a short story where Jesus spoke spiritual truths. In this parable, Jesus is talking about an inheritance received by the righteous in the end times.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” – Matthew 25:34-40
What was Jesus’ view of money? He held generous people in high regard. This is a great example of how God uses and blesses even the smallest gift in mighty ways.
“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on’” – Mark 12:41-44