JESUS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE POOR AND THE SINNERS

In the Bible it is really difficult to make a clear distinction between the poor and the sinners. Normally, the poor are considered sinners, because poverty was the sign of Gods punishment for their sins. Furthermore, both the poor and the sinners were marginalized and excluded by the rest of the Jewish society. In our study, we will try to divide them in two different groups for a better understanding of Jesus attitude towards them.

1. THE POOR IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The poor (Hebrew: ani or anaw) play a very important role in the Old Testament: the poor or poverty is a key theme in the faith of the people of Israel. Who are the poor then? The Old Testament does not provide a list of the people included in this group, but it says that the poor are those who do not earn enough money or property to live a normal life; those who depend on others for survival; those deprived of their rights or unprotected by the law; those who suffer the injustices of the rich and powerful: beggars, servants, slaves, migrants, sick, children, widows, women, farmers who lost their properties, weak, humble, the prisoners of war, laborers, orphans Israel experienced a complete poverty during their slavery in Egypt and depended entirely on God during their journey through the desert, but they were promised a wonderful land filled with water, milk, honey, oil, wine, and wheat (see Exodus 3:17; Numbers 13:21-24.27; Deuteronomy 8:7-10; 11:9). The disappearance of poverty among the people of Israel will be the symbol of God keeping his promises and sending his blessings, but the people must observe the covenant they signed with him at the Sinai desert in return. In other words, if the people of Israel keep the covenant, God will bless them with water, fruits, a good harvest If they fail to keep the commandments, he will send poverty and misery to his people as a punishment for their behavior. However, not always Gods curse or punishment is the reason of poverty and misery. Many times, it is the result of greed or the injustices committed by the rich and powerful against the poor: they steal their possessions and money; they force them to sell their homes; the poor become their slaves In order to prevent these injustices, the Law of Moses commands to take care of the poor, migrants, and

destitute of the country. For that purpose, they created the institutions of the Jubilee and the Sabbatical Year. The Jubilee: After 49 years, every Israelite had to return all the properties and lands to the original owner or their heirs. The Sabbatical Year: During the seventh year, the land will not be cultivated and the products could be taken by anyone, the debts will be forgiven, and the slaves will be freed.

With the passing of the years, the social injustices became more and more scandalous because all the riches, properties, and lands were in the hands of a few people while the majority of the Israelites lived in poverty and misery. This situation provoked the anger and wrath of the prophets against these powerful and rich people (kings, landowners) and threatened them with punishments and curses from God if they did not change their attitude by acting according to sharing, solidarity, love, and justice. The Old Testament not only condemns the injustices committed against the poor and the destitute, but also insists in the duty of every Israelite to help the poor in order to alleviate their misery and make their life a bit easier (give alms, hospitality, clothing, serving) However, if people refused to help the poor, they still have a powerful defender: God. He listens to the cries of the oppressed, protects the poor, and avenges those who suffer the injustices of the powerful. For this reason, taking advantage of the poor and suffering is a great offense to God and they will receive the proper punishment for their actions. On the other hand, the poor and the weak, aware of Gods protection and care, pray often for his help, put their trust in him, and expect from him to deliver justice against their enemies. These ideas are found all over the Old Testament, but especially in the psalms. After the exile in Babylon, in Israel appeared a new spirituality of the poor (the Anawim Yhwh = the poor of Yahweh). It was formed mainly by the poor who put all their trust and confidence in Gods power and willingness to save them from every kind of misery, injustice, and suffering. Since they do not get the help of the Israelites, they ask for Gods protection against the injustices of the wealthy and powerful. God is their only security! Many good, faithful, innocent, zealous, and kind Israelites joined this spiritual movement of the anawim by embracing poverty, practicing justice, and living a humble life with the purpose of living according to Gods covenant, enjoy a closer relationship with God, and avoid the

punishment that is coming over the wicked, the violent, the proud, and the powerful. They also expected the Messiah to fulfill their ideal: he had to be poor, kind, meek, humble, and innocent. He would be the prophet and savior of the poor and the needy (Psalm 22; 72:4.12-14; Isaiah 53:4; 61:1f; Zechariah 9:9f).

2. THE POOR IN MARKS GOSPEL

The term poor (Greek, ptochs) only appears five times in Marks gospel: The rich man (10:21); the poor widow (12:42.43); the anointing at Bethany (14:5.7). Lets see what Mark wants to tell us about the poor with these stories: A. The rich man (10:17-22): Jesus looked steadily at him and he was filled with love for him, and he said: You need to do one thing more. Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. In this story, the poor are the opposite of the rich: those who do not have enough material things to survive. The rich man refused to give his money to the poor: He is too attached to his riches and money; they are his security! He cannot put his trust and confidence in God and, therefore, he cannot be a follower of Jesus and will be hard to enter Gods kingdom. Whoever wants to be a follower of Jesus has to sell his property and give the money to the poor. They must embrace poverty and rely on Gods help, care, and protection.

B. The poor widow (12:41-44): He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them: In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on. The poor widow is the representative character of the poor in Marks gospel. The poor are the model or example to imitate by the rich and also by the disciples of Jesus. They showed what the right attitude of a person towards God should be: Offer all they

have to him and put their trust and confidence in his protection and providence. When everybody is looking at the quantity offered by the rich, Jesus pays attention to the offering of a poor widow. Even though the rich gave a lot of money, they did not need it for their daily material needs or survival. The poor widow, on the other hand, offered to God everything she had, she did not keep anything to herself. What a faith!

C. The anointing at Bethany (14:3-9): Some who were there said to one another indignantly: Why this waste of ointment? Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor; and they were anger with her. But Jesus said: Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is a good work. You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. The action happens in the house of Simon the leper during a meal. A woman brought an expensive perfume of spikenard (over 300 denarii = the yearly salary of a normal person) and poured it on Jesus head. Some of the people there criticized the woman for wasting the perfume: the best choice was to sell it and give the money to the poor. However, for Jesus, she has done a good action and made the right choice: it predicts the coming death of Jesus and symbolizes the anointment of his body at the time of his burial. Furthermore, the poor will never disappear from the face of the earth, so they can help them whenever they want, but Jesus will not be always there with them.

In conclusion, the term poor refers to the people who do not have enough wealth or goods to live a normal life or are incapable to provide for their own needs. They depend on others help to cover their basic material needs. Because of their situation, they were normally marginalized or excluded from society. For Jesus, looking at the story of the poor widow, the poor are also the model of faith and trust in God for the rest of the people and even for his disciples. They abandon themselves completely in Gods hands and wait patiently for Gods providence. He is their only hope and shelter.

3. JESUS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE POOR

3.1. Was Jesus of Nazareth poor?

According to Marks gospel, Jesus was part of a simple family of Nazareth, a small village of Galilee (1200 to 2000 people). His mother was Mary and had some brothers (James, Joset, Jude, and Simon) and sisters (6:1-6a). He was a carpenter (Greek, tkton), which means that he was one of the poor who had to work hard to survive (low class of the Jewish society, called in Greek pnes). He probably had other jobs, like farmer, construction worker, fisherman It was almost impossible to survive by doing just one kind of work at that time. Jesus was certainly a pnes, but not a ptochs. In order to preach the kingdom of God, he abandoned his home, his family, his work and became an itinerant preacher. He did not have any source of income and depended completely on his followers to survive. The simple crowds welcomed his words with joy and followed him, but the religious authorities rejected him: they believed he was crazy (3:21); possessed by the devil and acting with his power (3:22); and plot to kill him (3:6). At the end, the leaders succeeded in putting him to death on a cross. For the Jews, it was the death of those cursed by God (see Deuteronomy 21:23). For the Romans, it was the death of rebels and slaves. In conclusion, Jesus lived a poor life and received the death of the worst criminals in the country. 3.2. Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God to the poor The center of Jesus preaching was the kingdom of God (1:15): it means that God wants to be the king of his people by offering peace, love, and justice to a world torn apart by suffering, division, sin, slavery, and death. He proclaimed it with words and actions; and he offered it to everyone, Jew or gentile, but not everybody welcomed it. Although some wealthy and middle class people accepted the kingdom of God, most of them belonged to the group of the poor: sick people, tax collectors, sinners, children, widows, women, gentiles, possessed by unclean spirits These people really need God in their lives and put all their confidence in him: he is their only hope and salvation. However, the kingdom will be rejected by the powerful and the rich because they have their own gods (money) who provide the security they need: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God (10:25). 3.3. Jesus calls his disciples to embrace poverty When Jesus called his disciples, they left everything and followed him (1:18.20; 2:14): they left their work, their families, and their properties just to be with Jesus and preach the good news of the kingdom of God. In order to follow Jesus, they must be free from attachments; they 5

need to empty themselves of everything and put their lives in Gods providence and protection. The idea of the disciples poverty is confirmed in Mark 6:6b-13, when Jesus sent them to preach with just one tunic, no bread, no suitcase, and no money at all. This will be the proper training for them to become dependant on other people as well as of God. He will take care of them and protect them. They need to put their trust and confidence in Gods providence. Later, when talking about the danger of riches, Peter tells Jesus that the disciples have left everything in order to follow him and the gospel: They made a personal option for poverty. Then, Jesus promises them a great reward for their sacrifice: 1) In this life: They will receive a hundred times as much, houses, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and lands (also persecutions); 2) After their death: eternal life with God (see 10:28-30).

4. THE SINNERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Almost every page of the Old Testament talks about sins and sinners. It uses many different terms to talk about sin, but generally refers to the sinner as rasa (wicked in Hebrew). THE SIN OF ADAM: The first sinners in Biblical history were Adam and Eve (Gen 1-3). Their sin was of disobedience of Gods commands because they wanted to take the place of God and decide their own destiny. Their sin had also some consequences: it broke their friendly relationship with God and therefore they lost the Garden of Eden (paradise), the access to eternal life and the beginning of violence against other human beings (the killing of Abel). Even though people become more and more corrupt in their actions, God still wants to reconcile with them a sign of this hope is the story of Noah (Gen 6:58). THE SIN OF ISRAEL: God saved the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, protected them during their journey through the desert, and wanted to make a covenant with them. How did Israel show their gratitude to God? They preferred to have a golden calf as their god (Ex 32:1-6). They wanted a god they could touch and carry; they refused to believe in a God that is far away even though he showed his presence with many miracles. THE TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHETS: The people of God who do not live according to Gods covenant (the 10 commandments and the other 6

laws of Moses) will bring tragedy and destruction to themselves. Sin is the only obstacle for Gods plan of salvation for his people. What did the prophets do about it? 1. They accused Israel of their sins. Most of the sins were committed by the kings, the powerful, and the rich, but the rest of the people were guilty too. They offered lists of specific sins and found the reason for these sins in rejected Gods love and his covenant. 2. The remedy of sin. If people want to obtain Gods forgiveness and mercy, they must let God guide them, accept his love, follow his commandments. In order to achieve this, God will give them a new heart and a new spirit. He will not write the new covenant on a stone, but on their hearts so that they cannot erase it or forget it (Ezekiel 36:25f). THE CONSEQUENCES OR EFFECTS OF SIN: a) Gods wrath in front of peoples sin; b) the guilt of the sinner: he feels shame and spiritual impurity; c) the hardening of the sinners heart: the rejection of God and incapability of getting out this dangerous situation; d) punishments and disasters: the loss of Gods friendship; the destruction of Jerusalem; the loss of their freedom and country in the hands of their enemies.

5. THE SINNERS IN MARKS GOSPEL

The term sinner (Greek, hamartols) only appears five times in Marks gospel: Jesus eats with sinners (2:15.16(2).17); Jesus agony at Gethsemane (14:41). Lets see what Mark has to say about sinners: A. Jesus eats with sinners (2:15-17): When Jesus was at dinner in his house, a number of tax collector and sinners were also sitting at table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them among his followers. When the scribes of the Pharisee party say him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples: Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? When Jesus heard this he said to them: It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the upright, but sinners. Jesus was in Levis house, who offered him and his friends a dinner to celebrate the end of his life as a sinner and the beginning of his life as a follower of Jesus (2:13-14). Mark highlights that Jesus calls to discipleship not only honest people, but also to sinners and people with a bad reputation. He offers a second chance to everyone.

Who were considered sinners in Israel? Sinners were those who did not follow the rules of purity (see Leviticus 11-15), especially gentiles, tax collectors, and prostitutes. Jesus is accused of eating with sinners and therefore becoming impure; Jesus answer expresses his mission: he shows sinners the way to enter the kingdom of God: repentance and believe in the gospel.

B. Jesus agony at Gethsemane (14:41): He came back a third time and said to them: You can sleep on now and have your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of the sinners. Jesus asks his disciples to pray with him in this dark moment, but they fall asleep; they are not aware of the events that are about to happen: Jesus will be betrayed and arrested; he will suffer and die on the cross. Jesus prayer emphasizes his dialogue with the Father about his destiny: at this point, he knows clearly Gods plan and surrenders freely to it. The sinners, here, are the religious leaders of Israel. They consider themselves pure and clean; In Jesus view their hearts are filled with sins because they do not follow Gods words, but their own words and rules. If they did follow Gods words, they would have never tried to kill Jesus, because he is the Messiah and the Son of God.

In conclusion, in Marks gospel, sinners are those who reject God, his love and his forgiveness through the person of Jesus. Therefore, not only the tax collectors are sinners, but also the religious leaders for not accepting Jesus.

6. JESUS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE SINNERS

Who were the sinners at Jesus time? The majority of the sinners could be identified with the poor and simple people (crowds) who follow Jesus. Because of their lack of education or ignorance of the Law, they could easily transgress any of the rules of purity (there were more than 600 precepts). Only a small group was completely pure or clean: priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, rich And they refused to mix with sinners for fear of being contaminated. Many people were also considered sinners because they had unclean jobs: tax collectors, shepherds, prostitutes, thieves, and many others. The sick people (blind, leper, paralytic) were also included in the

group of sinners because sickness was caused by that persons sins or his ancestors. All the sinners had something in common: they were marginalized from the rest of the Jewish society. They were banned from attending the services of the synagogue and every social event in their town or village. They could obtain the purification through repentance and the offering of expiatory sacrifices. They needed money for to buy the animal for the sacrifice, but since their money was impure too, they could not use it So, they were condemned the social exclusion. What was Jesus attitude towards sinners? Lets see what Mark says about it: A. Jesus welcomes sinners and forgives their sins: Jesus often appears in the company of sinners because they are the reason of his coming to the world: It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the upright, but sinners (2:17). Forgiveness and compassion is Gods free gift for them: My child, your sins are forgiven (2:5). However, if they truly accept Gods gift, then they must show their gratitude through repentance from sin and a complete change in their life style or mentality: Jesus said to Levi: follow me! And he got up and followed Jesus (2:14). On one hand, those who accept Gods forgiveness and believe in Jesus good news can enter the kingdom of God and become his disciples. On the other hand, those who consider themselves just, pure, and good need to be very careful because by rejecting Jesus, they are also becoming sinners and preventing themselves from entering the kingdom and working against Gods will. B. Jesus shows the dangers of sin: Like the prophets, Jesus denounces sin wherever it may appear, even in those who consider themselves just or righteous. In Jesus view, sin dwells inside the hearts of people, so it is the heart that must be cleaned, not the outside: evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, greed, envy, slander, pride (See 7:21-22). Therefore, the answer to sin is not to clean our body or follow a number of rules of purity, but to transform our hearts by following the commandment of love: love your God and your neighbors as yourself (12:29-31). The disciples seeing Jesus in action will learn about love and that sin is a refusal to love. C. Jesus shows Gods compassion and mercy through his actions: Jesus not only welcomes sinners with love and eats with them, but also shows them Gods compassion through his 9

actions: he liberates them from the power of sickness with his healings and from the influence of Satan with his exorcisms. Furthermore, Jesus himself sacrifices his life for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of the world: For the Son of man himself came not be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (10:45).

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