What does Jesus say?

In Sunday School today the teacher made an interesting comment that was not directly related to the poor. However, that comment opened up a whole new pattern of thought for me. We were studying Matthew 11:2-6 and discussing faith, hope and doubts as illustrated in the life of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist had been preaching about the coming Messiah, had baptized Jesus, had heard God call Jesus His "beloved Son," and had even watched the Holy Spirit descend as a dove after Jesus' baptism. (Mt. 3). However, a few chapters later in Matthew 11, John the Baptist was no longer entirely sure that Jesus is the Messiah. Whether it was because John the Baptist was then in jail, because Jesus wasn't setting up an earthly kingdom, or because Jesus didn't act the way John the Baptist thought a Messiah should act, John now questioned whether Jesus was the "Expected One." John sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus this very question while John waited in prison for the answer.

Jesus answered the question by pointing to signs that He is the Messiah. He told the disciples to report to John about the things they had heard and seen. Then Jesus started listing the signs of His Messiahship, starting at the obviously miraculous signs: the blind see, lame walk, lepers are healed, deaf can hear, and dead people come alive again. Clearly these are all miraculous events that no other person could do. But then Jesus added in a sign of His Messiahship that doesn't seem to fit with the rest: "the poor have the gospel preached to them." Jesus' statemet refers back to an Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 61.

Interesting that one sign of Jesus' position as Messiah relates to the poor. This indicates that God is interested in and cares for the poor. However, beyond merely a general concern for the poor, the verse indicates that to be Christlike, we should prioritize preaching to the poor.

There is also significance in the fact that a sign of Jesus' position as Messiah was preaching to the poor and not providing for the physical needs of the poor. Although other Scriptures support helping the solve the bodily needs of the poor, the importance of caring for the Spiritual needs of the poor should ultimately have the same priority in the Church as it did with Christ.

How often Christians want to be able to replicate the other signs of Jesus' Messiahship. We pray for healing from physical ailments all the time. Yet very rarely do we give the same attention to preaching the gospel to the poor. Perhaps as Christ signalled His position as the Son of God by preaching to the poor, the Church could signal it's position as followers of Christ by preaching to the poor as well.