Program / Course 22: Christian Ethics / Lesson 5.1
What you will learn
- Summarize the Old Testament teaching on the poor, the land, the jubilee and justice.
- Describe the teaching of Jesus and the apostles on wealth, generosity and the danger of riches.
- Distinguish the main ways Christians read these texts, from voluntary poverty to the stewardship of wealth.
- Identify common misuses of the biblical teaching on money.
The big idea
The Bible speaks about money more often than about many doctrines. It treats wealth as a gift of God and a possible blessing, but also as a danger to the soul and a test of justice. The law and the prophets command care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. Jesus warns that no one can serve God and mammon, and the early church shared goods. Christians have drawn different conclusions about what this requires, from voluntary poverty to generous stewardship, but they agree that the poor are not to be neglected.
Key terms
- Jubilee
- The fiftieth year in Israel’s law, when land was to return to its original family and debts and servitude were released (Leviticus 25).
- Gleaning
- The law that landowners leave the edges of the field and fallen grain for the poor and the stranger (Leviticus 19:9-10).
- Tithe
- A tenth of produce or income given to support worship and the needy. Whether it binds Christians is disputed.
- Mammon
- An Aramaic word for wealth or property, which Jesus personifies as a rival master (Matthew 6:24).
- Almsgiving
- Giving to the poor as an act of mercy and devotion.
- Preferential option for the poor
- A phrase from Latin American and Catholic social teaching that the church and society should give special attention to the needs of the poor.
- Prosperity gospel
- The teaching, found in some churches, that faith brings material wealth and health. Most traditions reject it.
Background
In the Old Testament, land and prosperity are signs of God’s blessing (Deuteronomy 28), and the law expects Israel to be a community in which no one is permanently poor: “there shall be no poor among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4), says the text, and it adds that the poor will never cease from the land, so that the people must open their hand (15:11). The law provides gleaning, the sabbatical release of debts, the ban on interest to a poor fellow Israelite (Exodus 22:25) and the jubilee. The prophets condemn those who join house to house and field to field (Isaiah 5:8), who sell the needy for a pair of shoes (Amos 2:6) and who offer worship while ignoring justice (Isaiah 1:10-17).
In the Gospels, Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming good news to the poor (Luke 4:18), blesses the poor in Luke’s Beatitudes (6:20) and warns the rich (6:24). Matthew has the poor in spirit (5:3). Jesus tells a rich man to sell what he has and give to the poor (Mark 10:21), but also receives support from wealthy women and is hosted by Zacchaeus, who gives half of his goods (Luke 19:8). The early church in Jerusalem had all things in common (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35), and Paul organized a collection for the poor in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 and 9). The interpretation of this variety is the task of the lesson.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: The Old Testament pattern
Several themes recur. The earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1), so people hold property as stewards. God hears the cry of the oppressed and rescues Israel from slavery, so the nation is to remember that it was once a stranger in Egypt and to treat strangers justly (Exodus 22:21). Wealth gained by cheating or oppression is condemned, and Proverbs warns against both poverty and riches (Proverbs 30:8-9). Honest work is praised, and laziness criticized (Proverbs 6:6-11), while the same book says that he that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker (14:31).
Scholars debate how far the jubilee was practiced. There is little evidence that Israel kept it fully, and some think it remained an ideal. Christians differ on its force today. Some, such as John Howard Yoder and the movement for debt relief called Jubilee 2000, take it as a model for justice. Others see it as a feature of ancient Israel’s law, fulfilled in Christ, with limited direct application.
Step 2: The teaching of Jesus
Jesus warns that no man can serve two masters, God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), tells his hearers not to lay up treasures on earth (6:19-21) and not to be anxious about food and clothing (6:25-34). He teaches that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:23-25). The parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) shows a man who stored up goods and died, and the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) shows the cost of ignoring a poor man at the gate. The parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) identifies feeding the hungry and visiting the prisoner with serving Christ himself.
Jesus also commends generosity as a path. He praises the widow’s two mites (Mark 12:41-44), says it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35, quoting him) and tells the disciples to give to those who ask (Luke 6:30). Interpreters differ on whether his call to the rich ruler is a command for all disciples or a particular call. Most traditions read it as showing that attachment to goods is the real danger, and that each disciple must be ready to give up whatever hinders following Christ.
Step 3: The apostles and the early church
In Acts, believers in Jerusalem sold property and distributed to those in need (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35). The story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) shows that the sin was lying, not keeping property, since Peter says the land was theirs to keep. Paul tells the Corinthians to give according to their means, cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7), and writes that the abundance of some should supply the need of others, that there may be equality (2 Corinthians 8:13-15). He warns that those who want to be rich fall into temptation and that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:9-10), and he also tells the rich to be generous and not to trust in uncertain riches (6:17-19). James attacks the rich who defraud their workers and favor the wealthy in the assembly (James 2 and 5).
Christians differ on Acts. Some, in the monastic and Anabaptist traditions such as the Hutterites, take the sharing of goods as a model for community life. Others view it as a spontaneous act of the Jerusalem church and not a rule, since Acts 12 and later chapters show believers owning homes. Most agree that it shows the ideal of generous sharing in the church.
Step 4: Reading the texts together
Four broad readings are found in Christian thought. The first calls for voluntary poverty as a way of perfection, practiced by monks, friars and others. The second calls for generous stewardship: wealth is a trust to be used for the common good, and the question is how it is held and spent. The third emphasizes justice: structures that keep people poor are sinful, and the church should work to change them. The fourth emphasizes personal charity and work: churches and families should help the needy and urge the able to work, as Paul told the Thessalonians that if any would not work, neither should he eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
These readings are not exclusive, and most traditions combine them. The disagreements arise about the role of government and markets, about whether poverty is chiefly caused by personal failing or social structures, and about the proper amount of giving. Scripture speaks to the heart and the community and does not give a complete economic program, so a responsible reader should distinguish what the text says from what economic policy it is claimed to support.
- Does the passage speak about the poor, the rich or the relation between them?
- Is the text addressed to Israel as a nation, to a church or to an individual?
- Is it a command, a warning, a blessing or a description?
- What does it say about the cause of poverty: injustice, misfortune or sloth?
- What does it ask of a person with more than enough?
- Which economic policy, if any, does the passage actually support?
Examples
The rich young man
A man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus lists commandments, and the man says he has kept them. Jesus, loving him, says to sell all, give to the poor and follow him. The man goes away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Mark 10:17-22). Readers differ on whether the call is for every disciple, but most agree that the story shows how wealth can hold the heart.
Gleaning in practice
The book of Ruth shows a poor widow gathering grain behind the reapers in the field of Boaz, who tells his workers to leave extra for her (Ruth 2). It shows the law of gleaning in operation and a landowner who goes beyond the minimum. Some churches today use the story to inspire food pantries.
A misuse
Someone cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 to argue that all who are poor are idle and deserve their lot. Careful readers note that Paul was speaking of members of the community who were able to work and chose not to, and that the same Paul organizes aid to the poor. The verse does not apply to those who cannot work or cannot find work. (A constructed example.)
Different perspectives
Catholic
Catholic teaching holds that the goods of the earth are destined for all, that private property is legitimate but carries a social mortgage, as Pope John Paul II put it, and that the church has a preferential love for the poor. Almsgiving is a work of mercy. Religious orders practice voluntary poverty as a counsel, while laypeople are to use their goods justly and share with the needy.
Orthodox
Orthodox tradition draws on the Fathers, such as Basil and Chrysostom, in teaching that excess wealth belongs to the poor and that almsgiving is necessary for salvation. It honors monastic poverty and stresses that the Eucharist forms a community of sharing. Orthodox social teaching emphasizes personal conversion and charity, with attention also to justice.
Protestant
The Reformers held that work and property are God’s gifts and callings, that charity belongs to all Christians and that the church should not be idle in helping the poor. Luther and Calvin urged poor relief and warned against greed. Later traditions stress different aspects: the Social Gospel stressed structural justice, evangelicals stress personal giving and mission, and the prosperity gospel, rejected by most Protestants, claims material blessing as a sign of faith.
Jewish
Jewish tradition treats tzedakah, righteous giving, as an obligation, not mere charity. Maimonides described levels of giving, the highest being to help a person become self-supporting. The law of gleaning and the tithe for the poor are part of the Torah. Jewish teaching links justice to the Exodus experience.
Secular and scholarly
Economists and social scientists study the causes of poverty and the effectiveness of different policies, with findings that are debated. Secular ethicists such as Peter Singer argue for strong duties of aid, and others stress property rights and incentives. Biblical scholars debate the economic setting of the texts and caution against reading modern policy into them.
Why it matters
How a person holds money shows what he or she serves. The Bible’s attention to this topic means that no account of the Christian life is complete without it. A careful reading prevents two errors: using Scripture to bless whatever economic arrangement one prefers, and using it to shame others without examining oneself. It also provides a common ground for Christians who differ on policy.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: The Bible says money is the root of all evil.
Correction: It says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). The text warns about desire, not about money itself, which the Bible also treats as a gift.
Misunderstanding: Jesus told everyone to sell all they have.
Correction: He told one man so, and called others to follow him in various ways. Traditions read the story as a call to detachment, and some as a call to actual poverty for those who are called to it.
Misunderstanding: The poor are poor because of their own sin.
Correction: Scripture recognizes that poverty may come from laziness, but also from oppression, injustice, disaster and misfortune. Job and the prophets reject simple explanations.
Misunderstanding: The Bible endorses a particular economic system.
Correction: The Bible addresses justice, generosity and greed but does not provide a modern economic program. Christians who disagree about economic policy appeal to the same texts.
Knowledge check
Name three provisions of the Old Testament law that cared for the poor.
Examples are gleaning, in which fallen grain and field edges were left for the poor; the release of debts in the seventh year and the jubilee, when land returned to families; the ban on charging interest to a poor fellow Israelite; and care for strangers, widows and orphans. Any three are acceptable.
What did Jesus teach about serving God and mammon?
He taught that no one can serve two masters, God and mammon, and that treasures should be laid up in heaven and not on earth. He warned that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, and he also commended generosity, as in the praise of the widow’s gift.
What was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira?
The text shows that they sold land and kept back part of the price while claiming to give all. Peter says that the land was theirs and the money was theirs to keep, so the sin was deception, not ownership. The story shows that sharing in Acts was voluntary.
Describe two ways Christians have read the biblical teaching on wealth.
One calls for voluntary poverty as a way of perfection, as in monastic life. Another calls for generous stewardship, in which wealth is held as a trust. Others emphasize justice and the reform of social structures, or personal charity combined with work. Most traditions combine these in different proportions.
Think it through
- What would count as having enough? How would you know?
- Which of the four readings in Step 4 do you find closest to the text, and which is hardest to apply?
- Why might the Bible speak so often of money? What does money do to people?
- How should a Christian respond to someone who says the poor deserve their poverty?
Independent assignment
A study of one passage on wealth
In your notebook, write 400 to 600 words. Choose one passage from the lesson, such as Luke 12:13-21, Luke 16:19-31 or Acts 4:32-37. Write what it says in its context, how at least two traditions have read it, and one practical question that it poses for a person with a home and an income today. Do not send this to anyone or post it anywhere.
Further study
- Jewish Publication Society, The Hebrew Bible in English (JPS translation) Read Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 15 on the jubilee and release of debts.
- Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church Read the sections on the seventh commandment and the universal destination of goods.
- Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth Read the chapters on the prophets and the parables for help reading texts on wealth.
- Martin Luther, The Small Catechism Read the explanation of the seventh commandment.
- Deuteronomy 15:11 Open thine hand wide to thy poor.
- Isaiah 58:6 The fast that God has chosen.
- Luke 12:15 A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things.
- 1 Timothy 6:10 The love of money.
- Proverbs 14:31 Oppressing the poor reproaches the Maker.