I have been reading Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, first published almost 35 years ago. With about a half-million copies in print, I'm sure many or most of you have already read it. I have found it to be insightfully written, chock full of thoroughly-referenced information, and very convicting. I'm only about halfway through.
Sider's chapter 3, God and the Poor, is a pretty thorough-going and balanced assessment of God's historical defense of those who are poor, weak, and defenseless. One area in which his treatment seems balanced is in its consideration of Christians' responsibility to the poor in general as well as to poor and downtrodden brothers and sisters in Christ. In view of our discussion some time ago of the sheep and the goats (Mt 25), I thought his comments were interesting:
"We have seen how God declared that the people of Israel were really Sodom and Gomorrah rather than the people of God (Is 1:10). God could not tolerate their exploitation of the poor and disadvantaged any longer. Hosea solemnly announced that, because of their sins, Israel was no longer God's pepeple and he was no longer their God (1:8-9). In fact, God destroyed them.
Jesus expressed it even more pointedly. To those who do not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners, he will speak a terrifying word at the final judgment: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' (Mt 25:41). The meaning is clear. Jesus intends that his disciples imitate his own concern for the poor and needy. Those who disobey will experience eternal damnation.
But perhaps we have misinterpreted Matthew 25. Some people think that 'the least of these' (v. 45) and 'the least of these who are members of my family' (v. 40) refer only to Christians. This exegesis is not certain. But even if the primary reference of these words is to poor believers, other aspects of Jesus’ teaching not only permit but require us to extend the meaning of Matthew 25 to both believers and unbelievers who are poor and oppressed. The story of the good Samaritan teaches that anybody in need is our neighbor (Luke 10:29-37). Matthew 5:43-45 is even more explicit: 'You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love you neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sum rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.'
The ideal in the Qumran community was indeed to "'ove all the sons of light' and 'hate all the sons of darkness' (1 QS 1:9-10, the Essenes' Community Rule). Even in the Old Testament, Israelites were commanded to love the neighbor who was the child of their own people and ordered not to seek the prosperity of Ammonites and Moabites (Lev 19:17-18; Deut 23:36). But Jesus forbids his followers to limit their concern to the neighbors who are members of their own ethnic or religious group. On the other hand, he commands his followers to imitate God, who does good for all people everywhere.
In light of the parable of the Good Samaritan and the clear teaching of Mt 4:43-48, one is compelled to say that part of the full meaning of Matthew 25 is that those who fail to aid the poor and oppressed (whether they are believers or not) are simply not the people of God."
Jesus expressed it even more pointedly. To those who do not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners, he will speak a terrifying word at the final judgment: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' (Mt 25:41). The meaning is clear. Jesus intends that his disciples imitate his own concern for the poor and needy. Those who disobey will experience eternal damnation.
But perhaps we have misinterpreted Matthew 25. Some people think that 'the least of these' (v. 45) and 'the least of these who are members of my family' (v. 40) refer only to Christians. This exegesis is not certain. But even if the primary reference of these words is to poor believers, other aspects of Jesus’ teaching not only permit but require us to extend the meaning of Matthew 25 to both believers and unbelievers who are poor and oppressed. The story of the good Samaritan teaches that anybody in need is our neighbor (Luke 10:29-37). Matthew 5:43-45 is even more explicit: 'You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love you neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sum rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.'
The ideal in the Qumran community was indeed to "'ove all the sons of light' and 'hate all the sons of darkness' (1 QS 1:9-10, the Essenes' Community Rule). Even in the Old Testament, Israelites were commanded to love the neighbor who was the child of their own people and ordered not to seek the prosperity of Ammonites and Moabites (Lev 19:17-18; Deut 23:36). But Jesus forbids his followers to limit their concern to the neighbors who are members of their own ethnic or religious group. On the other hand, he commands his followers to imitate God, who does good for all people everywhere.
In light of the parable of the Good Samaritan and the clear teaching of Mt 4:43-48, one is compelled to say that part of the full meaning of Matthew 25 is that those who fail to aid the poor and oppressed (whether they are believers or not) are simply not the people of God."
Sider does not do away with the special responsibility of Chritians to one another. In fact, elsewhere in the book, he claims that we fail to take advantage of one of the most effective evangelistic tools available to us: caring for the worldwide church. Sider argues that, if we only cared for our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world as we ought, God would use our love for one another to call many to faith.
Some of the chapter is contained in this newsletter article, published around the time of the first edition of the book:
1 comment:
Ed, excellent excerpt! As always, Sider has his finger on the pulse of the Gospel.
I still think that Mt 25 submits to only one interpretation, but that if one of the disciples had raised a hand and asked whether that meant we should show less charity to those outside the fold, Jesus would have stared at him like this for a full sixty awkward seconds.
There is a special point to Jesus' referring specifically to the people of God in that parable, and Sider's right--it's that it serve as a tremendous witness to the world.
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