Matt Schnarr's Blog
thoughts... / 11.01.09, 09:27 PM
I believe it is obvious that Jesus did not come to save the healthy, but instead the sick. I have always thought that God does have a special concern for the poor, but many times that can translate into “God loves the poor more than the rich.” I have wrestled with that statement for a while now, because deep down I know that God sent his Son to free the oppressed and heal the sick and scripture is consumed with passages affirming Gods love for those who suffer and are in need, but at the same time I know that God loves everyone. In attempts to address the “God loves the poor more” statement, I have always thought about it like a parent who has one child that is sick. It is not that they love that child any more than their other children, but they do have a special concern for that sick child and may even give them more attention and care until that sick child is well. I see God the same way; it is not that He loves the poor and sick more than others, but He is a God of justice and wants to see those people brought up from their sufferings. Since God has such compassion for the poor, and we are called to imitate Christ, than we too are to have compassion for the poor. With the word compassion literally meaning “to suffer with”, then God is calling us as Christians to enter into the lives of the poor and marginalized so that we can learn from them and them from us, in hopes of us all becoming one in Christ.
Being immersed in my neighborhood this past month has shed new light on the idea of justice and God’s redeeming power. As I get to know my neighbors and my eyes are opened to the injustices that trap them and try to hold them down, the stories I am reading in Exodus have new meaning. Seeing how God promises to come to the rescue to those who are being oppressed gives me hope when I see my neighbors struggling, maybe not with slavery like the Israelites, but by the systems of society that keep them down. God hears the cries of those in need and He always keeps His promises.
Something that I have been thinking about a lot lately is the idea of truly needing God. Many times when we encounter the poor we have the cliché comment that sounds something like “they are so happy yet they have so little”. While that statement usually irks me, it does hold some truth. Why is it that those with so little seem to be so connected to God? Is it because they have nothing else to rely on besides Him? I often shudder at the number of “safety nets” that I have in my life that help ME stay in control. All of those things that are built in my life to secure personal success inhibit God from taking control. If we always have these comforts and securities around us, we will never truly need God and therefore never truly understand His grace and love for us. No wonder the poor are so “happy”; they actually have to have faith! I am not saying we all have to be poor to experience God, but we should pay attention to the safety nets in our lives that are just our meager attempts to control our lives instead of letting God intervene. When we try too hard to protect our own lives, we are in turn negatively affecting those who are already suffering and marginalized. What we do affects others.
God repeatedly reminds the Israelites to remember their time of oppression in Egypt. He reminds them of their time as slaves to keep them humble. The theme that seems to stick out the most to me in these passages is God’s call to not get too comfortable. After God frees the Israelites from the wrath of Egypt, they soon forget to rely on God. It seems to me that so many people (including myself) only call upon God when we need something or when times are tough. If we call on God to save us from our troubles but then fail to recognize that it was truly Him who saved us, then we are unable to have compassion on others who are oppressed. God rebukes His people for mistreating other aliens and reminds them that they were just like those aliens when they were in Egypt. Pride was allowed to take control. When we start to believe that we have any control in saving ourselves, then we limit God’s love and power and thus make it more difficult for us to see his love in others.
Just some thoughts I have been having recently… I am taking a graduate course through Eastern University this year in “The Theology of Poverty.” This blog came from one of my journals I wrote for the course.
Love you all!
-Matt
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thanks! lots of food for thought! we love you, thank God for you & keep you, your team & your dear neighbors in our daily prayers!
By kristine / Nov 2, 09:07 AM / #
Hey Matt,
Very insightful. I have found those who have little have taught me loads about faith in the Lord. I look foward to more of your reflections from your class.
By Phillip / Nov 2, 02:58 PM / #