Blessed Are the Poor, Woe to the Rich, and Other Woke Compassionate Bible Verses

What do we mean by woke Bible verses? How should Bible verses be interpreted?

The core teaching of both Christianity and Judaism and Christianity is simple, love your neighbor as yourself, and Love God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength, all else is commentary.

https://youtu.be/ygxn2qqGnOI

St Augustine teaches us that all of Scripture should be interpreted with this two-fold Love of God and neighbor in mind, that if the literal meaning of Scripture seems to conflict with this two-fold Love of God, then it should be interpreted allegorically.

https://youtu.be/uQCnAJMPoos

One excellent example of reading the Bible allegorically is the verse in Psalm 137 where the Jews are encouraged to bash the brains of Babylonian babies against the rocks.[1] The Church Fathers equate these babies with our small sins, that we should strive to be perfect, even as our Heavenly Father is perfect, bashing both our large and small sins. This Psalm describes the frustration of the Jews as they are being driven to exile in Babylon.

Also, we must keep in mind that the Psalms are prayers like prayers prayed by real people, sometimes they contain thoughts that are not truths but rather strivings, thoughts that may even seem hateful on their surface, and often, but not always, these thoughts represent spiritual struggles that are resolved later in the psalm.

Unfortunately, like the Jews driven to exile in Babylon, we are often tempted, sometimes by fear, sometimes by hate, to not view our threatening neighbor as real people, to view compassion towards our undeserving neighbor as somehow WOKE.

CS Lewis in his work, Reflections on the Psalms, agrees with this method of interpreting the Psalms. He points out that there are multiple Psalms that he calls the Cursing Psalms, where the psalmist utters thoughts that sound un-Christian or even hateful and vengeful, he agrees that these should be read allegorically.[2]

Script for this video, with more Amazon book links: https://www.slideshare.net/BruceStrom1/woke-compassionate-bible-verses-blessed-are-the-poor-woe-to-the-rich-and-other-verses

YouTube video for this blog: https://youtu.be/576TYemgA8o

Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in Luke

There are two versions of Jesus’ memorable sermon, the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, which begins with, Blessed are the poor in spirit, and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke, which begins with, Blessed are you poor.

Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.
Blessed are you when men hate you,
and when they exclude you and revile you,
and cast out your name as evil,
on account of the Son of man!
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy,
for behold, your reward is great in heaven;
for so their fathers did to the prophets.

But woe to you that are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger.
Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you, when all men speak well of you,
for so their fathers did to the false prophets.[3]

Most commentators, from ancient times to modern times, prefer the Matthew version, because who really believes that the poor are blessed? Does this mean the poor are better than us?

There is also often a difference between the exegetical approach of the Church Fathers and the Jewish Rabbis. When two differing versions of the Scriptures appear to conflict, Christians are often compelled to harmonize the versions so there is a unitary message. But the Jew rabbis often conclude that there are simply two different messages. Our approach is to reflect on whatever interpretation brings us closer to God and our neighbor, and to reflect on the many possible interpretations of Scripture.

So, perhaps when Luke’s Jesus says, Blessed are you poor, perhaps that is exact meaning of this verse. This is the first paired couplet:

Blessed are you poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.

But woe to you that are rich,
for you have received your consolation.

What does Jesus in Luke mean when he says, Blessed are you poor? Perhaps one answer is in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man only told by Jesus in Luke:

“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.’”[4]

Of course, the parable goes on to say that Abraham informs the rich man, now eternally poor, that it is impossible for Lazarus to cross the chasm and relieve the thirst of the rich man. But one amazing part of the story is the rich man knows the name of Lazarus, perhaps he talked to Lazarus when he gave him scraps from his table, perhaps he was the only one in the family who ventured outside to take care of him. Now he asks that Lazarus do him a small favor, maybe he thought he was a friend of Lazarus. This interpretation frightens, it suggests that throwing crumbs at the poor is not enough, you must instead truly help them.

However, in their commentaries, St Jerome and St Cyril of Alexandria speculate that the rich man did not share his crumbs with Lazarus, ignoring him as he went to and fro. But then how did the rich man know his name? And if Lazarus was not fed at all, why did he not crawl to someone else’s gate?

But these saints do point out that the rich man has no name in the parable, Lazarus’ name is mentioned because he is blessed in heaven, while the rich man is eternally tormented. St Augustine teaches us that Lazarus’ name is written in heaven.[5]

I rarely push back on patristic commentary, but in this instance my interpretation is stricter, so perhaps it is okay.

In case we doubt that Jesus in Luke truly believes the poor are blessed, the next set of couplets only confirm this:

Blessed are you that hunger now,
for you shall be satisfied.

Woe to you that are full now,
for you shall hunger.

And indeed, the rich man does hunger now, but spiritually, he was also hungry when feasting in his father’s house. Remember when Jesus, after fasting for forty days, was tempted, and “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.’”[6] In Matthew, Jesus exhorts that we should hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Psychologists tells us that those who grow up under the stresses of poverty are often psychologically sometimes physically stunted for life. Perhaps if we were a truly Christian nation we would pass a living minimum wage, perhaps that is what Luke is telling us.

The next set of couplets exhort us:

Blessed are you that weep now,
for you shall laugh.

Woe to you that laugh now,
for you shall mourn and weep.

We are reminded of the Parable of Good Samaritan, when the traveling Samaritan notices the poor man whom thieves have robbed him of all that he had, beaten him, and left him for dead, how the Good Samaritan took care of and comforted the stranger.

Among the Church Fathers, St Ambrose teaches us,
“Blessed are the poor. Not all the poor are blessed, for poverty is neutral. The poor can be either good or evil,” unless he is the blessed pauper described by Proverbs 19:22, “’A righteous poor man is better than a rich liar.’ Blessed is the poor man in whom the prince of this world finds nothing. Blessed is the poor man who is like that poor Man who, although he was rich, became poor for our sake,”[7] referring to Jesus and 2 Cor 8:9.

Luther’s contemporary Phillip Melanchthon teaches us, “Luke begins with poverty because it is commonest misery of the pious.” “Both wealth and poverty are ordained by God. Neither on account of wealth nor on account of poverty is a person accepted or rejected, but to use wealth correctly is a good work, to use poverty correctly is also a good work.”

“Do the poor by their poverty merit the kingdom of heaven? No! Instead, because they have already been made sons and heirs, and the kingdom of heaven is also compensation for their poverty. What does the kingdom of heaven signify? Not only future glory but also universal divine defense in this life.”

John Calvin teaches us, “God does not prohibit the rich from His Kingdom, if they do not become snares to themselves and do not fix their hopes on earth, thereby closing up the entrance of heaven to themselves.”

The Anabaptist John Walpot teaches us that by “the poor, Luke does not mean those who have nothing on account of laziness, or those who have wasted, gambled or drunk up their wealth, or even those who have nothing and yet are as corrupt as anyone else. Instead, he is speaking of those whom the Spirit makes poor. For just as the Spirit drove Christ into the desert when the devil tempted Him, so also the spirit drives the poor into poverty, so they have nothing of their own, just like Christ, their master; those are the ‘poor in spirit.’”[8]

St John Chrysostom teaches us that neglecting to feed the poor is a type of theft: “If you cannot remember everything, instead of everything, I beg you, remember this without fail, that not to share our own wealth with the poor is theft from the poor and deprivation of their means of life; we do not possess our own wealth but theirs. If we have this attitude, we will certainly offer our money; and by nourishing Christ in poverty here and laying up great profit hereafter, we will be able to attain the good things which are to come.”[9]

Does God truly help those who help themselves?

Where does this verse appear in the Bible?

In polls, Dr Wikipedia reports that once over half of American Christians who were polled believe this verse is indeed in the Bible, although it is not. The Bible exhorts us to love our neighbor, to take care of our neighbor, the Bible does not exhort us to tell our neighbor he has to take care of himself.

Dr Wikipedia does list many verses that encourage us to work diligently to support our family, and half a dozen of these verses are from Proverbs, which is not surprising, since the Book of Proverbs offers many practical sayings and life advice.

What is perhaps the least understood verse in the Bible?

Perhaps this verse from Second Thessalonians is the least understood:
“For even when we were with you, we gave you this command:
If anyone will not work, let him not eat.
For we hear that some of you are living in idleness,
mere busybodies, not doing any work.”[10]

We should not simply memorize Bible verses in isolation, we should always reflect on the verses and chapters before and after the current verse, and indeed the entire book, and then the entire Bible, to determine the true meaning of the verse.

In the first Book on Thessalonians, St Paul discussed the imminent coming of the Lord, but some in the community were counting on this coming a bit too much, quitting their jobs and causing problems in the community.

We will quote from the conservative Baptist Broadman Commentary: “Due to their confusion as to the time of the Lord’s return, some Thessalonians, thinking that it would be immediately, had stopped working. They had become idle troublemakers. Paul ordered his readers to keep away from any brother who is living in idleness contrary to Paul’s tradition,”[11] as Paul himself set an example of continuing to work as a tentmaker when he was visiting the community, so they would not need to support him.

This is a favorite verse of many Christians, but this is one of the few verses that discourages helping those in need. I know of no other verse containing the instruction, “If anyone will not work, let him not eat,” and here the Thessalonians not working were waiting for the coming of the Kingdom! Since it has not come yet, they had a long wait ahead of them. In contrast, there are dozens of bible verses that encourage almsgiving, both in the Old and New Testaments, which are listed in several web pages:

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Almsgiving

God Noticed Cornelius’ Almsgiving and Heard His Prayers

Almsgiving is celebrated in the story of the first Gentile baptized as a Christian in the Book of Acts: a Roman Centurion named Cornelius. Luke tells us in Acts that “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius,” “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God.”[12]

Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel, saying, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the seaside.’[13]

Is alms giving a work, or is it simply an act of faith? Many Protestants seem to believe that the Reformation introduced the debate between faith and works, and justification by faith, but this has been debated by believers since early in the history of the Church. Venerable Bede teaches us that “Cornelius had faith: his prayers and alms pleased God, and by his good deeds he earned the right to know God perfectly and to believe in the mystery of the incarnation of his only begotten Son, so that he might approach the sacrament of baptism. Therefore, through faith he came to works, yet through works he was strengthened in faith.”

Likewise, St John Chrysostom teaches us, “See how great the virtue of alms!” “We seek those virtues that are the most salutary for our salvation. Such is almsgiving and such is prayer. Prayer becomes efficacious as a result of almsgiving.”

“Cornelius was a soldier with no instruction, who was tangled up in the affairs of this life, who had each day a thousand things to distract and bother him. Yet he did not waste his life in banquets and drinking and gluttony but spent his time in prayer and almsgiving.”[14]

Martin Luther said that he thought that James was an epistle of straw, since it seemed to contradict his extreme emphasis that we are saved by God solely through grace, that our good works do not advance our salvation. Indeed, this verse in James exhorts us to help our poorer neighbor:
“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So, faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”[15]

What does the Bible say about the poor, the widows, the orphans?

Many people have this mistaken notion that the prophets in the Old Testament predicted what would happen in the future. That is totally mistaken, the Old Testament prophets preached that if the Jewish nation that God would withdraw His blessings from the Jewish nation if they did not take care of the poor, the widows, the orphans, the sojourners, the immigrants.

The prophet Isaiah exhorts:
“Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who keep writing oppression,
to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey!”[16]

“When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.”[17]

The prophet Zechariah exhorts us:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts,
Render true judgments,
show kindness and mercy each to his brother,
do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor;
and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.”[18]

The prophet Jeremiah warns us:
“For if you truly amend your ways and your doings,
if you truly execute justice one with another,
if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow,
or shed innocent blood in this place,
and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt,
then I will let you dwell in this place,
in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.”[19]

The prophet Malachi warns us:
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness against”
“those who oppress the hireling in his wages,
the widow and the orphan,
against those who thrust aside the sojourner,
and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.”[20]

Which means that the prophet Malachi is a supporter for a living minimum wage.

These are only a sampling of Bible verses mentioning widows, orphans, and the poor, nearly all the prophets, including Micah, Amos, and Zephaniah. Various web pages list over a hundred such verses in both Old Testament and the New Testament.[21]

What does the Bible say about slavery, sojourners, and immigrants?

In the Bible, sojourners are immigrants, the only difference is the ancient world did not require passports.

When God gifted the Ten Commandments to the Jewish nation, it was with this exhortation:
“Then God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery;
you shall have no other gods before me.”[22]

A few chapters later, the Lord exhorts that:
You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien,
for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.[23]

“You shall not oppress a resident alien;
you know the heart of an alien,
for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”[24]

There are over eighty verses where God reminds the Jews the He brought them out of the land of Egypt, a dozen verses where He brought them out of slavery, and other verses where God reminds them that they were aliens in the land of Egypt. Many of the verses we have already quoted exhort us to be kind to both the poor and the sojourner, or immigrant.

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God-Bringing-Israel-Out-Of-Egypt

Many people thought that Jeff Sessions misused the Scriptures when he quoted Romans 13 to justify Trump’s immigration policy. Quoting from the New York Times, “Many were concerned that Mr Sessions’ chosen chapter, Romans 13, had been commonly used to defend slavery and oppose the American Revolution.”

Mr. Sessions said, “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.”

“Outside the United States, the passage was used by Christians in Europe to defend Nazi rule and by white religious conservatives in South Africa to defend apartheid, an article in Slate pointed out on Friday.” This verse was also used to defend the Jim Crow legal system in the Deep South.

A reporter asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, “Where does it say in the Bible that it’s moral to take children away from their mothers?”

Ms. Sanders responded that it is “biblical” for a government to enforce the law. “That is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible,” she said.[25]

We recently heard in the news that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ staff deceived Venezuelan immigrants that they would be provided housing and jobs and relocation assistance. Instead, not only were they dumped at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport without warning the government authorities, they even scheduled immigration court hearings in other states that they would likely miss! How can anyone say this was not viciously cruel?[26]

Perhaps the cruelty is the point! If you only watch Fox News, you would be unaware of the effect this article has had in liberal circles, that for Republicans, The cruelty is the point! And since most Christians are Republicans, and since most Christians view the Republican Party as the Christian Party, this means that most of our secular citizens who are turned off by organized religion do not view American Christians as Compassionate, they view Christians as CRUEL!

For many Americans, CRUELTY, NOT COMPASSION, currently defines Christianity.[27]

Personally, I am sympathetic to many of the so-called Christian issues, but I am reluctant to support them. WHY? Because so many Christians wish to show cruelty rather than compassion to their poorer neighbors. Like school prayer, which often leads to ugly expressions of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bullying. Like pro-life, which leads to cruelty to rape and incest victims, mothers who miscarry, and mothers whose lives are in danger in a dangerous pregnancy. Like the LGBTQ and transgender issues, which leads to cruelty and bullying, not caring if this cruelty drives some to suicide.

The Book of Ruth, the Moabite Woman, Our Sweet Sojourner

God loves immigrants, particularly poor immigrants, we know this because an entire book of the Bible tells the story of a young poor immigrant, Ruth, who marries Boaz so she and her mother-in-law Naomi can escape poverty. These slides are from our reflections on St Augustine and the stoic philosopher Rufus.

There are few truly happy marriages in the Old Testament, one shining exception is the marriage of Ruth and Boaz. Naomi and her husband moved from Judea to Moab to escape a famine, their two sons married two Moabite women, but over the years she became destitute when first her husband, then her two sons, died. Naomi, in desperation, decided to move back to Judea, although she had lost touch with her relatives and her homeland. She tells her daughters-in-law to stay and remarry local men, but Ruth, showing character, refuses to leave Naomi:

Ruth said to Naomi,
“Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!”[28]

This is one of the most touching verses of the Bible: this loving verse shows Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law; her future devotion to Boaz, whom she will wed; her devotion to her God; and how her love for her family and her Love for God intertwine in her heart.

Boaz notices the graceful beauty of Ruth as she gleans in the fields and instructs his workers to leave behind extra sheaves of grain for Ruth to glean.

To truly understand the story, we must remember that the ancient Hebrews saw the Moabite women as somewhat loose. Perhaps, in a sense, she would have been seen by some in Israel as an “illegal immigrant”, especially since her mother-in-law abandoned Israel to move to Moab, marrying her sons to Moabite women.

Personally, I have trouble labelling those who seek a better life in America as “illegal aliens.” Doesn’t the poem on the base of the Statue of Liberty read:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”[29]

Of course, there are some bad apples, there are a few American who are members of gangs, and there are a few illegal aliens who are likewise members of the drug cartels. But the large majority of immigrants, legal or otherwise, are law abiding and hard-working. Many immigrate flee from countries where gangs make life dangerous, or to escape grinding unending poverty. How can we blame those who seek a better life for their families? When will we grant citizenship, or at least a promise that one day they will not be deported, to the dreamer youths whose parents immigrated years ago, for whom America is the only country they remember?

In our video on our Channel Philosophy, I discuss further many topics covered here, mainly how to live a godly life in modern America.

https://youtu.be/Si0TsO5bNr0

DISCUSSION OF THE SOURCES

We consulted the Ancient Christian Commentaries on the Church Fathers and the Reformation Commentaries. Both these series are from InterVarsity Press, I prefer the classical commentaries that quote extensively from the Church Fathers and preachers over the modern commentaries written by one or a few people, or by a committee. CS Lewis wrote Reflections on the Psalms, which reflects how the Church Fathers read the Psalms allegorically.

We also consulted the conservative Baptist Broadman Commentary, this is an older 1971 version I picked up many years ago in a used bookstore.

We also have videos on Book Reviews of the Apostolic Church Fathers, and Torah and Talmud commentaries by the medieval and modern Jewish rabbis.

https://youtu.be/I_2q4BiRBlU and https://youtu.be/mvstpk88TxI

[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+137&version=RSVCE

[2] CS Lewis, Reflections of the Psalms, included in The Beloved Works of CS Lewis Edison, New Jersey: Inspirational Press, Harcourt, Brace and Company, original 1955), references to Psalm 137 are in Chapter III, The Cursings, pp. 142-143, and Chapter XII, Second Meanings in the Psalms, p. 200.

[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6%3A20-26&version=RSVCE

[4] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+16%3A19-24&version=RSVCE

[5] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament Volume III, Luke (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2003), pp. 260-261.

[6] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+4%3A3-4&version=RSVCE

[7] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament Volume III, Luke, p. 104.

[8] Reformation Commentary on Scripture, New Testament Volume III, Luke (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2015), pp. 135-137.

[9] https://blog.acton.org/archives/18664-chrysostom-on-the-poor.html quoting St John Chrysostom, On Living Simply, Sermon XLIII, also in collection of essays, On Wealth and Poverty, https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-steven-kostoff/st.-john-chrysostom-who-is-the-poor-man-and-who-is-the-rich

[10] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+thessalonians+3%3A10-11&version=RSVCE

[11] The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 11, 2 Corinthians – Philemon (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), p. 296.

[12] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+10%3A1-2&version=RSVCE

[13] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+10%3A30-32&version=RSVCE

[14] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament Volume V, Acts, pp. 119-121.