BLESSED ARE THE POOR

The Greek word for poor is "ptochos": people who are destitute, people who are so poor that begging and stealing become options for them to survive. They are drowning in misery.

War, slavery, and indebtedness leave people widows and orphans and refugees. War, slavery, and indebtedness leave people destitute, displaced, and dispossessed.

The Hebrew Bible, over and over and over, challenged the Ancient Israelites and Judahites to care for widows, orphans, and refugees. War, slavery, and indebtedness were all part of the structures and systems of evil that made the rich richer and the poor miserable.

During the time of Jesus, the 1% owned and controlled the land and practically everything else. Half of the population was slowly starving to death. Life expectancy was 28 years.

The poor that Luke--and also Matthew--talk about are those who pray "The Lord's Prayer". They beg God to give them today the food they need because they live from one day to the next. They also beg God to cancel their debts. Yes, debts. Not sins nor trespasses.

There are people who love to pray this prayer while they have cupboards--or even storehouses--of food enough for a week, a month, a year, or longer. There are people who love to pray the prayer while being the reason why so many are suffering from indebtedness.

These people are not poor. They should stop praying the prayer.



*Art, "The Sermon on the Mount," JESUS MAFA, Cameroon 1973 (from the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives).