“You always have the poor with you,
and whenever you want,
you can do good for them.
But you will not always have Me.”
– Jesus to the disciples, after Mary anointed Him (Mark 14:7)
Just days before Passover, Mary, the brother of Lazarus anointed Jesus with expensive ointment out of an alabaster flask. Mary’s “waste” of such costly perfume appalled the disciples. After all, Jesus had taught them to care for the poor and needy. Their lives boasted of little luxury. But Jesus told the disciples that Mary’s action foreshadowed His coming burial. He then reminded them that they “always have the poor with them.”
Americans often misunderstand this text as a prophecy about the inevitability of poverty. They picture Jesus shrugging His shoulders and saying, “You’re always going to have the poor with you, so don’t get too worked up about poverty.” Yet even a cursory reading of the Gospels reveals how far removed is this mindset from the ministry pattern of Jesus.
Jesus is not declaring ministry to the poor as pointless or ineffective. Notice what He says: “you always have the poor with you.” When Jesus said these words, He was in the home of a former leper – one of society’s outcasts. Jesus is claiming that His disciples, because they are His disciples, will always be in close proximity to the poor. Followers of Jesus enter the difficult places of poverty and lift up the downtrodden.
Why then do so many churches avoid rubbing shoulders with the poor and needy? Can it truly be said of us that we have the poor “with us?” Are we close enough to the poor to be able to do good for them “whenever we want”?
Jesus’ words challenge us to be present in the places of greatest need. But sometimes even good ministry can get in the way of our worship. The disciples rightly saw that the expensive ointment could have been put to more practical use in ministry to the poor. But we are not always called to devote our money to what is most practical. Sometimes God wants the best and the most beautiful displays of our love and worship for Him. As we magnify His worth by our gifts, He receives the glory.
written by Trevin Wax © 2007 Kingdom People blog
