Giving to the poor is a command. But it was far more than a command and there is something deeply theological about giving to those in need. For example, Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 28:27 says, “Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” Proverbs 14:31 says, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” And Hebrews 13:16 says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
It should not come as a surprise, then, that Jesus lays very strict rules down for giving in Matthew 25. In fact, the very separation of the sheep from the goats rests on one thing: our willingness to give to the poor. Jesus sums it up this way, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). We clearly see a theology emerge that says giving to the poor is the same as lending to God. Being kind to the needy honors God. God is pleased with the sacrifice of giving to the poor.
Why is it, then, that Christians are often slow to give to the poor? There are many reasons–we’ve been burned before, many poor people scam others, we might feel unsafe because desperation can be associated with violence. But God doesn’t give us a free pass because we’ve been taken advantage of before. He is very clear that giving to the poor honors Him. Yes, we need to be cautious, but cautious and failure to give are two different things. We must be willing to give, and to give generously!