The Poor Are Not the Enemy
"Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat." Amos 8:4-6
The landowners, the factory owners and the transnational corporations of today often make the ephah -- the weight or quantity produced -- small, and the shekel -- their profits -- great.
For example, farm workers pick our fruits and vegetables for low wages while growers package them in the small, expensive baskets or boxes we see in our grocery stores. Many of these farm workers are forced to work off the clock at a piece rate so there are no records of hours to prove they are paid less than minimum wage.
And consider the young women in Central America and Asia who makes pennies an hour to sew clothing and shoes for U.S. manufacturers who sell the garments at high brand-name prices.
Too often the ephah is small and the shekel is great.
Judgments of the poor
Our society justifies high profits for a few and poverty for many by developing myths about those who are poor. One myth about the poor is that they won't work because they lack initiative and are lazy. These attitudes aren't new. Methodism's founder John Wesley had this observation about the poor of his day:
"On Friday and Saturday I visited as many more [of the poor] as I could. I found some of their cells underground; others in their garrets, half-starved both with cold and hunger, added to weakness and pain. But I found not one of them unemployed, who was able to crawl about the room. So wickedly, so devilishly false is that common objection, 'They are poor, only because they are idle.' If you saw these things with your own eyes, could you lay out money in ornaments or superfluities?"
These are harsh words for those who judge the poor. The majority of those living below the poverty line in the United States are the working poor. The majority of those who are not working, have lost their jobs due to layoffs, plant closings or downsizing. They are seeking work but cannot find it. The majority of those who receive welfare are on the rolls for two years just to hold them over between jobs or to stay afloat amidst family crises, usually because they lack medical coverage.
Throughout Scripture, it is not the poor who are judged, but the rich and powerful.
The judgment is loud and clear in Jeremiah 22:13:
Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages.
This is the economics of God speaking, not the economics of nation states or transnational corporations. A consistent message of judgment upon the wealthy turns everything in our global economy on its head. It is a economics of reversals, of equal access to jobs and education, of fair pay, of decent working conditions, of health and well-being for all God's children.
Giving up something for Lent
During Lent, we pause to ponder the time that led up to Jesus' death and resurrection. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, Lent is a time of lengthening days, increasing daylight and anticipation of springtime. And it can be a time to reflect on those in our nation and world who live in poverty.
We are often admonished to give up something for Lent. This Lent, consider giving up time to participate in justice ministries with the poor in our community. Or give up an offering of letters to Congress urging lawmakers to pass legislation and a budget that enables the poor to be lifted out of poverty. Follow the call to a nation that has forgotten its poor found in Isaiah 1:16 and 17:
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
Ask yourself the following questions:
The poor may seem invisible to some of us, but the poor are among us. Many of those now living in poverty were just a paycheck or two away from poverty before they were laid off, lost their jobs or had family medical emergencies. When we see the poor as the other, we ignore our own vulnerability in the world's economy.
In their book, For Crying Out Loud: Women's Poverty in the United States, Diane Dujon and Ann Withorn write about villainizing of the poor as the enemy. They point out that poor women, instead of being seen as deserving help, are blamed for the decline of family cohesiveness and deterioration of the social fabric. These editors argue that the problems facing poor women are problems that face many women for whom jobs and marriages are not as secure as they had hoped and dreamed. At anytime in a woman's life, her economic security may be at risk.
Walking with the poor
As women, we're all in the same economic boat. At the recent United Methodist Women's Assembly, Sistren, a Jamaican theater group, sang these words:
"Sisters, come row, so we can stay afloat! Sisters, come row! We're all in the same boat! "
Seeing the poor as outside the boat was the problem Jesus raised in his parable about the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16:19-31. In this story, Lazarus, a poor man, hung around outside the rich man's gate, but the rich man paid no attention to him. The rich man did not give Lazarus any food or clothing despite his wealth. To the rich man, Lazarus remained unseen, invisible, the other.
In God's economy, Jesus brings the others center stage, to the table, into the middle of the boat.
As daylight lengthens during this Lenten season, we can pray for a lengthening arm of justice to reach out to those who are struggling to survive. With God as our guide and help, we can work with those living in poverty to call systems of oppression into accountability. We can support efforts of the working poor and the unemployed as they organize for better jobs. As we approach the cross with Jesus, let's walk with the poor, just as Jesus did.
Kolya Braun-Greiner is executive secretary for children, youth and families for the Women's Division.