{"id":64827,"date":"2016-09-15T00:03:30","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T05:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?p=64827"},"modified":"2016-09-13T21:34:37","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T02:34:37","slug":"kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/","title":{"rendered":"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Screen<\/a>So reads Proverbs 19:17: \u201cWhoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done.\u201d That line can be unpacked to challenge our lack of charity today; our lack of trust that an act of charity toward the poor is an investment in the ways of God, an investment in the generosity of God, in the generous God who returns our charity with graces of charity beyond our imagination.<\/p>\n

Instead of calculating our act of charity in terms of investment and return, we are to calculate our charity as an act of faith in a generous God more than worthy of our trust.<\/p>\n

In his book called\u00a0Charity<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, Gary Anderson connects the act of charity with the act of faith. They are mutually interactive, each informing the other and each forming the character of the actor. Thus,<\/p>\n

Faith, we shall discover, is not reducible to mere <\/em>intellectual assent, it is also a specific way of enacting one\u2019s life in the world. And it is from this pattern of enactment that a metaphysical portrait of the world begins to take shape<\/em> (37).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To give to the poor, he argues, is an expression of faith and in the way the world works for that person of faith. Anderson is right. We need, in other words, a phenomenology of charity. He observes that in securing a loan today the bank\/banker must become our\u00a0creditor<\/em> (that is, one who believes [creditor is connected to credo, creed] in the borrower). Faith in the other is inherent to the banking business, and our verse above from Proverbs partakes in that phenomenology: a person who gives money to the poor\u00a0believes in the Lord<\/em> who will repay in one form or another. (Read 1 Samuel 22:2: \u201cAll those who were in distress or in debt [\u201chad a believer\u201d] or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.\u201d)<\/p>\n

His focus is the Jewish text Sirach, which in 29:1-3, connects merciful in lending to neighbors, paying off one\u2019s debts, and the future security for those who are honest in such a system of crediting and payments. There is a risk to the lender (keep your eye on giving to poor as lending to God) as 29:4-7 show:<\/p>\n

\n

Many regard a loan as a windfall,\u00a0and cause trouble to those who help them.\u00a05<\/b><\/span> One kisses another\u2019s hands until he gets a loan,\u00a0and is deferential in speaking of his neighbor\u2019s money;\u00a0but at the time for repayment he delays,\u00a0and pays back with empty promises,\u00a0and finds fault with the time.\u00a06<\/b><\/span> If he can pay, his creditor will hardly get back half,\u00a0and will regard that as a windfall.\u00a0If he cannot pay, the borrower has robbed the other of his money,\u00a0and he has needlessly made him an enemy;\u00a0he will repay him with curses and reproaches,\u00a0and instead of glory will repay him with dishonor.\u00a07<\/b><\/span> Many refuse to lend, not because of meanness,\u00a0but from fear of being defrauded needlessly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hence, those who vouched for for the borrower (29:14-20).<\/p>\n

But Ben Sira understands charity to the poor to be a kind of loan through the poor to God. There is profound faith involved here\u00a0because the donor here often knows the poor cannot repay, or at least probably will not be able to repay<\/em>. In Sirach 29:8-13 then charity is reconceptualized into loans to God with the incumbent risk shifted into faith in God. Here is the text:<\/p>\n

\n

8<\/b><\/span> Nevertheless, be patient with someone in humble circumstances,\u00a0and do not keep him waiting for your alms.\u00a09<\/b><\/span> Help the poor for the commandment\u2019s sake,\u00a0and in their need do not send them away empty-handed.\u00a010<\/b><\/span> Lose your silver for the sake of a brother or a friend,\u00a0and do not let it rust under a stone and be lost.\u00a011<\/b><\/span>Lay up your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High,\u00a0and it will profit you more than gold.\u00a012<\/b><\/span> Store up almsgiving in your treasury,\u00a0and it will rescue you from every disaster;\u00a013<\/b><\/span> better than a stout shield and a sturdy spear,\u00a0it will fight for you against the enemy.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The italicized words reveal the reconceptualizing of charity: it is giving\/loaning to God and God can be trusted. The poor person then is a \u201cconduit\u201d to God.<\/p>\n

\n

As anyone knows, one of the best strategies for dealing with the uncertainties that the future might offer is the accumulation of at least a modest nest egg. In our day, this would mean minimally funding a retirement account so that when one enters one\u2019s dotage and can no longer work, there will be funds available to cover living expenses. In Ben Sira\u2019s mind, the surest way to deal with such worries about what Lady Fortune might have on offer was to fund a heavenly treasury. For God Almighty himself has promised that these \u201cmonies\u201d will rescue one from any and all affliction. \u201cStore up almsgiving in your treasury,\u201d Ben Sira concludes, \u201cand it will rescue you from every disaster; better than a stout shield and a sturdy spear, it will fight for you against the enemy (49).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So reads Proverbs 19:17: \u201cWhoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done.\u201d That line can be unpacked to challenge our lack of charity today; our lack of trust that an act of charity toward the poor is an investment in the ways of God, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nKind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So reads Proverbs 19:17: "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done." That line can be unpacked to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So reads Proverbs 19:17: "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done." That line can be unpacked to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-15T05:03:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-09-14T02:34:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/files\/2016\/08\/Screen-Shot-2016-08-20-at-12.46.42-PM-198x300.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/\",\"name\":\"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-15T05:03:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-14T02:34:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\"},\"description\":\"So reads Proverbs 19:17: \\\"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done.\\\" That line can be unpacked to\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\",\"name\":\"Jesus Creed\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith in the 21st century\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\",\"name\":\"Scot McKnight\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author of more than fifty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/author\/scotmcknight\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord","description":"So reads Proverbs 19:17: \"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done.\" That line can be unpacked to","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord","og_description":"So reads Proverbs 19:17: \"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done.\" That line can be unpacked to","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/","og_site_name":"Jesus Creed","article_published_time":"2016-09-15T05:03:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-09-14T02:34:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/files\/2016\/08\/Screen-Shot-2016-08-20-at-12.46.42-PM-198x300.png"}],"author":"Scot McKnight","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Scot McKnight","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/","name":"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-09-15T05:03:30+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-14T02:34:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252"},"description":"So reads Proverbs 19:17: \"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,\u00a0and he will reward them for what they have done.\" That line can be unpacked to","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2016\/09\/15\/kind-to-the-poor-lend-to-the-lord\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kind to the Poor, Lend to the Lord"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/","name":"Jesus Creed","description":"Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith in the 21st century","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252","name":"Scot McKnight","description":"Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author of more than fifty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/author\/scotmcknight\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64827\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}