What did Jesus say about Material Poverty?

¹⁹ “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.

²⁰ A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores,

²¹ and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

²³ In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.

²⁴ He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish.

²⁶ Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house—

²⁸ for I have five brothers—that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

²⁹ “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”

³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

³² Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

³³ He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

³⁴ Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in.

³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?

³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you?

³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

⁴¹ Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;

⁴² for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;

⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’

⁴⁵ “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’

⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

¹¹ “A certain man had two sons.

¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ So he divided his livelihood between them.

¹³ Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.

¹⁴ When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.

¹⁵ He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

¹⁶ He wanted to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

¹⁷ But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!

¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

¹⁹ I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’

²⁰ “He arose and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him.

²¹ The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

²³ Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s eat and celebrate;

²⁴ for this, my son, was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶ He called one of the servants to him and asked what was going on.

²⁷ He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’

²⁸ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and begged him.

²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

³⁰ But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

³² But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”

¹⁶ “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people.

¹⁷ He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’

¹⁸ They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’

²⁰ “Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’

²¹ “That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’

²² “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’

²³ “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

²⁴ For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen.’”

⁵ “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans.

⁶ Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

⁷ As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’

⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.

⁹ Don’t take any gold, silver, or brass in your money belts.

¹⁰ Take no bag for your journey, neither two coats, nor sandals, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food.

¹¹ Into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you go on.

¹² As you enter into the household, greet it.

¹³ If the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t worthy, let your peace return to you.

¹⁴ Whoever doesn’t receive you or hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.

¹⁵ Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

¹⁹ and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

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Narration or other speakers' words are omitted to show Jesus' words. Read in context for the full passage.

²¹ “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

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Narration or other speakers' words are omitted to show Jesus' words. Read in context for the full passage.

²³ “Doubtless you will tell me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’”

²⁴ “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

²⁵ But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

²⁶ Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

²⁷ There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”