“Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.” (Galatians 2:10)
When Paul conferred with the apostles in Jerusalem and everyone agreed that he had the Gospel for the gentiles, they sent him on his way with these instructions in Galatians 2:10. The fact is that there are those in this world who have an exceeding abundance and are considered rich. And there are also those who are in dire need of the necessities of daily life and are considered poor.
“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:23-26) It’s difficult for the rich man to come to the kingdom of God because his heart is where his treasure is. To follow God requires that we have no other gods before us. A rich man cannot be without his riches. His lifestyle requires it. There is also the fact that he depends on his riches. The Lord requires that we depend on Him and give up all for Him. “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” (Matthew 19:29)
The poor on the other hand has nothing to help him make his condition better. His livelihood depends on what he is able to find in his hunt for food and clothing or on what others give him. This is the truly poor. And many Scriptures command us to give to the poor. When John the Baptist preached saying, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance...” (Luke 3:8), the people asked, “...What shall we do then?” (Luke 3:10) “He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” (Luke 3:11) John the Baptist was inferring that generosity and liberality is a fruit of repentance. It’s an indication that we recognize that the things we possess are provision from the heavenly Father and all that we have belongs to Him. Any more than we need, we should steward it as the Lord shows us the need of others.
Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” (Luke 4:18) I’ve been taught that when Jesus said poor here that He meant the poor in spirit, those that needed salvation and needed God. This is because in the Beatitudes Jesus does refer to those poor in spirit. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) But the word poor that Jesus used when He said He came to preach the gospel to the poor, meant beggar. In another Scripture, He sent word to John the Baptist, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4-5) Again the word poor means beggar. So, Jesus made a distinction when He meant poor and poor in spirit.
While maybe people think that the poor are more likely to receive the Gospel because they need hope and the Gospel gives hope, this is not necessarily true. It may be harder for the rich man, but rich or poor, we all have that God made need for Him. The circumstances of our lives here on earth may determine how easily we grasp at the salvation and hope of eternal life, but no matter, rich or poor, every man needs salvation. And whether the need of the poor or the emptiness of riches draws a person to the Gospel, the Gospel is for all and “whosoever” believes. (John 3:16)
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