Mark 14: 7-9 NKJV
I find it interesting that there were people who ridiculed the very woman who annointed Jesus with oil. For instead of seeing the big picture, their attention was focused on the immediate. Yes, Jesus had already predicted His death, but His words were lost in the everyday life of His inner circle. Therefore, as Jesus prepared for His own crucifiction, life went on as usual for His disciples. One of the key phrases I take from this passage are the words of Jesus concerning those in need. For Jesus tells us, "You have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good." Now, this definately seems to fly in the face of more than a few liberal thinkers today, who preach that all we need to overcome poverty is a more level playing field for everyone. Well, this may come as a shock to a good number of people out there, but life isn't fair. Obviously, if life was fair, we'd have far fewer disadvantaged people around us. For there would be more and fairness for everyone. In fact, the very idea that we, as a society, could accomplish a society where everything is fair and balanced is ludicrous! Our very human nature would prevent this from happening. Our own history has shown us that these very examples of society don't work. The list of failed examples includes the former Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and...Jonestown.
"If you're born in capitalist America, racist America, fascist America, then you're born in sin. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in sin."
Jim Jones
The simple fact of thhe matter is, there will ALWAYS be poor among us. For the only perfect society mankind may ever know will not be a society at all, but the church of our risen Lord upon His return. Now, do I condemn those who dedicate themselves to helping the poor among us, NO. For even Jesus instructed us to care for the least among us. I am not naive enough to believe that mankind can or will ever defeat poverty. It is indeed a lofty dream, but I believe that it is just that. Does that mean that we should stop caring for the poor among us? Not at all! However, I do believe that we should stop portraying our so called "War on poverty" as a battle we can win. Nothing could be further from the truth. To believe otherwise would be to ignore scripture and the very words of Jesus Himself. I mentioned the name Jim Jones, a name which many today may not be familiar with. Jim Jones had an idea, an idea to create a utopia society in Guyana based on socialistic principles. This "society" would be created by Jones' church, the Peoples Temple of San Francisco. A society which was not based on the rascist system of the United States. Jones had a good number of followers. However, something happened on the way to his paradise, and soon it became more of a dictatorship, with Jim Jones as supreme leader. Stories of torture and abuse soon motivated California congressman Leo Ryan to ultimately visit the Jonestown compound to find out what was going on. It was to be the congressmans final trip, gunned down by Jones' "Red Guard" armed guards at a jungle airstrip in Port Kaituma, Guyana. For on November 18th, 1978, at the direction of the Reverend Jim Jones, 918 members of his utopian Jonestown society commited suicide in one of the worst mass suicides ever recorded. Of those killed, 304 of them were children killed by their own parents. Does this sound like utopia to anyone? We do well to heed the words of Jesus that the poor will always be with us.
~Scott~
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