Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

102 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

3. He lives the life of the poor.

a. No place to lay his head, Matt. 8.20

b. Oppressed by the established authorities – both religious and secular, Isa. 53.7-8; Matt. 21.46; 22.15-16; Mark 3.6; John 7.32.

c. Supported by the contributions of others, Luke 8.3.

B. Jesus defined and validated his messianic mission by making the poor his central priority.

Luke 4.16-21 – He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “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 proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Matt. 11.2-6 – When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

C. Jesus directly tied salvation and discipleship to a similar concern for the poor and oppressed.

Luke 19.2-10 – A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and