How Can We Use Jesus’ Teachings to Help the Poor in 2020’s America?

Poverty still exists in the US even today. It is important for us to understand that people’s own faults aren’t the reason they’re in poverty. Understanding this can help us be more empathetic of their situation and be more willing to help in any way we can.

We can use Jesus’ actions as an example of how to be empathetic to people in poverty. Here’s how to help people in poverty in the US using Jesus’ teachings in 2020.

Offer Help Even if We’re Not Asked of It
In Matthew 9:35-36, it is said that Jesus stopped and helped the people from the villages that He was passing through. Although those villages were not His main destinations, He still gave the people there His time and effort.

Jesus’ behavior in this situation is something that we should replicate in our lives. Poverty still exists, and we can find homeless people almost anywhere. It is important that we empathize with them, and help them in any way we can. We shouldn’t let territorial boundaries stop us from helping others. There are multiple countries in which people are struggling. We can join donation programs and give whatever we can to help them in their time of need. There are also volunteers who travel to underdeveloped countries to educate people. You should do so if you have the time and resources; if not, then you can help a volunteer by sponsoring them.

Poverty Exists Because of a System
It is important for us to understand that most people in poverty are not in that situation because of some fault of their own. It is common for us to label them as lazy and unwilling to work for a living. However, that is far from the truth. It’s not that they’re not trying to improve their situation; it’s just that it is almost impossible for them to improve their situation no matter how hard they try. The capitalist system has made it so.

People in poverty don’t have access to a lot of the basic amenities. Therefore, they have to sacrifice any dreams they may have for higher education. As a result, they don’t get a lot of employment opportunities to improve their situation. They are trapped in a cycle in which they can’t improve their situation even if they wanted to.

In addition to that, people in poverty do not have a lot of social capital. Social capital is the relationships people have with others in society. Greater social capital allows people to have better networking opportunities – which help in gaining employment in most workplaces. People from well-off families often have great social capital. This automatically gives them a lot more opportunities than people in poverty, even if they don’t have much merit.

Give to People in Need and Avoid Hoarding
According to Luke 16:14, Jesus taught His followers not to worship money. This is an important lesson for us to focus on today. It’s important to refrain from being greedy for money and hoarding it for ourselves. This is counterintuitive to existing systems in society, but it is important nevertheless. We should make it a point to give to those in need as much as we can. This is also not just limited to finances; we can give our time, effort, and care to those who need it.

Everyone in this world is equal and deserves the right to live comfortably and have their basic needs met. There are limited resources in this world; thus, the more we keep for ourselves, the more we take from others.