Views in the New Testament
Besides the Hebrew Bible which mainly refers to the Old Testament, the New Testament also has its views about poverty and social justice. The New Testament majorly makes use of the Christian virtues throughout the whole book with Jesus His disciples being the main mentors. Most of the Christian virtues given by Jesus and the latter seem to be favoring the poor. The prayer that Jesus gave His disciples to recite gives the insight for the need of social justice in the society: "…love your neighbor as you love yourself…" Mark 12:28-34 (Grassi, 2003). This verse indicates that if an individual is rich then he should find a way of making his neighbor be in the same status. This makes the New Testament no different from the Old Testament since this is the greatest commandment that was given to the Israelites. This commandment was given out by God himself implying that God was ready to protect the poor. This commandment would have helped in a harmonious living between the poor and the rich in the society hence the social injustice proclaimed in the Old Testament (Grassi, 2003). Manifestation of social justice also sets in the New Testament when the rich man comes to Jesus and asks him what he should do so that he inherits the God's kingdom (Grassi, 2003). In response, Jesus tells him that he should go and give out some of his wealth to the suffering. When Jesus talks about fasting, social justice sets in again, with the need for giving the oppressed food during the fasting days. Therefore, love between the rich and the poor comes in handy in the New Testament.
My own biblical response to...
While the former seems to be talking about the Israelites, the latter talks about the general and modern life. However, this does not bring any difference, since both are using social injustice as the cause poverty in the society. From these, it is worth noting that social injustice goes hand in hand with poverty. In the modern world, social injustice has gone too far in affecting the lives of the people in the society. For instance, the injustice existing between the already developed economies and the undeveloped economies has made the later continue in their current situation. The exploitation by the former clearly shows that there is no love between the two as was provided by Jesus. If there is a need to alleviate poverty, it is true that the world should copy the way of the Israelites which would see the rich countries providing a helping hand to the poor countries. The world should also adapt to Jesus teaching about loving one's neighbor thereby promoting the sense of equality. As provided by the bible, social justice is the key treatment to the ailments presented by poverty.
Reference
Grassi, J.A. (2003). Informing the future: Social justice in the New Testament. New York:
Paulist Press.
Malchow, B.V. (1996). Social justice in the Hebrew Bible: What is new and what is old.
Minn: Liturgical Press.
Tighe, Miriam (1989). What the Bible Say About Poverty. Retrieved from:
www.irishchurches.org/files/WhattheBiblesaysaboutPOVERTY.pdf
