某間教會花了一筆錢買了一個尖塔置於教堂建築的屋頂。許多會友質疑：這算是善用上帝所賜的資源嗎？為什麼不拿那些錢去幫助窮人呢？牧師解釋說，這筆錢是一些會友奉獻的，購置尖塔是這些奉獻者的意願。他還引用耶穌的話說：「因為常有窮人和你們同在。」（約翰福音12章8節）

但這位牧師很快就為他輕率、斷章取義的言論道歉，這不禁讓我思考：耶穌是在什麼情況下說了這番話？在耶穌受難的六天前，有一個婦女用昂貴的香膏膏抹耶穌的腳。門徒對此嗤之以鼻，並質問為何不賣掉香膏來幫助窮人。耶穌引用申命記15章11節的意思，回答說：「因為常有窮人和你們同在，只是你們不常有我。」（約翰福音12章8節）

耶穌經常引用申命記，所以祂知道這句話的前面說什麼：「你若留意聽從耶和華你上帝的話，……就必在你們中間沒有窮人了。在耶和華你上帝所賜你為業的地上，耶和華必大大賜福於你」（申命記15章4-5節）。或許這也是耶穌訓斥門徒的另一個原因。許多窮人的存在，是因為以色列民沒有聽從上帝的命令。而耶穌是自始至終完全順服上帝的真以色列人，當耶穌被膏抹、被尊崇時，門徒卻以窮人來分散大家的注意力。

我們無需在愛耶穌和愛窮人之間做選擇。我們會因愛耶穌而愛人，而越愛耶穌越能激勵我們竭力去愛他人。

The members asked why their church was buying a steeple. Was this the best use of God’s resources? What about feeding the poor? The pastor replied that the funds came from donors and needed to be spent as they wished. “Besides,” he quoted Jesus, “you will always have the poor among you” (John 12:8).

The pastor quickly apologized for his flippant, out-of-context remark, which led me to wonder, What was Jesus’ context? Six days before His death, a woman anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. The disciples were disgusted. Why wasn’t this perfume sold to help the poor? Jesus replied by quoting Deuteronomy 15:11: “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:8).

Jesus often cited Deuteronomy, so He knew what was written a few sentences earlier: “There need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you . . . , he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 15:4-5). Perhaps this was another reason for Jesus’ rebuke. Poor people existed only because Israel hadn’t obeyed God’s instructions. Now the poor were being used to distract from Jesus—the true Israelite who would fully obey to the end.

We need not choose between Jesus and the poor. We love people best by loving Him most, and loving Him most inspires us to love others best.