Ruth’s Restaurant: A Family Business 40 Years in the Making
With fair loans and support, Ruth has grown her restaurant into a business that creates jobs for other women.
Latin America + Caribbean
June 04, 2025
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to his disciples: "The poor you will always have with you."
As a nonprofit with the mission to end poverty, these words from Jesus raise a fair number of questions. If there’s always going to be poverty, we might as well give up, right?
We've heard these words quoted by people who wonder if our mission is contrary to the will of God. We've also heard them used by politicians to justify keeping the status quo.
Here’s where context helps.
These words from Jesus are recorded three times in the Bible: first in Matthew 26:11, again in Mark 14:7, and finally in John 12:8. Each passage describes a visit to the home of Simon the Leper, in Bethany, where Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume.
“When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked.‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.’” (Matthew 26: 8-11)
(It's worth noting that John attributes this objection to Judas Iscariot who, in the following scene, betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Did he really want to give that money to the poor?)
Most theologians agree that Jesus’ reply contains an allusion to this passage found in the Jewish Torah (the first five books of the Bible):
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)
Growing up as Jewish boys, the disciples would have been familiar with the Torah. So, when Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you,” they would have understood the reference and its command for generosity.
Why, then, does Jesus add, “but you will not always have me”?
Theologian Craig S. Keener argues that “[Jesus] does not play down giving to the poor but plays up what follows: devotion to Jesus must precede and inform all other important and godly agendas.”
Indeed, the verses before this passage explain that if people follow God’s commandments, there will be no poverty.
“However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.” (Deuteronomy 15:4-5)
“There need be no poor people among you,” the passage says—indicating that poverty is not part of God’s plan. God’s plan was one of shalom: harmony with creation, self, God, and others. This vision of shalom is one of our core beliefs at PW and guides our vision for the future we want to see. It’s not enough that people should survive—we want them to thrive. John 10:10 says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
We seek to unlock abundance through partnership. We know that everyone, no matter their economic status, is created in the image of God; therefore, it is as peers that we address poverty. Only by recognizing the unique value and skills of every person can we hope to create a world where everyone thrives.
So next time you hear someone quoting this passage as a reason to ignore poverty, invite them to consider it within its full context. Is that really the way that Jesus—who defended, protected, and redeemed the poor and outcast—would act?
