Okay, not gonna lie! I get pretty pumped when I can remember something I read six months ago and the impact it had on me then (hey, in these days of my sixth decade I’m excited that I remember stuff from last week). Such is the case this morning reading in Matthew as I recall that I read the same thing in Luke last June (here’s the thinking then).

It’s an “one-of-these-things-is-not-quite-like-the-other” observation.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

(Matthew 11:2-6 ESV)

See it? The thing that’s not quite like the other things? The thing that stands out?

So, what’s the thing? The poor have good news preached to them.

The blind see and the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. Even the dead, when they encounter Jesus, realize a great reversal as they are raised up. But the poor? What do the needy who are poor get when they get to Jesus? Money? Riches? A pre-loaded debit card? Nope. They get a sermon. They get the good news preached to them.

Chew on that for a bit. I am. For the second time in six months. (Did I mention that kind of pumps me?)

And it kind of hits me that being poor is the great equalizer for all those in Jesus’ healing line. In that day and culture, someone who was blind ended up being a beggar. So, after being touched by Jesus, they became a seeing beggar. Same for a leper who had been a leper for any length of time. Or someone deaf. Maybe the dead guy (or dead gal) raised to life had some local notoriety, but this was well before the ability to publish an “I Was Dead and Then Alive” memoir or cash in on daytime TV interviews. Guessing the dead guy (or dead gal) who came back ended up coming back to whatever socio-economic status they had before. I’m thinking that it’s possible that all of these, after the miracles they experienced, were now where the poor always were — ready to hear some good news preached to them.

After all, when it comes to the economics of eternity, poor is exactly where you want to be.

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him?

(James 2:5)

Poor is where you want to be — where you need to be — when it comes to picking up what Jesus is laying down. ‘Cause having nothing is the perfect position to be in when it comes to being given everything. But we’re not talking worldly riches. Rather, we’re talking eternal riches, aka treasure in heaven (Matt. 19:21).

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.

(2Corinthians 8:9 ESV)

I said it six months ago (actually Jesus said it two thousand years ago, but I’m just jazzed that I can remember quoting Him six months ago), “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20).

Amen?

By His grace. For His glory.