Greek Word Studies
Advanced Level
Lesson 7
Lesson
Title: Poor (Ptochos)
Text: Matthew 5:3 ‘Blessed
are the poor (‘ptochos’) in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.’
Introduction: Meaning
of ‘ptochos’ poor.
There are two Greek words used in the New
Testament that are translated poor: ‘ptochos’ and ‘penes’.
Comparison
between ‘ptochos’ and ‘Penes’
Greek ‘ptochos’ means
being totally without means.
‘ptochos’ refers to
someone who is destitute.
Mark
Greek ‘penes’ means poor in the sense that a person has means but
is always struggling to survive.
In 2 Corinthians 9:9 ‘(As it is written, He hath
dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.’)
A working man who labours to pay for food.
The difference is this:
1) ‘ptochos’ reduces a man to the
level of a beggar.
2) ‘penes’ is poverty in the sense of
working hard merely to survive.
God’s
provision for the poor in the Old Testament
Gleaning (Ruth 2:2)
During the harvest time the law made provision
for those who were destitute (‘ptochos’).
The law gave them opportunity to survive by
working (‘penes’).
The law provided for the widows and orphans, and
also for the strangers who had no means of employment.
They were able to glean in the fields.
Whatever fell to the ground during harvest time
was to be left for the poor to pick up.
The law did not provide for the people simply by
giving charity – this would give no incentive to work.
The law gave opportunity for people to work all
day so they could gather enough to eat.
Gleaning did not bring prosperity, but gleaning provided
a means of working to survive, ‘penes’.
God did not make it easy.
This was God’s social help.
Introductory
Story: The
need for missions
In the
The woman’s poverty is unquestionable but it is
not good to give to her when she is using a young baby for this purpose.
Christians need to be involved in helping to
lift people, but it must be done right to protect the poor.
This is why we need to support missions and
organizations that will help the poor in the right way.
Feeding Program at Smokey Mountain
Main
Points:
1. Provision for the poor in the New Testament.
Not
everybody who is poor (ptochos) should be helped
financially:
A person who is ‘ptochos’
because he will not work is regarded by Paul to be as in a state that he
deserves
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians ‘…if any would not work, neither
should he eat. For we hear that there
are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are
busybodies. Now them that are such we
command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and
eat their own bread.’
(2
Thessalonians
This kind of person needs to be helped in
finding suitable employment.
Christians
should provide for their own families.
1 Timothy 5:8 ‘But if any provide not for his
own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath
denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.’
It is a denial of our faith if we do not provide
for our own families.
Even
provision by the church for a widow over 60 is conditional.
Paul does not tell Timothy to help everyone in
need.
He narrows it down to widows who are not likely
to remarry and therefore be provided for by their new husband.
But also the widow must have a reputation for
good works.
‘Well reported of for good works; if she have
brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the
saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently
followed every good work.’ (1 Timothy 5:10)
Provision by the church for poor widows is a
gift of appreciation for a life lived in providing for others.
The
Apostles in
When Paul came to see them in
‘And when James, Cephas,
and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me,
they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go
unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the
poor; the same which I also was forward to do.’ (Galatians 2:9-10)
Paul took an offering to them from
Romans
‘Lifting others’ should be a way of life for the
Christian but everyone has limited ability to give and so discretion and common
sense must always be used.
Scripture says ‘the Lord loves a cheerful giver’
but cheerful does not mean being irresponsible.
There is an order of importance in giving:
1) Care
for our family needs.
2)
Ministering to the needs of the saints (includes the needs in financing
the local church).
3)
Assisting the household of Faith (church members in need).
4)
Helping with our means to supply the needs of those spreading the gospel
(missions).
5) Using
our finance as an expression of love in helping others in need.
It is usually only the fifth category that
involves helping those who are destitute (‘ptochos’).
2. Lifted from poverty to riches
Psalm 113:7-8 ‘He raises up the poor out of the
dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill;
That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.’
The provision of gleaning that was provided by
the law lifted a person from being destitute (‘ptochos’)
to being able to survive (‘penes’).
There was another provision that was able to
lift them much higher.
It was the provision of the kinsman redeemer
Illus: Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 3-4)
A kinsman redeemer in the Hebrew language was
called a ‘goel’.
The kinsman redeemer was the nearest male relative to the poor family.
Land was distributed in
If the land was sold it could be redeemed at any
time by a near kinsman.
If no kinsman redeemer (‘goel’)
came, the land automatically returned to the original family on the year of
jubilee, which took place every 50 years.
But if a person acted as kinsman redeemer, there
was a duty he had to perform.
Purchasing the land also required the ‘goel’ to continue the line of inheritance of the dead
relative.
This meant marrying and having children who
would continue the line of succession for the dead relative.
In the book of Ruth, in order to receive the
benefits of the kinsman redeemer Ruth gave herself to Boaz.
There was a nearer kinsman than Boaz, but he was
not willing to marry Ruth, so Boaz was able to act as the kinsman redeemer.
Ruth and her mother in law were lifted from
‘destitution’ to ‘ability to survive’ by the provision of the law.
They were lifted to ‘having more than enough’
through the favour of Boaz great wealth
They were lifted to the heights of great wealth
through Ruth’s marriage with Boaz.
And Ruth’s name is listed as the mother of the
Kings of the nation.
3. Jesus came to preach
the gospel to the spiritually poor.
Luke 4:18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor (‘ptochos’); he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised,’
Those who
are poor (‘ptochos’) spiritually, and know that they
are poor, are blessed
Jesus said:
Matthew 5:3 ‘Blessed
are the poor (‘ptochos’) in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.’
Luke
Poor in
spirit
The Greek word ‘ptochos’
is used meaning totally destitute.
A person who is not totally destitute will seek
to work his or her way out of the situation.
A person who is destitute has no means of saving
him or herself.
They need One who is their
Kinsman Redeemer.
Story: Woman who was a sinner Luke 7:40-43
Jesus told the story of the two debtors – one owed
50 days wages, the other owed 500. Both
were bankrupt.
The one who owed the most would love the most.
Because their debt was so great they knew they
could never pay it.
The one who owed less also could never pay but
they did not realize they were in a hopeless situation.
Trusting Christ alone for salvation - Personal
testimony of salvation - New life in Christ – Christ alone.
John
Wesley’s testimony of salvation: Christ alone.
John Wesley (
‘In the evening I went very unwillingly to a
society in
About a
I then testified openly to all there what I now
felt in my heart.'
They were spiritually bankrupt but thought they
were rich.
Revelation 3:17-18, ‘Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see.’
The ‘poor in spirit’ are blessed because the
unsearchable riches of Christ are theirs.
They are like Ruth who exchanged her poverty for
riches by being united with Boaz through the provision of the Kinsman redeemer.
Summary:
Those who
are poor (‘ptochos’) are destitute and cannot save
themselves.
- Provision is made for them in
scripture but scripture never condones laziness.
- Christ came as our kinsman
redeemer to lift us from spiritual poverty to union with Him.
- Those who spiritually poor are
blessed because in ‘Christ alone’ we have eternal riches.