28/07/2026
God is on the side of the Oppressed
God cares for everyone, yes, but I’m not sure it’s entirely equal. To me it looks like God has a particular preference for the minorities—the last, the lost and the least—and I think you can see it all the way through the Bible.
God chose to rescue the Jewish people when they were SLAVES, beaten and oppressed under the scorching Egyptian sun. ‘I’ve heard your cries,’ said God, and then stepped into history to help them get out and find a new home.
A few hundred years later, when they were being oppressed by another powerful nation, God stepped in again to back the teenage boy with the sling over the Philistine giant.
And it goes on. God continually steps in to fight for the oppressed, the powerless, the forgotten. The underdogs. Once you see it you start seeing it everywhere.
It’s there in the younger brother motif—Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his older brothers, David over his brothers. And in many stories where God steps in to support a mistreated or undervalued woman (Hagar, Hannah, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary).
In the Psalms, God is described as ‘the father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.’ (Ps 68).
Or here’s a pretty strong one from Proverbs 22: ‘Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court. For the Lord is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them.’
Damn. Not messing around there.
Jesus made this preference even more obvious when he came on the scene. Right from the start of his ministry, Jesus made his priorities clear: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the POOR. He has sent me to proclaim that CAPTIVES will be released, that the BLIND will see, that the OPPRESSED will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.’ People didn’t like that (Luke 4).
He went out of his way to reach the outcasts—tax collectors, s*x workers, the ‘unclean,’ the ‘uneducated,’ people with disabilities and mental illnesses. People judged him for hanging out with ‘sinners.’
He treated women with respect and dignity in a world that dehumanised and devalued them (how have we still not sorted that one out?).
In his stories, Jesus centred the last, the lost, and the least—the Good Samaritan, the lost coin, the lost sheep, the Prodigal Son (another younger brother).
One time a rich dude wanted to become Jesus’ follower and Jesus told him to give away his whole fortune to the poor first. He said it was basically impossible for a wealthy person to be in his kingdom.
He announced that in his new kingdom ‘the first shall be last and the last shall be first.’
It keeps going. Jesus told people that his REAL followers are those who give a drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, a home to the homeless, and who visit people in prison. ‘Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.’
But my favourite example of God’s preference for the poor and powerless is probably from Jesus’ mum. When she found out she was pregnant, Mary sang these words:
‘Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed… His mighty arm has done great things! He has scattered the proud. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.’ (Luke 1)
Hmm, that doesn’t sound like capitalism.
Are we meant to be like this? To prioritise the poor and powerless over the rich and powerful?
I actually think we are.
For one, we’re explicitly told to. James 1:27 tells us that ‘pure and genuine religion in the sight of God means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.’
But also, THIS IS WHAT GOD IS LIKE.
Over and over through the story, God sided with the oppressed, the poor, the powerless. And when God came to earth, he even chose to become poor.
Born in a stable, not a palace.
I think we’re meant to make choices like that too, to stand in solidarity with people who are being forgotten, oppressed, targeted, or mistreated.
Who are the oppressed in our world today? Who are the people being treated unfairly? Who are the groups being targeted by those in power, or by the media? Or, who are the people being overlooked or forgotten?
A few that come to mind: immigrants, LGBTQIA and especially trans people, women, people on the NDIS, First Nations, rural communities, teenage boys (and girls for that matter), Palestinians in Gaza…
Who else comes to mind?
From what I see in the Bible, I believe Jesus would be with those people. God is with these people.
If we want to follow Jesus, I think it’s clear that we should be too.
‘Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.’
