Kiva is a really interesting way to build friendships with the poor.  I like that the emphasis here isn’t just on a one-time gift, but on an ongoing relationship.  I found it interesting that Jessica Jackley begins with a story about Sunday school and Jesus.  She is both inspired by Jesus and a little frustrated because Jesus says the poor will always be with us.  What Jesus says is an interesting conundrum for Christians, although I wonder if its not taken out of context.  The original verse is in Mark 14:7 which says, “You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me.”  As I do a quick search on Google I see that this is a verse that many people seem to wrestle with.  Does Jesus think we shouldn’t help the poor?  The bigger story that this verse falls in is the woman who anoints Jesus feet with oil.  The religious leaders are upset that the money wasn’t used for the poor.  Jesus response is verse seven.  I think the big picture here is that for a Christian there is a time to celebrate and to celebrate big.  These times have more to do not so much with the things we tend to celebrate in our culture, but the really important stuff that is life-changing.  I think particularly about baptism or the anniversary of marriage vows.  These things have a kind of sacred nature about them, and Christians need not blush at spending big to celebrate these moments.  I’ve written more about celebration in relation to simplicity here.  Taking this verse out of context and applying it to some kind of policy on poverty would be a grave mistake.  Jesus certainly was interested in helping break down the systems that keep people in poverty and I suspect he would be very interested in what Jessica Jackley and Kiva are up to. And then loan someone $25!