Why would Israel always have the poor with them? As God warned them in Deuteronomy 15 (see discussion in earlier column), they would do so because they would not obey him, with emphasis on debt remission. Again, this may read as odd to modern Christian eyes, which are not nearly as immersed in Old Testament texts as Jesus and his listeners. Our interpretive framework tends to focus on heart attitudes and personal salvation, whereas 1st century Israel was aflame with outrage about the lack of debt relief and with frenzied expectation about the coming Messiah and the promise that he would proclaim liberty to the (debt) captives.
Jesus was right. They would not obey and the poor would always be with them. In fact, the failure to obey God in this matter ended up setting in motion a series of events which plunged the whole region into poverty.