Jesus knew that scarcity helps define and determain our priorities.
Jesus seemed to prefer the poor over the rich, perhaps it is because the poor needed him more. After all, the rich of his time had an even greater share of the total wealth than we see here (in the USA) today. But, I have decided that it is the fact that the poor understand scarcity better than the wealthy. The poor understand opportunity cost (the next best thing given up to get something), and this understanding helps them determain what is important to them. Jesus must have felt that for this reason, the poor would be either more responsive or at least decide quicker, questions about their own spirituality.