Poverty…..

I heard something said this week that almost couldn’t believe that I heard. Someone was talking about going out and feeding the homeless and the poor, and another person said, “Why would you spend all that money feeding them when they are just going to hell anyways?”

Besides feeling extremely angry and sad, I realized that it’s not uncommon to hear this philosophy in so many people that are in the body of Christ. Most people think that scripture calls us to get people “saved,” not to worry about their situation. Because in their minds, once they’re saved, God will begin to provide all their needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus, right? So therefore we should share the gospel (which ironically means “Good News”) and make sure they get saved first. The verse that tends to come out to justify their inaction to help the person’s current situation is John 12:8. If you wonder what that says, let me set up the context for you.

Jesus is getting prepared for the Passover, it’s 5 days before He is going to die. He’s right outside of Jerusalem at a friend’s house, and Mary takes some expensive perfume, anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. Judas gets ticked and claims that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor instead. What Judas actually meant was that he wanted to get his hands on that money, because he had been stealing from the treasury. Jesus, of course, knew this and replies to him:

John 12:8 “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

What’s ironic about this verse are 3 things. First off, those who don’t wanna help the poor use this to justify their inaction. So they quote the first line completely out of context, although interestingly enough, they don’t ever mention the second part of the verse-the idea that we won’t always have Jesus…..that doesn’t fit with the argument, so it’s left out.

Secondly, they ignore what Jesus was quoting, which is Deut. 15:11

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

Conveniently, they leave out the second part of this verse too, the commandment, when it doesn’t fit with their arguments.

Finally, they ignore one of the central themes of the early church in Acts, which was to get rid of excess material possessions and land, sell it, and use the money to give to the poor. Not to build a taller steeple or nicer building than others, but to feed those who were hungry and clothe the poor. The early church existed to help those who weren’t in their membership….a group that was truly others-centered.

I have a hard time believing that we are supposed to use the offerings and tithe at church for ourselves. We tend to think in selfish terms with our money-even in our churches. Just like Judas we think about ways that we can use the money to make our own lives easier. If only we could buy new seats so we could be more comfortable. How about repaving the parking lot so we don’t have to hit a bump? What about, what about, what about?

Back to John 12-What the passage in context teaches us was that Jesus was commending Mary for being others-centered while rebuking Judas for only thinking about himself. Yes, Judas claimed to have the others’ interests in mind, but he truly was looking out only for himself.

So let me ask you this, back to the original comment: “Why would you spend all that money feeding them when they are just going to hell anyways?”-what does it look like to others when we say that we care not about someone’s hunger or poverty, but at the same time saying we really DO care about their eternal destination? Is that truly being others’ centered? Is that bringing true hope to those who are hurting?

Check James 2 out:

14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

It’s interesting that James, the brother of Jesus, specifically addresses this in his epistle to the early church. It must have come up then, too. He purposefully uses the illustration of helping the poor and hurting to reveal those who have true faith. And of course, our faith accompanied by actions is what leads us to the Kingdom of God.

Of course, I’m sure at this point some are thinking about Martin Luther, or the doctrine of justification and you think that I’m ignoring Romans 1, and forgetting about justification by faith alone, right? Well, what I am suggesting is the same as Christ and James-faith without works is dead faith. Faith that leads to works of love is a faith of life.

Are you thinking about your faith? Are you wondering if you want to be more comfortable at church, or if you tend to have a desire to serve others? We must do as Paul teaches us, and constantly examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5). I hope that today you have felt challenged to go put feet to your faith, and act on Hebrews 10:24

“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. “

If you are ever wondering about your OWN personal eternal destination, check out the last illustration Jesus uses in Matthew 25-he talks about how to get to heaven, and strangely enough, looks a lot like being others centered in love, which is the natural overflow of a redeemed heart. Our journey to Heaven is so much more than fire insurance, and more than a prayer that you repeat after someone…explore the Word of God to find out what His kingdom is really all about.

What can you or I do? Something happens when a whole bunch of us commit ourselves to God and we ask Him to connect us with what He is doing in our community. If you want to know more about how you can help reach the poor in your community, go to your local soup kitchen or homeless ministry and be the hands and feet of Jesus. When we stop thinking about how we can be spiritually fed ourselves at church, and instead we begin to think of how we can live the love of Christ to those who can’t give us anything in return, it’s then that we will discover the smile of God upon us.

And it’s then that we will see God’s word become actions and deeds, and it’s then that His kingdom will begin to infiltrate this Earth.