Christian responsibility constitutes Christian love and service; the reactions of Christians to the human needs of the poor and needy, the hungry, homeless and oppressed. Luke and Paul enjoin generous almsgiving, while Jesus simply presupposes the practice, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6: 1-4). James agrees that someone who is aware of his Christian brothers’ or sisters’ material needs is in a position to help, and fails utterly to do anything, cannot be saved (Jas. 2:14-17; 1 John 3: 17-18).
Wolfgang Stegemann concisely captures the contemporary application of Luke 16:9. We affluent Christians, too, can make friends for ourselves by means of unrighteous mammon. We can become poorer in a purposeful way by giving away part of our wealth to benefit the poorest people of the world’ (Stegemann 1984, 63). But we must do so in the name of Jesus as we proclaim a gospel of spiritual as well as physical wholeness.
Paul calls all believers to act as generous benefactors in spite of their remaining cost and with no thought of any material reward in this life. Should they fall into severe need, they should be able to count on their fellow believers to minister to them, even as they are expected to give from their surplus at the moment. In short, Paul commands generously because it honours God; the only guaranteed reward that awaits in the life to come.
William Barclay points out three things which this passage teaches Christians about the help that Christians must give to human needs.
(1) The help that Christians must give to human needs must be help in simple things. The things which Jesus picks out – giving a hungry man a meal, or a thirsty man a drink, welcoming a stranger, cheering the sick, visiting the prisoner – are things which anyone can do. It is not a question of giving away thousands of pounds; it is a case of giving simple help to the people we meet every day.
(2) The help that Christians must give to human needs must be help which is uncalculating. Those who helped did not think that they were helping Christ and thus pling up eternal merit; they helped because they could not stop themselves. It was the natural, instinctive, quite uncalculating reaction of the loving heart. Whereas, on the other hand, the attitude of those who failed to help was; ‘if we had known it was you we would gladly have helped; but we thought it was only some common man who was not worth helping’.
it is still that there are those who will help if they are given praise and thanks and publicity; but to help like that is not to help, it is to pander to self-esteem. Such help is not generosity; it is disguised selfishness. The help which wins the approval of God is that which given for nothing but the sake of helping.
(3) Jesus confronts Christians with the wonderful truth that all help that Christians give toward human needs is given t himself, and such help withheld is withheld from himself. How can that be? If we really wish o delight a parent’s heart, if we really wish to move him to gratitude the best way to do it is to help his child. God is the great Father; and the way to delight the heart of God is to help his children, our fellow – men (Barclay 1977, 325-326).
The acts of love here in this passage are not such as require merely an outlay of money, but such as involve also the sacrifice of time, strength, rest, comfort, etc. The assistance to the sick and prisoners have is not healing and release, which only few could render, but visitation, sympathy, attention, which all can bestow. Whatever good Christians will do should be done in faith and in humility, which is consequently the product of divine grace. For charity is the daughter of faith, and faith is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who unites us to Christ (Lange 1960, 449).
Biblical salvation is always holistic-involving body and soul, material and spiritual dimensions. And a major component of the material dimension is transformation in the way God’s people utilize ‘mammon’- material possessions. To the extent that the kingdom has been inaugurated from the cross of Christ onward, Christians individually and corporately are called to model that transformation, however imperfectly, as an example of the perfect redemption that must ultimately await the age to come. David Murchie reveals that, ‘from the New Testament perspective, Christians may serve only as conduits by which God’s gracious material provision is equitably distributed to the world’ (Murchie 1978, 343).
Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott say that whenever a man, as a habit, shows self- denying beneficence to others, out of love to Christ and gratitude for the blessings of redemption, he gives clear proof that he is a true believer, and in the decisive hour the King of glory will own the least of his chosen flock. Let us, then, abound in works of faith ad labours of love. Good works done for God’s sake through Jesus Christ in the Spirit of the father and the Son, are here noticed as the characteristics of the vessels of mercy, who shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them; prepared without merits on their part; by a bounty altogether free, but merited by Christ; bestowed on such works as are done in faith, sanctified by the Spirit of Christ, and are the effects of grace bestowed on those who do them (Henry & Scott 1973, 130).
Joseph Addison Alexander reveals that the way Christians can testify heir love to Christ while he is personally absent is their acts of kindness to the suffering people of Christ Jesus (Alexander 1980, 453).
In the I. S. B. Encyclopaedia, we are enjoined to call not the rich or well-to-do to our entertainment, but the poor (Lk. 14: 13; cf. Ver. 21); Zacchaeus cited in his favour the fact that he gave ‘half of his goods to the poor’ (Lk. 19:8); special notice was taken by Jesus of the poor widow’s contribution (Lk. 21:3). The first church showed its regard for the poor in the distribution of goods “according as any man had need” (Acts 2:45; 4:32, 6:1); when the council at Jerus freed the Gentiles from the yoke of Judaism, they made it a condition, Paul says, “that we should remember the poor, which very thing I was also zealous to do” (Gal. 2:10); contributions were accordingly made “for the poor among the saints that are at Jerus” (Rom. 15:26), and it was in conveying such contributions that Paul got into circumstances that led him to his arrest. God’s ability and will to provide for those who give to the poor is quoted from Psalm 112: 9 (2 Cor. 9:9); James specially rebukes certain Christians of his day for their partiality for the rich and their dishonour of the poor (Jas. 2: 5-9), and John asks how, in the man who “hath the world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him,”the love of God can dwell (1 Jn. 3: 17-18) (Orr 1983, 2421).If there is any community in the world in which impartiality is opened for the exploited, the poor are liberated from the shame and disgrace of poverty, and material need is eradicated by the charitable sharing of possessions, that community is the people of Jesus Christ. It happened in Jerusalem after Pentecost, when £there were no needy persons among them” Acts 4:34), as Luke clearly states here, and it can also happen in our days as it was in the days of the apostles. Why should the church allow her brothers and sisters as God’s children to suffer from poverty?
The key to evaluating any individual church or nation in terms of its use material possessions (personally, collectively or institutionally) is how well it takes care of the poor and powerless in it midst that is, its cultural equivalents to the fatherless, widow and alien. This theme pervades the law, the historical books, wisdom and poetry, and the prophetic literature. People always take priority over prosperity. Those in positions of power have no increased privilege, only increased responsibility (Gowan 1987, 353).
H.G.M. Williams says that, the widow, orphan and immigrant are examples of the powerless. Any system can and should be judged by what happens to the marginalized. Material blessings in the Old testament confirm God’s covenant to build a mighty nation out of Israel, who would then share its law and its wealth with the world. This principle of generosity and compassion with one’s material blessings pervades the Hebrew Scripture and applies to everyone – from the grass-roots, rural-community level all the way up the social ladder to the king (Williamson 1985b).
Every believer as well as those to enter Christ’s Kingdom in heaven will need to pay special attention to this concept as taught by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46.
We thank God for the mega-churches, which is an indication that the churches are taking root in Africa. It will be useful for the churches to assist with the social problems within their communities. One will be delighted to hear these churches get involved with national calamities (e.g., like Famine, Earthquake, Flood and the Tsunami, etc). But many were surprised to know that the church was silent during the ‘Okumpa flood’ in Ibadan. It is disappointing that the churches in Africa are silent in the face of national disasters.
The problems that we have (such as depravity, greed, and selfishness) that face man will not help in solving the plight of others. Let us get rid of this self-centeredness and think more about others. Christians should remember that every charitable act is stepping stone toward heaven; and that charity is a virtue of the heart; not of the hands.
Whenever one starts reading the Gospels, it will not be long for him to enter Jesus’ compassion for people in need. This is one of many reasons why people were drawn to Jesus people respond to a person whose heart goes out to them in the midst of their needs.
Like Jesus, Christians should feel compassion for people and seek to help meet their needs. Jesus has compassion for needy people and enlists Christians (i.e. the Church) to help him meet those needs.
The word Compassion is derived from the Latin cum, with, and passio, to bear or to suffer, from now, to suffer with. The root idea in compassion is that of identifying with the sufferings of others and helping them to bear them. It means you take upon yourself the burdens of others and enter into those burdens as though they were your own. That is what Jesus did.
How many of our so-called mega churches are applying the actual meaning of compassion to their church activities? How many of our mega-churches are taking upon themselves the burden (i.e. the hunger, the nakedness, the sick, the loneliness, etc.) of the poor, the weak and destitute, entering into their circumstances as though the problems were theirs? From a very clear indication, our mega-churches are silent towards the plight of the poor in our society. If the church had lived up to her responsibility, the deplorable conditions of the poor would have been alleviated and improved. For instance, a survey of every sector of the human society including the plight of African nations and the deteriorating condition of the poor reveals it glaringly (ranging from national calamities to civil wars; from hunger to nakedness). Another survey of an average local church in terms of how many widows are there, and how many orphans as well as how many poor people that are present, one would wonder to what the church has done to improve their living conditions? Or, what is the local church doing to help such people to be self-reliant? The response, no doubt would be so scanty that it will not be worth mentioning at all. If one will be fair to the situation and to God, can easily see that the churches are doing very little concerning the plight of the poor in their midst (and this is the key issue this paper is addressing).
In the account of the feeding of the five thousand (Matt. 14:15-21), verse 14, says that, “Jesus was moved with compassion toward them” (i.e. the great multitude). And his compassion caused him to act – “he healed their sick.” The church has failed to act generously. Christian giving is God’s divine plan to make the church like Himself, it reveals the true nature of the Christian religion that is prophetic and has to do with the inner sensitiveness and gives a keener vision to His work and plans.
In Matt. 14:15, the disciples proposed that the crowds find help from sources other than Jesus. The disciples said to Jesus, “send them away from us, away from you. Let them go into the villages to look for their sustenance, using their own resources.” In the Greek text, “themselves”, in “buy themselves victuals,” is written out rather than simply added to the verb form. This makes it emphatic. In other words, the disciples were telling Jesus, “let them help themselves. They shouldn’t expect help otherwise.” The disciples didn’t even ask whether sufficient food be available for so large a crowd. Nor did they ask if the people had money to purchase the food if it were available.
Is this not often the attitude of the church today? The church may have a general concern for people to be saved and have their needs met, but we expect them to rely on political, social, economic, and civic sources to meet their pressing needs. Each of these has a place, but none can take the place of the ministry the Lord has given to his church. When Christians reflects such an attitude, is it any wonder multitudes forsakes the churches? As Jesus’ followers, we should be moved with compassion by the needs of people we see.
Jesus had a different plan. He did not ask if the people were loyal to him or if they loved him. Jesus saw them as opportunities for service and objectives of his saving love. He served them because they were in need. Jesus did not ask, “What can the people do for me?” He asked, “What can I do for the people?” Jesus acted on his compassion. The church should do the same. Charity sees the need not the cause.
Matt. 14:16-17 of the same passage, Give us an aorist imperative. It is Jesus’ command in reply to the disciples’ command. They commanded Jesus, “Send the multitudes away” (verse 15). Jesus replied, “Give ye them to eat” (verse 16-17). Jesus threw the responsibility back onto the disciples. This is still the word of Jesus to his followers. No matter how hard we may endeavour to be rid of our responsibility, our Lord ever holds us to it. We are to give the hungry food; give the thirsty water, clothe the naked; care for the sick; and visit those in prison. I know it is not easy to do; but let us remember to pray this little and powerful prayer always; ‘keep us, Lord, so awake in the duties of our callings that we may sleep in thy peace and wake in thy glory’.
SUMMARY
Spontaneous or charitable acts of service shown to needy people (the poor, the widow, the orphan, the sick, the hungry, the destitute, etc.) are evidence of one’s relationship to the Lord. Christians therefore need to commit themselves to respond to needy people with genuine acts of service. The Apostle Paul writes; “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10; cf. Rom. 14:10). The truth of the apostle’s statement is portrayed in the present Scripture passage (Matt. 25:31-46).
We should be like the well-to-do Christians throughout the early history of Christianity who hosted churches in their homes, make business trips and funded itinerant ministers (including Jesus and his original troupe). We should also emulate the community of disciples who shares its material resources with one another, not so that all will be equally impoverished, but so that there will be ‘no needy persons among’ them (Acts 4:34). The wealthy but godly patriarchs and kings of the Old Testament should be our model; they shared generously with the poor and needy.
The grace and love of God that was very active in the life of the early church, in the period of the patriarchs, and in the era of Paul and Luke who enjoin generous almsgiving is still active in this generation. In as much as God has given us grace, let us show grace toward others. Let us remember that one serves Christ by serving people. And ministry to people is a ministry to Christ. Christ has identified with the needy. Those who follow Christ must do likewise.
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