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My wife and I bought groceries for Jesus.
No. It wasn't for Jesus Himself. The person we helped was a single woman with a teen-aged son. She had lost her job and had no food or money, yet could not qualify for welfare. But, so far as Jesus was concerned, it was Him we helped. He said, "When you did it to these My brothers, you were doing it to Me" (Matthew 25:40, Living Bible). When we meet any person who is in need, we should ask: If it were Jesus, would I refuse? Or would I find a way to help?
Several Christian friends of mine had the chance to take Jesus to church and help Him buy food. To them, Jesus was a father, with a wife and two children, who was in bed for a month with an injured leg. He was the only driver in the family, and the family lived so far away that they could not shop, return library books or go to church. But not one of my friends visited him. Not a single one phoned to see how he was. None ever asked whether his family needed help. Jesus said, "When you refused to help the least of these My brothers, you were refusing to help Me" (Matthew 25:45).
Why does Jesus teach us to help each other? Because He Himself loves all of us. He cares about our circumstances, wants us to care about each other "as ourselves", and asks us to put that care into action.
Hardship--natural disasters, layoffs and sickness--can strike even the most honest, hard-working Christian. Well-intended man-made policies often work in reverse, making recovery very hard. From beginning to end, the Bible teaches us that at these times we are to love by helping. This may mean phoning to say "How are you?"; visiting; giving clothes or food; helping paint or build a house; or providing a job. Love does not follow a formula. It does not just put pocket change in the offering so that it can say "I've done something." It looks for the real need and asks how that need can be fulfilled.
The laws God gave Israel through Moses directed that every third year all of the tithe was to be devoted to helping needy people. At least one church today adapts this principle by giving one-third of its offerings every year to "people needs". When churches follow this biblical principle, what critic can say that "the church is only after money"?
Jesus made it clear that uncompromising judgement waits for those who do not help their "brothers". He also assured us that when we do love and help, we can joyously expect Him to say, "Come, blessed of My Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world" (Matthew 25:34-36).
Peter W. Ahlstrom lives in Barstow, Calif.
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