The Apostle Matthew records two statements by Jesus, placing them close together in his Gospel, which shows us the proper attitude on charity and good works.
First: Just do it (see Matthew 25:31-46). It’s possible you won’t really understand all the details, but if you aren’t willing to at least consider others, you fail miserably. In terms of judgment under God’s Laws, this is the single greatest killer. Jesus also said quite bluntly, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Put their needs in the same basket with yours. You can only offer what you have, and can only do what you can do. As stated before, you need not feel the slightest conscience about needs you can’t meet. But it’s the uncaring spirit which is evil.
Second: Don’t expect to change the world (see Matthew 26:6-13). You can go too far the other way and use charitable works as an excuse to beat people over the head. Your brilliant ideas about efficiency and proper use of resources may not at all reflect divine priorities. Jesus said, in effect, so long as this earth stands, there will be poverty. It’s a feature of this fallen world, and you aren’t going to undo the Fall. God often doesn’t bother revealing His plans and why some truly nasty people are granted power to rule over us, nor why bad things happen to good people who serve Him. That’s the nature of the Fall. We humans are adamant about our minds being capable of explaining everything, and God would not be God if He didn’t show us we were wrong.
A critical element in human suffering is to drive us to His throne. It’s not supposed to make sense to you unless you work really hard to understand Heaven’s logic as revealed. Christians suffer because that’s a unique opportunity for showing His power over this earth and all its sorrows. If it gets to you, you aren’t doing it right. Suffering is also a tool for His glory, and He certainly has the authority to choose that for you.
Again, the purpose of charity is to express His sacrificial love. Everything you can see, touch or name is just a tool, not so important in itself. All the tangible universe, what you can grasp and a great deal you can’t even imagine, is not important except for the purpose it serves in bringing glory to His Name. Charity is what we do to make Him look good, not ourselves. Otherwise, don’t bother, because you will most certainly make things worse.
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When I think of Christ’s teachings on charity it calls to mind Matthew 6:1-4 and Luke 21:1-4. The desired outcome of charity influences its meaning in our lives. It isn’t about how much we give but the sincerity with which it is given. Our modern pop culture extols the virtues of the rich and famous and all of their great and charitable deeds but it is the things that we give to people every day that go mostly unnoticed that are the truest charity- the things we do because we can not because everyone will see them. In my mind this isn’t a sacrifice it is just common sense.
Yes, there are any number of issues and ways to approach the question. The passages you cite were a major issue with the leadership of Judah, the social elites. For all their proclamations of uniqueness — “we are children of Abraham” — their foibles were on a par with the worst of Gentile societies. It’s a pretty obvious error, and you answer is laudable common sense, which we all wish was more common. I was simply pushing into a less obvious area of Christian understanding.
Jesus did not say so long as the earth stands there will be charity. After the kingdom of God is established, there will be no poverty anymore. This is why it’s important to do good while you can.
I contend the His choice of words in that context implies poverty is a part of the fallen condition of mankind. Jesus did not come to fix this world and God has no plans to take away poverty. It is utterly impossible no matter how you look at it, because poverty is a characteristic of fallen humanity. The Kingdom of God is rooted in Heaven and manifested on earth. You are wrong on this point, and it seems you have absorbed a view of reality quite different from what Jesus had as a Hebrew man.
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