- 19 Jan 2019 16:31
#14981306
This is the whole verse:
Selfish Christians have frequently quoted this to justify not helping the poor. Of course they are wrong but all too human. Fundamentalists of the Prosperity Gospel variety are particularly in love with it. If you read the whole verse you see that this was not at all about giving to the poor but rather about Jesus getting ready to die. And it stands in contrast to Judas' accepting money to deliver Christ into the hands of the authorities.
There is no ambiguity in my mind. Christ's entire message can be summarized like this:
I doubt that any of us would want our neighbor to walk right past us when we are in need. Imagine the father of a starving child saying to a passerby, "No keep your money. I am unworthy of it. I didn't work for it. If my child is to die it is God's will because Jesus said, "there will always be poor".
Then there is this:
"Even though you did it for the least of these my brothers, you did it for me".
No ambiguity.
Maybe Hindsite would like to go back to the 15th verse of the Bible. Right from the beginning the message is the same:
So Godstud, just keep in mind....There are a lot of bad Christians out there and often they are the loudest. Meanwhile there are many many more who are, everyday, doing what they ought to do without fanfare.
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the leper,a 7a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.
8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste? 9This perfume could have been sold at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”
10Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. 11The poor you will always have with you,b but you will not always have Me. 12By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Selfish Christians have frequently quoted this to justify not helping the poor. Of course they are wrong but all too human. Fundamentalists of the Prosperity Gospel variety are particularly in love with it. If you read the whole verse you see that this was not at all about giving to the poor but rather about Jesus getting ready to die. And it stands in contrast to Judas' accepting money to deliver Christ into the hands of the authorities.
There is no ambiguity in my mind. Christ's entire message can be summarized like this:
6 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I doubt that any of us would want our neighbor to walk right past us when we are in need. Imagine the father of a starving child saying to a passerby, "No keep your money. I am unworthy of it. I didn't work for it. If my child is to die it is God's will because Jesus said, "there will always be poor".
Then there is this:
"Even though you did it for the least of these my brothers, you did it for me".
No ambiguity.
Maybe Hindsite would like to go back to the 15th verse of the Bible. Right from the beginning the message is the same:
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
So Godstud, just keep in mind....There are a lot of bad Christians out there and often they are the loudest. Meanwhile there are many many more who are, everyday, doing what they ought to do without fanfare.
To believe in God is impossible not to believe in Him is absurd.
Voltaire
God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh.
Voltaire
Voltaire
God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh.
Voltaire