“What use is it my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day’s food and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warm and full of food, but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this?”. In this teaching, Jesus teaches his followers that hope is about doing not dreaming. Whilst we are in North worry about diets, 35,000 people starve to death, every day. Even if these people are somehow able to survive a malnourished childhood they will never be given the opportunity to realize their full potential. All the routes out of the trap, are simply shut because of the lack of education, which is a passport through your whole life. It is simply not enough just knowing of these things and hoping for a better future, because it is the action that makes things change “Faith without action is dead”.
Christian concern about the poor includes everyone, whether they live on the same street or continent. “There is no difference between Jew, Gentile, slaves, and freeman, You are all one in union with Christ.” This teaching implies that, you should treat everyone with the equal worth, reflecting agape love and kindness. Christians believe that you should show the agape love toward everybody, therefore person’s race, sex, wealth is not important and should not affect their love for one another. God does not judge people by their wealth “Do not judge and you will not be judged”, therefore, Christians believe that neither should they; “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, he seats them with princess and has them inherit a throne of honour”. The Bible also teaches that it is impossible to have a genuine love for God while at the same time ignoring the plight of the poor or those in need.
The New Testament teaches Christians that, “For the love the money is the root of all kinds of evil”; This teaching reminds many Christians, that it is not money as an object that is evil. Instead, it is how we react to money and wealth; what is evil, is the way people become obsessed with money and put it before everything else. Jesus teaches people that truly wealthy are those who see this life against the backdrop of eternity and so rule their lives. The World today is sharply divided between rich and poor, their huge differences in their lifestyles, have become known as the as the North/South divide. In the developed World, nine out of ten children have secondary education. In the developing World, four out of ten children have secondary education. People in the developed World have clothes for different occasions, that they throw away when the fashion changes; whereas the less fortunate people have barely enough clothes to keep themselves warm. Therefore, for Christians it is very important that they will not fall into evil’s trap, and instead put their money into good causes, like providing basic education for the less fortunate people or donating their money to charities, to benefit people other than themselves. Many of them believe that wealth and being self-centred will not buy them a place in heaven. Jesus wants his followers to be open minded and help the ones who are less fortunate than themselves; as well as to show comparison and understanding. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven”.
Jesus taught that the size of the gift is not as important, as the generous spirit behind the giving, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put much more than the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on”. Christianity teaches that, it is not how much they give or what they give that counts, it is how they give it and what it means to them. “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him, he saved him out of all his troubles”. God promises that he will reward those who are less fortunate than when they go to heaven. Yet until then, he wants Christians to “Go to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you”. The quote from Beatitudes highlights the idea, that if Christian will show mercy to others, God shall show them mercy in return; “Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy”.
“Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” , this principle lies at the heart of the way we are to treat others. There are 14.9 million refugees amongst the World. People who have been forced to leave their country, their homes, belongings and their family, because they are unable to live in their home or they fear they will be harmed. The victims of war are hopeless. Jesus taught his followers to share the unconditional love towards your brother and sister. Therefore helping refugees will benefit the fortunate people by knowing that they doing something morally right, that will please the will of Jesus Christ.
To conclude, there are many teachings that shape and form Christian views on how they should treat the less fortunate than themselves. “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them”. God’s passionate concern for poor and the oppressed is evident throughout the Bible. The dangers of wealth, the need for sharing and the importance of showing the understanding and the agape love to your brothers and sisters in need, is simply a foundation for each Christian teachings.
Agnieszka Tkacz
