Those of us who claim to take being disciples of Jesus seriously should occasionally be reminded that the ministry of our Lord was primarily the service of human need. It is probable that in all his earthly ministry he never conducted what we call a “church service."  He didn’t wear a clerical collar or put on sacerdotal robes. There was little or no ritual or liturgy in his ministry. He was not seminary educated, and not even trained as a rabbi, even though he was sometimes called rabbi. He was not a “Reverend” nor a professional minister.

   In our lingo he was a “layman” — perhaps “a lay minister,” making his living, for most of his life, as a carpenter. Once he accepted the call as the “Son of Man,” he left home for a ministry that lasted some three years. He was not sent out by a missionary society, nor was there a monthly check from the office of Homeland Missions. He and his disciples had a purse of funds, supplied apparently by freewill offerings and perhaps their own savings or occasional jobs, such as marketing fish. They had food and supplies for their continual travels, apparently made possible mostly by the women who often accompanied them. But it was no small matter, to be sure, to keep thirteen men fed, bedded, and sheltered for a three-year missionary campaign.

   His method was simple — “He taught in their synagogues,” as Luke 4:15 puts it. His message was of a coming kingdom, one of such significance that it called for a change of life — repentance — and even a change of the social order. On one occasion he stood up and read in the synagogue, a passage from Isaiah that referred to the coming Suffering Servant as Messiah, and applied it to himself. As he went on to speak of God’s grace reaching beyond Judaism, even to foreign lepers and poor widows, they ran him out of town, and even tried to kill him (Luke 4:28-29).

   In applying Isaiah 61:1-2 to himself — “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21) — he defined the nature of his ministry. It had nothing to do with organizing churches or conducting worship services. There is no reference to dogma or doctrine, and no hint of introducing a new creed.  It all had to do with a service of human need — preaching good news to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to captives, restoring sight to the blind, freeing the oppressed, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord.

   The last reference was to the year of Jubilee when every 50 years all debts were wiped out and property was returned to the original owner.  It gave people a new start.  Jesus was saying that all the hopes of Jubilee would be fulfilled in the presence of the Messiah. Our Lord followed this script in his ministry. There is instance after instance in the gospel accounts of his feeding the hungry, healing the sick, raising the dead, comforting the grieved, ministering to widows, children, the palsied, the lame, the blind, and accepting lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors. He always had time for the rejects of society. He taught the common folk about the reign of God in human hearts in the streets, in homes, in the synagogues, by the wayside, and even in the temple. And this was always under the threat of reprisal of “those who were somewhat.” He was always on his way to the Cross.

  An informing instance of his concern for human need is in John 6:5 where Jesus sees a huge crowd coming toward him. His first concern is not how he might teach such a vast crowd, but how they might be fed. When he suggested to his disciples that bread might be bought for them, they retorted that there was no way to purchase enough bread for so many. John lets the reader in on the fact that Jesus knew along what he was going to do. This is when he fed 5,000 from five loaves ad two fishes, and there were twelve basketfuls left over. God’s grace is always abundant!

   It is most revealing here that Jesus never got around to teaching them. His concern was to provide them with food. Having done that he was on his way.

   Is not the church, the body of Christ upon earth, to be like Christ in its ministry? But is the mdern church's concern really for the poor, the oppressed, and the rejects of society?  The average church is notorious for spending its money on itself. While there are some glorious exceptions, the typical congregation can hardly claim to have much of a ministry of human need, which is another way of saying that in our churches we fall far short of being disciples of Jesus Christ.

   And when this form of Christlikeness is applied to our personal lives it may not be all that different. How much of our time, effort and money are for others? I often say “The best money we spend is the money we give away,” but I’m not sure I have all that many takers. And when I say we should die broke, having given away all our money, I may have no takers at all.

   But this can be done by creating gift annuities with charitable organizations. They will pay you an annuity until you die, thus caring for your needs, and you die broke. I got the idea from an economist who believed in earning money by giving it away. It sounded Christian to me. Ouida and I have been doing this ever since we started getting old. We aren’t broke yet, but neither are we dead yet. I tell Ouida we will make it — die broke! This plan of course allows you to provide as you will for your loved ones, but ahead of time. No need for a will, even if you have one, for you die broke, like Jesus!  But this is not for everyone, and I am not trying to impose this on others.  Only a testimonial.

   The ministry of human need even finds its way into an impressive judgment scene in Matthew 25:31-46. Read it for yourself and see if rewards and punishment are not all about ministering to others, not about being right in doctrine, being baptized right, or being in the right church. “I was hungry and you fed me,, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.” Christ will say to such ones, “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Surprisingly, those who inherit the kingdom did not even know they were ministering to Christ. So the Lord explains, “Inasmuch as you did it to these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” They may not have even been believers. All that is evident is that they had a heart for the needy, which is to have a heart for God.

What is sobering about this judgment is that those who had no concern for the needy and the dispossessed were consigned to eternal punishment.

News and Notes

Ouida and I enjoyed great fellowship with the High Pointe Church of Christ in McKinney last Wednesday night. We were accompanied by Steven Carrizal, on staff at our local congregation here in Denton, who drove for us since we don‘t drive at night. He was also interested in what I might say about our heritage in Churches of Christ since he is now taking an online course on the Stone-Campbell movement from ACU.

I talked about three principles out of our heritage, which I also named as biblical — the principle of unity in diversity (we don’t have to divide over differences), the principle of reformation (the church always reforming), the principle of catholicity (the church consists of all those everywhere who are in Christ, and it is by its nature one and cannot be divided.) I may develop these principles in a forthcoming essay.

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