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Jesus and Teachings about Providing for Physical Needs
February 8, 2014

Last week I described what Jesus taught about living at peace with others and how we are to as much as is possible to live at peace with others. Living at peace with others can be hard, especially when others are trying to find reason to bring harm to you. For most of us living today, those who bring harm to us do so based on our differences. Much of what we call bullying is an attempt to belittle a third person based on perceived or real differences. Bullying can bring harm to the victim and that is why it is important to provide supportive environments. It is such an important topic that United States Federal Government has established a website to stop bullying. Even Jesus contended with a group of thugs in his own time called the Pharisees, and while your idea of a group of thugs may be a group with criminal leanings, this was the ultra religious group of the time. The actions that Pharisees took were based on their concept of obedience to God, and while they had a thorough understanding of what was taught, Jesus had to remind them of a few points, and one of those was that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath by providing for the physical needs of others.

Matthew 12:1-13
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Jesus taught that mercy was what was desired and not sacrifice, because when mercy is extended there is no need for sacrifice. The Pharisees focused so much on the law and responses to law breaking that they did not consider mercy. That is why when the disciples were hungry and picked corn to eat the Pharisees focused on a narrow definition of work over the physical need to eat. Even after citing the example of David eating the shewbread the Pharisees were not convinced of the need to extend mercy. The Pharisees even tried to use the example of healing to trap Jesus. In all of these situations Jesus showed in was lawful to do good on the Sabbath by providing for the needs of others. Many of us are in the capacity to provide for the physical needs of others, especially parents. Some of us find ourself as the one in need and sometimes there is no one to help. Jesus taught about these types of situations, also.

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Jesus taught that instead of focusing our minds on a concern for material items we should focus our minds on the Kingdom of God and God's righteousness. The previous verses we looked at shows that God's righteousness is at times extended through mercy without a desire to seek sacrifice. Those who seek sacrifice today are those who find fault in others for their current situation. Whether there is blame or not does not alleviate the current situation. There are many bad situations a person may find themselves in that are not their fault and they still need to deal with the bad situation. The person who is in the bad situation can focus on today and on God's righteousness and the Kingdom of God during the current day. Those who have opportunity can extend mercy to those in bad situations by providing for their physical needs, and this becomes the basis of pure religion.

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The more we are able to extend mercy to others by providing for their physical needs and the more we focus on the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, the more likely we are to have this pure religion that James writes about. We live in a turbulent time where there is much need, and as we live in this time may we all find ways to extend mercy to others. I invite you to join me in this quest.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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