Where this command is found:
“Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
Living in a culture focused on immediate gratification and advancing our own agendas, we as believers can be tempted to live for the here and now. If we are not careful, we can allow the influences around us to shift our focus off of serving the Lord and others and instead make our fleshly desires the primary goal of life. One major trap to living with a self focused mentality like this is that it takes our eyes off the eternal and places it on the temporal.
In the command to Bring in the Poor, Jesus places the emphasis not on ourselves or earthly gain, but on others — not on storing up treasures on this earth, but investing in eternity. He does this by directing our attention to ministering to the needs of the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind. But why? In Luke 14:14, Jesus gives us two key reasons: that we would be blessed and that we would be rewarded in eternity!
Jesus mentions these types of people because they cannot repay those who give to them. They are helpless and unable to return the favor. It is for this reason that Jesus commands us to meet their needs and as we do, God has promised to reward us! Not only this, but in serving others we will also get the privilege of ministering directly to Him! Matthew 25:40 puts it this way, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
But how is one to fulfill this command when the world, the flesh and the Devil all seek to place our focus on the temporal? The answer is simple: it is by looking to Jesus! Jesus is not only the best example of this command, He also possesses the power by which we can fulfill it.
Before we were saved, we too were spiritually poor, maimed, lame and blind. Jesus, knowing our sinful and helpless condition, humbled Himself and met our needs by giving His life on the Cross. One of the reasons He did this was so that we could be freed from living to serve ourselves and instead live to serve Him and others.
As we choose to daily abide in God’s Word and give Jesus control in every area of our lives, He will give us His perspective and a sensitivity to the needs of others. Not only this, but He will also become the very strength and power by which we meet the needs of others. When we rely on Christ’s divine enablement in this way, not only does He get the glory but we as believers also get to experience the joy of serving others and laying up treasures in heaven!
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There is a tendency in all of us to exalt ourselves — to seek the recognition and attention of other people. As we dig into the context of this command, we’ll see that Jesus cuts right to the heart and exposes this pride in all of us.
Do you ever find yourself having an attitude of superiority toward those who you think are “less than” you? We need to realize that we were — and still are — “the poor.”
Where is your focus? Is it on yourself, your dreams, and your goals? We miss out on participating with God and how He wants to touch others when our attention is consumed with ourselves.
How do we help people without enabling them? How do we help without hurting? These are tricky questions.
