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Almsgiving, or Acts of Charity
Every human society has come into existence as a result of the cooperation of humans with one another. This has meant that people contribute their talents, abilities and even material substance towards the security and sustenance of the group or society as a whole. But every society has also had to reckon with the fact that not everybody is able to contribute equally, and that some members of its group are more vulnerable than others, whether because of their age, or because of disability, injury or disease. The giving of alms arose in societies around the world as a means for those on the margins of society to survive. There is evidence that the group of disciples who traveled with Jesus not only received monetary support from others, but also maintained their own fund for giving to the poor. But there were other forms of charity as well. “Charity” is from the Latin, caritas, which means “love for all people.” Jesus’ ministry was characterized by his compassion for all the people with whom he came in contact. He helped people in whatever way he could to find greater purpose or hope, to be physically made well, and to be restored to their family and friends. He engaged in a ministry of healing, teaching and casting out demons that drew throngs of people everywhere he went. |
The Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus |
This work of charity, or love for all people, was rooted in compassion. “As he landed, he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 6:34). The Greek word we translate as “having compassion” is vivid: it literally means to be moved deeply within one’s gut. Compassion was not an intellectual concept to Jesus, it was a direct, visceral experience that was the result of meeting people face-to-face and being open to their needs and struggles in life. He literally felt their pain and desperation, and responded out of the resources he possessed, either materially or emotionally and spiritually. Matthew summarizes his activities this way: “…many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases’” (Matthew 8:17 NIV).
Works of charity that are based in compassion are the manifestation of God’s presence in the world. This is because, as the writer of 1 John proclaims, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). The writer of the Gospel of John declares that it was because of God’s great love for the world that Jesus was sent into the world, to manifest and actualize that love in specific, concrete ways. All acts of charity that arise out of human compassion for others are rooted, therefore, in the nature of God, and are ways that the “Love of God” moves from being a concept to being a living reality.
Works of charity that are based in compassion are the manifestation of God’s presence in the world. This is because, as the writer of 1 John proclaims, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). The writer of the Gospel of John declares that it was because of God’s great love for the world that Jesus was sent into the world, to manifest and actualize that love in specific, concrete ways. All acts of charity that arise out of human compassion for others are rooted, therefore, in the nature of God, and are ways that the “Love of God” moves from being a concept to being a living reality.
Next Practice: Devotional Practices and Worship
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