Luke 14:12-14

Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I think Christ's directive in the Luke passage is probably the least heeded in the New Testament by Christians. Except for soup kitchens in some of our churches and a few groups that give food to street people, we tend not to invite the poor, crippled, lame, blind and homeless to our feasts. In the last year, I have heard many Christians complaining about the government trying to do something about health care for those Jesus describes. Instead of being generous, we act like libertarians who say, "Let them take care of themselves or let their friends and relatives take care of them." But this isn't what Jesus said; he said, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Jesus says, provide for these kind of people with your means. My Father in heaven will bless you if you do. To the faithful Jesus said, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. However, implied in that statement is: if you don't do this, my Father in heaven will not bless you.

In the Old Testament we find the Israelites judged harshly for their unwillingness to treat the poor and the aliens correctly. Their prophets often railed against their spirit of selfishness, their lack of concern for the destitute and the foreigner. Through the words of the prophets, God reminded the Israelites that they too were once poor, once aliens, but God came to their rescue and made them a great people. But the Israelites forgot they were once naked and without resources, so they did not heed the words of the prophets, which eventually caused them great trouble and judgment from God's hands. The Israelites laid up treasure on Earth, but they lost out with God who is full of mercy and grace, who is also the God of the poor and alien.

The above scriptures are a challenge for me. I often find myself too oriented towards my own needs and my family's needs. Sometimes it is hard for me to think outside of the box, to think of others who are not doing so well, of those outside of my familial relationships. But in the above passages, Jesus encourages us to think outside of the box, to think his thoughts. To do so is laying up treasure in heaven. To do so is pleasing to Jesus the Christ and God the Father. To do so is following the unction of the Holy Spirit. As we meditate on these scriptures, let our hearts expand toward others, not only when there is a disaster in the world, when we see desperate needs in other lands, in other people, but every day in our own communities, in our own church. When we do meet needs, we are laying up treasure in heaven where thieves do not break in and steal. Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Let our hearts be heavenly oriented, doing the will of the Lord, loving those He loves and helping meet their needs.