Jesus would care for the poor

This past week my husband and I have been layed up at home; with our activities limited, and since there is 24-hour coverage, we watched plenty of news.

For many years now I have been puzzled by the public stance that a number of Christians have taken against the poor and down trodden in our country. I am continually dismayed by their vehement denial of government aid to those in need, but by the same token they stubbornly protect the financial securities of the wealthy at all cost. My spirit has felt troubled by a quiet, yet persistent doubt. How can any Christian live by such ideals which are so contrary to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ?

In the past, I openly expressed my concerns for the needs of the poor. I felt that every American should ease the burdens of our fellow countrymen through the aid of the government. I would agree our government has an ugly history of oppression. I would concede that it has moved forward, albeit at the frustrating pace of a snail. I would point out that more American children are going to bed hungry, and a higher percentage of Americans are without jobs, and are in dire need of help. I would disagree that it is their lot in life, and their plight should not involve the government. But when it appeared that I seemed to challenge the view of my fellow Christians, I became increasingly reluctant to speak out. Until…

The other day a controversy ignited on screen about the color of Santa Claus. My husband and I laughed in fun, because really we all know Santa is not real. Right? Vaguely, I recalled a story about a man in a country somewhere in Europe, who long ago decided to take gifts to the poor in his community. I think he may have been white, but since then Santa has been every color under the sun, depending on the color of the parents, friends, donors, etc. Whoever took the time to see out, purchase, wrap and set the present under the tree is Santa.

Whoever can be white, black, red, yellow or all of the above. Whatever, Santa is you, or in our case my husband and me, which together we make Santa the same color as his suit. Ha ha. Fun. We thought it hilarious. Until someone decided to set the record straight and make the world acknowledge the truth that in fact, Jesus is white. In the blink of an eye, in an instant I may never forget, all laughter ceased and a heavy silence fell electrified by the shock that for me was quite overwhelmingly sad. Until my husband exploded in to a tirade of historical facts of which I for one cannot dispute. You see he is a lover of history and he studies it like I study the Bible. According to both the Bible and history, Jesus is not white. But, so what? What difference can it make? Surely it doesn’t really matter what color Jesus is, right?

Oh but it does, and the difference is a matter of life or death. Because if we can change Jesus, we can make Him out to be what He is not; we can make an idol, and an idol cannot save us. As is, Jesus is the way. If you make Him your own way, you reject Him, He says, “I am.” That is a very final definition of Himself, and contrary to what someone once said, we cannot make God into whatever we need him to be to fit our circumstances. But, if we do, we are molding an image, and building a faith based on lies. Worse yet, we miss out on the historical Jesus. Who has the very nature of God within Him; who is the cornerstone of our faith; without whom there is no redemption, no reconciliation with God; no tender mercies or saving grace and no eternal salvation. This Messiah, Jesus Christ, the chosen one of God who was sent by God to complete all things is so much more than what we can make him out to be. He is the savior, the Christ.

I do not expect anyone to believe me or to agree with what I have written. But if I may, I would like to suggest that you open the Bible and read it carefully. Inside you will discover hat God’s love for us is constant, unchanging, unconditional and everlasting. You will find that God is impartial, merciful, kind, generous and just. You will see God’s patience and longing as He waits all day long with open arms for each one of us in turn, and at a time of our own choosing, to turn to Him and say “I love you.” You will come to know God through His relationships with the interesting characters all throughout the Bible from Adam to John. You will grow to understand there could be no other way for us, but for the miraculous way of Jesus.

Angel H. Clark-Hall