"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?" Matthew 6:26I took from this that God will care for us and provide for us every bit as much as any animal. And maybe God does not bless us with vast sums of money not because we've been disobedient but because money is not natural. It is of man not God.I am not suggesting it is out of the realm of Gods control, but that it is the most unnatural of man made elements. Capitalism nessecitates that many have little while a few have plenty. The saying also goes that for every man blessed there must be 10 damned.But not in the kingdom of God.Jesus said that the least shall be the first and the first shall be least. To me this means that according to the ways of the world and the way people are socially ranked that those we consider to be the least valuable will be the most cherished in Heaven and those considered to be the first class by men shall be the least in Heaven.This makes sense to me because the level of service toward the ostracized, the lepers, the blind, sinners of all kind, was of the deepest love and the highest caliber. This is because the way men judge others is completely upside down when compared to the ways of The Lord.Jesus was a threat to the Jewish religious elite because of what He taught and how He lived. But Jesus was a threat to the Romans because He taught us how to live without money.Here is an example of what I mean:
19 ¶Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21
We are taught to treasure others in their intrinsic value as children of God. We are taught to value the contents of the heart rather than the contents of the wallet.
I think the best things in life are meant to be shared. Hording wealth or food does one person very little good but to share them does good for so many.
Here is a parable about what not to do:
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:19-31
And as far as a parable of how we should treat others is the life and ministry of Christ. The way He lived is what gave His teachings power. The way He valued and loved and showed compassion to lepers whom no one else would touch, the way He attended to the blind and the sick. The fact that He gave so much of Himself to those who could do nothing for Him speaks volumes about what kind of man He was.
And about what kind of people we are called to be. We are called to value each other, we are called to love one another above the love of money.
