Meeting Human Need(s)

The effect of Christianity on American culture has made it one of the most humanitarian-conscious countries in the world. While Hindu cultures view suffering as a way to atone for past wrongs and should be allowed to continue, those influenced by the teachings of Jesus emphasize compassion for human life. That's why you see churches and Christian organizations at the forefront of disaster relief, orphan care, and medical aid for the poor and disadvantaged. It's the way of Jesus, because every life matters.

Yet that value goes far beyond the physical. While we frequently find Jesus meeting the most basic of human needs, it was a far greater need that brought Him from the splendor of heaven to earth. We see this in His conversation with a woman at a well in John 4:

"Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”   (verses 13-14)

Jesus is saying there are two realities: one temporary, one eternal; one seen, one unseen; one that lasts for a few hours or days, and one that lasts forever. While meeting temporary human needs is essential, it is short-lived. But breathing life into a dead soul through the power of the gospel changes not only today, but forever.  

As we follow Jesus through the pages of the Gospels, several things stand out about His helping those with physical needs. First, they were always those He encountered in His everyday life. Second, He spent time interacting with them. And third, it often led to a deeper conversation that went far beyond the physical.

His healing of a blind man in John 9 led to a conversation that changed his eternity. The same is true of his healing of the demonic in Luke 8 and the paralytic in Mark 2. Jesus used His meeting of physical needs to lead into conversations of the soul.

One of the dangers Christians face in meeting human need is that it can end up being no different from the efforts of humanitarian, civic, and government organizations: it focuses only on the physical. This is especially true around the holidays when it's all about food and gifts for the under-resourced. We write checks—or, easier yet, use an app to transfer funds—drop off a few presents or cans of food at donation sites, and feel good about ourselves. While this is certainly beneficial, it misses the Jesus piece of human interaction and conversation that could meet a need far deeper than the physical.

Let me encourage you to think about how you can meet the physical needs of people in a way that better reflects the heart of God, not just during the holidays but every day. The place to start is where you live, work, recreate, and engage with people. It's uncanny how often physical needs surface when we engage in conversations with those around us, and meeting them can create opportunities to meet deeper needs of the soul.

This shouldn't be an OR, but an AND. Go ahead and do the app transfers, drop off food and gifts at donation locations, and help those you may never see again. It's good and helpful because every life matters. 

But never forget that while many groups do a good job of meeting temporary needs, only those who have been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ can deliver the life-giving message that has the power to change a life forever.

Conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity.

Colossians 4:5