Half a Point

Today's link is an article in the Huffington Post where the President of Gordon College tells of a recent chapel service where he taught on the parable of the talents from the Bible and did a great illustration of application by giving the students money.  It is a good lesson and a good story.  BUT...

There is a major missing point in the lesson.  What difference do you make and why?   When Jesus taught the parable of the talents he was not teaching merely about being a good steward.  It was about being faithful with our resources (time, money, etc) for Christ.  That last little detail is vital to the whole point.    Jesus did teach social responsibility, but not merely social responsibility as an end in itself.  If you look at the entirety of Christ's message and concern, it was eternal, not temporal.  Jesus knew that to simply relieve phyisical suffering without redemption of the soul was, in the end, a temporary fix.

When the crippled man's friends lowered him through the roof, Jesus forgave his sins.  Only after everyone scoffed at Him did he also throw in the ability to walk to demonstrate that he also had the power to do the more vital thing, forgive sins.   Jesus made it clear that when you are seeking to demonstrate His love, you should make sure that you back it up with physical deeds.  James especially makes the point that if you do nothing but talk, your message is meaningless.

The flip side is when good deeds are done but nothing is done to deliver the message of Christ's forgiveness.  If you use your resources simply to lighten someone's temporal suffering or need without doing anything to bring them to forgiveness in Christ, than you have missed Christ's central point and mission.  "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost."  If they are lost, but more comfortable, you have missed the point.  Christians need to avoid both extremes.  Preaching without social concern and social concern without sharing the redemptive work of Christ.