“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:37-40
Scholars and philosophers alike look back to try to understand the remarkable growth of the early church. How did the church grow from a mere 120 souls (Acts 1:15) to become the leading religious faith of the Fourth Century? Some estimate that there were over 34 million Christians in the world by 350 A. D. Of course, the fact that the Emperor Constantine embraced the faith had an important influence. However, the subjects of a king do not always embrace the beliefs and policies of their sovereign, especially if there is some question about the validity and soundness of the beliefs.
There is a letter from the Roman Emperor Julian (also known as “Julian the Apostate”), who led a campaign to revive paganism in the recently Christianized Roman Empire. In this missive, written to a pagan priest, Julian recommends that the pagan church… start acting more like the Christians and being generous to those in need! All the religious groups of that time took care of their own people. The Christian community was different because they not only took care of their own; they also took care of people of all races, creeds, and castes. This was a revolutionary concept that attracted people to their way of life.
Here is the letter that Julian wrote. He refers to Christians as “the impious Galileans”:
We ought then to share our money with all people, but more generously with the good, and with the helpless and poor so as to suffice for their need.
And I will assert, even though it be paradoxical to say so, that it would be a pious act to share our clothes and food even with the wicked. For it is to the humanity in a person that we give, and not to their moral character. Hence I think that even those who are shut up in prison have a right to the same sort of care, since this kind of philanthropy will not hinder justice.…
For it is disgraceful that, when no Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Galileans support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see our people lack aid from us.
The early Christians’ compassionate treatment of the poor was so effective in recruiting new adherents that even pagans sought to emulate them to help revitalize their own faith communities. This principle of caring for the poor and destitute is a key truth that Jesus taught his disciples. Jesus taught his followers to consider those in need as being Jesus himself, that when we serve the needy, we are serving the Lord. As we seek to follow Jesus, may we be as generous and helpful to others as those “impious Galileans” of old.
L Scott Gage