The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” -Matthew 25: 40
Timothy Keller continues his discussion of four ways to experience a feast that correspond to ways our lives are shaped by the gospel in Chapter 7 of The Prodigal God.
2. Salvation is material. Pastor Keller states that the material world matters to Jesus. Although He preached the Word, He also healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ministered to the needs of the poor. Therefore, the author posits, Christianity is perhaps the most materialistic of the world’s faiths. Jesus’s miracles, then, were a restoration of the natural order rather than a violation of it.
Karl Marx once charged that religion is “the opiate of the masses.” Pastor Keller asserts that Christianity teaches that God hates suffering and oppression so much that He gets involved in it and fights against it. Pastor Keller concludes:
Properly understood, Christianity is by no means the opiate of the people. It’s more like the smelling salts.”
Today’s question: How has your ministry downsizing or vocation loss awakened or increased your awareness of God’s calling? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The Father’s feast- Part 3”
Special note: New Short Meditation will post Tuesday, October 1st- “Pain Management: A Tale of Two Dentists”
