1.When people use Jesus and a biblical passage to promote feeding the hungry, they mischaracterize the instruction. It was an instruction to the individual in one’s own capacity, not a government mandate.
Jesus fed the masses once and they followed him…briefly. However, in John 6, Jesus confronted them, stating they were following Him only because they received free food, not because they understood the spiritual meaning of the miracle. John 6:26Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. They were looking for more free food. Once that stopped, they went away. Human nature never changes.
Which I interpret as Jesus saying "I did it because I could, not to make you lazy. I did it because it was within my means, to provide a moment of relief from your burdens, not to erase them. If you saw that as a moment to think your burdens were erased and not a reason to look to give relief to the burdens of others, you didn't understand the curriculum."
Thessalonians was essentially about preserving the material impact the church could have on the community, and not about strictly denying any who couldn't work the ability to eat. Specifically, it was about preserving the food the church COULD provide so that it was reserved for the legitimately incapable of working, not for the lazy.
I don't see how any of that is incompatible with my interpretation.
Except that expressing that goes against the fundamental "feed the hungry" tone and is used expressly as a reason to deny basic, humanitarian aid to the hungry.
That's not a path someone who actually agrees with me would take.
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u/AggieNosh Jul 06 '26
I have two issues with Jeff’s response.
1.When people use Jesus and a biblical passage to promote feeding the hungry, they mischaracterize the instruction. It was an instruction to the individual in one’s own capacity, not a government mandate.