Q: What does the Bible say about homelessness?
A: The Bible doesn't necessarily single out homelessness as a topic of discussion. However, the Bible does make mention of the types of people that make up the homeless; the poor. Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me (Matthew 26:11)." Who is it that makes up the poor? Is it not widows, orphans, the lame, the crippled, the sick and the outcast? And anybody who has had any exposure to the homeless soon realizes that they are made up of many of these types of people. The question to ask ourselves is what is our duty as Christians to those that make up the homeless?
We first of all must realize that prior to our salvation, we were homeless in a spiritual sense. Originally created to be indwelt by God, mankind is spiritually dead in sin. All of us, prior to salvation, spent the majority of our lives trying to fill the emptiness within our spirits through whatever sinful activity the world had to offer. Thankfully, we end up getting tired of the sins that never seem to satisfy our deepest desires. Once we accept Christ by faith, and have the life of God restored to us, we then begin to realize all we have been given by God. It is revealed to us that we tried to fill a spiritual need through physical pursuits. Because of the love God has shown towards us we are now able to share with others that which we have inherited as children of God. The Bible says that we have been given "everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3)." Therefore, since we have everything we need we can lead others to find out how to receive what they are looking for in Christ.
Homeless people are at the end of their rope in many cases. Therefore, it provides Christians with a great opportunity to meet their needs physically in hopes that they will seek what they really need most, a spiritual healing. The Bible encourages a Christian to do "something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need (Ephesians 4:28)." There are endless examples of believers using their talents and skills to assist others who could benefit from their abilities. Many of the poor have need for people with carpentry skills, mechanical skills, teaching skills and so forth. Psalm 41:1 says, "Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble." Did not the Lord deliver us when we were weak by offering himself as a sacrifice in order to bring us to God? There are many ways in which to bless the poor. We can volunteer at charitable events, donate unused clothing, spend time working at shelters, etc. It is all about being kind to those less fortunate in hopes that our act of kindness may soften their hearts to the things of Christ.
Jesus was criticized by the Jewish leadership of the day because he associated with the poor and less fortunate. The Pharisees asked the disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners' (Matthew 9:11)?" It is not too far a stretch to associate the tax collectors and sinners with the poor and homeless. After all, are not both groups despised by the majority of society? But, what Jesus saw was not outcasts who were unworthy of His attention. He saw people who had been stripped of all their pride and worldly attachments. This made them the perfect people to try and reach with the Gospel. For many of us who have been saved, we weren't ready for the Lord's provision until we were exhausted from trying to do things the world's way. And that is the opportunity that awaits each believer when it comes to the homeless. They have little left to be hopeful about. What better time in which to share the message of Jesus Christ which is the only true hope available to any of us? When we meet their physical needs they may be willing to ask why we helped them? And that is when we can tell them, in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
Thank you for the opportunity to address your question about homelessness.
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