Jesus and Homelessness: A Call to Compassionate Action

Jesus's homelessness reveals the essence of true faith through serving the marginalized.

### Embracing Homelessness: The Heart of Jesus' Ministry and God's Plan
* 😔 "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should **desire him**," highlighting Jesus' humble beginnings as a **homeless man**.
* 🏠 Jesus' purposefully humble life, including being **born in a manger** and **fleeing to Egypt**, illustrates **God's design for his ministry** and the lives of his disciples.
* 🗣 When Jesus called Peter to "follow me," he was essentially inviting him into a life of **homelessness**, emphasizing the importance of **detachment from worldly comforts**.
* 🤲 Jesus reminded his disciples not to worry about their basic needs, reinforcing their shared experience of **homelessness** and the call to **faith over material concerns**.
* 📖 Isaiah 58 outlines God's desire for **justice and compassion**, urging believers to **care for the hungry and homeless**, which aligns with Jesus' teachings and actions.
* 💖 In Matthew 25, Jesus emphasizes that **acts of kindness towards the needy** are equivalent to **serving Him**, underscoring the significance of **helping those less fortunate**.
* ⚖ James 2:14 reminds us that "**faith without deeds is dead**," urging believers to **actively support the needy** rather than merely offering empty words.
* 🙏 Embracing a heart of service towards the poor and homeless is not just an act of charity but a **vital expression of faith** that can lead to **profound spiritual growth**.

he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, like one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53. My friends, Jesus came as a homeless man on purpose, as part of God's great imperfect design. It was the reason that there was no room in the inn and that his manger was amongst the animals. It's why soon after his birth, his family had to flee to Egypt. When Jesus came to Peter and said, Come, follow me, and I will make you a Fisher of men, basically he was saying, Peter, come, follow me, and you will be homeless. He had to tell his disciples, In my father's house, there are many mansions, because they were homeless. He had to remind them, Do not worry about your life or what you would drink, or what you would eat, or what you would wear, because they were homeless at one point.

the Pharisees and the teachers came to Jesus and asked, Why don't your disciples wash their hands before they eat? Well, let me ask you, how did these Pharisees and teachers know that their hands were unwashed? I mean, if you look at my hands, you probably couldn't tell. But the disciples' hands were so dirty because they were homeless. Jesus said, Blessed is he who ever shall not be offended in me, meaning that in order to be healed, in order to be blessed by Jesus, you had to get past his outer appearance. You had to get past what you physically saw in order to understand that he was truly the Son of God. So why is this important? Why did Jesus come as a homeless man, do his ministry as a homeless man, change the disciples to be homeless men? Why was that important? Why was this part of God's perfect plan? Well, let's look at Isaiah 58. Isaiah 58 says, Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen to loosen the chains of injustice and untie

the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed free and break every yoke. Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide to the poor wanderer, otherwise homeless person, with shelter? When you see the naked, clothe them, and not turn away from your own flesh and blood. And then in the New Testament in Matthew 28:25, it talks about the sheep and the goats and says, Then the king will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in. I needed clothes, and you clothed me. I was sick, and he looked after me. I was in prison, and you came and visited me.' And then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see

you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you. When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? Then the king will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these, the least of the brothers of mine, you did for me. Then he will say to those on the Left, Depart from me, you who were cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did nothing, did not invite me in. I needed clothes and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of these least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away.

into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. This is so at the heart of God's salvation plan through his son that you even see this emphasized in James 2:14, where James says, faith without deeds is dead. If you see someone that is hungry or without clothes, and you tell them, be well-fed and stay warm, but yet you don't do something about yourself, your faith is dead. Okay, so I encourage you, the next time you see a homeless person, the next time you see someone that needs clothes, Dannette some time, you see some of us asking for money for food or even food itself or needing help getting out of the elements, ask yourself, would you say no to Jesus? Would you say no to God? This is a form of worship to God, and as Jesus said, if you can't do this for the least of these, you're not doing it for me, and Christ is not in you. If this is, if you can get a hold of this concept, if you can turn your heart towards serving the poor, towards the

hungry towards the homeless, towards the people in prison. Your faith will grow like you have never seen before. So take the challenge, do what you can, even if you have to sell possessions, even if you have to tithe less to the church. Make sure you are doing what Matthew 25 says with am and pursuing it with all your heart. And just watch and see what God does with you. Thank you.

Jesus was Homeless

Jamie Carson

Jesus came into the world as a homeless man, intentionally seeking to fulfill God's imperfect design.

His family's struggles and Jesus' call to his disciples reflected a shared experience of homelessness.

This aspect of Jesus' life was crucial to his ministry and God's perfect plan, challenging people to look beyond outer appearances to recognize his true identity as the Son of God.

The text emphasizes the importance of helping those in need, such as the hungry, homeless, and naked.

It references both the Old and New Testament, highlighting the significance of these acts of kindness.

The passage concludes with the idea that helping the least of these is equivalent to helping Jesus himself.

God's salvation plan emphasizes the contrast between eternal punishment and eternal life, highlighting the importance of faith and deeds.

James 2:14 reinforces that faith without action is dead, urging believers to help those in need.

Serving the poor is seen as a form of worship to God, and Jesus teaches that helping the least of these is equivalent to serving Him.

Helping the homeless and those in prison can lead to significant personal growth and strengthened faith.

Taking on the challenge may require sacrificing possessions or adjusting church contributions.

Committing to the principles of Matthew 25 and pursuing them wholeheartedly can lead to transformative experiences.