Jesus Christ

39. Did Jesus live of the Gospel?

Yes, He did. For after He left his job (He had worked for several years as a carpenter) in order to devote Himself to preaching the Gospel, He was supported materially and financially by many women. Here is what Luke says: “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means” (Luke 8:1-3 – NIV). Therefore those women shared their material things with Jesus and His disciples. They did what all believers ought to do toward those who instruct them in the Word of God. Unfortunately many believers don’t want to share good things with their instructors. Paul says very clearly that they must share all their good things with their instructors (Galatians 6:6), but they refuse to keep this commandment and they present all kinds of justifications to cover their stubbornness and greed! Yes, their greed, because they are not so poor that they are able to give very little (however, it must be said that not always poor believers give little for God’s work, for sometimes they are among the most generous believers); were they very poor, their behaviour would be justified; the fact is that these believers are well-off, they have much more than what they need, they spend wonderful holidays each year (they go to the seaside, to the mountains, etc.), they wear luxurious clothes, they have beautiful houses, beautiful cars, etc. These believers are willing to receive, to be instructed in the Word, but they are not willing to give, they are not willing to share their material things with those who have the right to be supported financially by them, that is, those who instruct them in the Word.

According to these believers, their pastor must be supported not by them but by other believers; instead they have the right to benefit from the service of a minister of the Gospel without repaying him for his service. They speak to everybody about the crumbs they have given for God’s work, as if they had given billion of Euro for the work of God, as if they had taken the bread out of their children’s mouth to give it to the minister of the Gospel. The truth is that these believers are not interested in supporting God’s work; their mouth is full of big words, even of many biblical passages, yet they don’t want to support those who labor in the word and doctrine. They are very good at asserting their rights. As for the wages their employer must give to them, they count all the minutes of their overtime because they want to be paid for each of them; if their class wants a wage rise, they are ready to strike and to demonstrate in the market places, as unbelievers do; if their children work for someone and are not paid for their work, they are ready to make it known to as many people as possible. But they don’t want to hear about the right in the Gospel that the ministers of the Gospel have; to them this right doesn’t exist, and if it really exists it is an injustice to them who are rich and covetous, to them to support a minister of the Gospel is too burdensome!! God’s commandments are not burdensome, are they? But for those who fear God, and not for the rebels, not for the wicked who think that their leaders have only duties towards them, while they who are pastured have only rights!!!

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