God’s people must remember their calling to be ministers of mercy. Like missions and evangelism, nurture and worship, the ministry of mercy is fundamental in the Church of Jesus Christ. Every Christian needs to identify his or her role in order to respond appropriately to the needs of his or her brother and sister in the Lord and the surrounding community.

Visiting the poor, feeding the hungry, nursing the sick, clothing the naked, or taking care of the needy is not only the job of social workers but Christians. The ministry of mercy is more than a job; it is a God-given ministry. Jesus says, "Go, and do thou likewise" (Luke 10:37).

The Bible repeatedly expresses the obligation to help those who, for whatever reason, cannot help themselves. The ministry of mercy does not begin with the parable of the Good Samaritan. It has its beginning in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall, man became alienated from God (Gen 3:10). Consequently, his relationship with fellow human beings was shattered (12, 13), and so was his relationship with nature itself (17, 18). Now, sickness, hunger, natural disaster, social injustice and death dominate.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked. They took fig leaves to cover themselves. But that could not cover their nakedness for long. So God clothed them with animal skins (6, 7, 21). That act was the first act of mercy ministry.

Even before the giving of the Law of Moses, God made his will known concerning this ministry. Job, who lived in an early pre-Mosaic age, knew that the righteousness God required includes meeting the needs of the needy such as food, shelter and clothing (Job 24:1-21; 31:16-23). As a matter of fact, Job did more than simple social service. He tells us, "I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth" (Job 29:16, 17).

When God gave the Law to Moses, he had in mind building a believing community in which social righteousness was as required as personal righteousness. And this was clearly demonstrated in the lives of the Israelites. The people of God had a profound understanding of God as a God of compassion and mercy. God says, "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deut 10:17-19). They were to care for the traveler or alien in the land because they had once been "strangers in the land of Egypt" (Lev 19:34). They were to promote justice for the needy because "I the LORD love judgment" (Isa 61:8; Psa 146:7). They were to help those who could not sustain themselves because "The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow" (Psa 146:9a). They were to leave for the needy the corners of the field, the gleanings of the grain and the forgotten produce (Lev 19:9, 10; Deut 24:19-21). When a slave was freed from debt and servitude, he was not to leave empty-handed, but had to be given grain or livestock so that he could become economically self-sufficient (Deut 15:12-15).

Denouncing Israel’s insensitivity to the poor as breaking covenant with God, the prophets of God condemned her for ill-treating the poor and ignoring their plight (Amos 2:6, 7). A true Israelite is one who is characterized by mercy to the poor (Isa 11:1-4; 61:1, 2).

By the time of the New Testament, Jews had a term "Gemilut Chasidim" (i.e. "the bestowal of loving kindness" or "acts of compassion") used in their compassionate activities toward the poor and needy. Based on Proverbs 21:3 "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice," every Jew was required to give to the needy. Even the poor were expected to help those less fortunate than themselves. Rabbi Eleazar interpreted this verse to mean that charity for the needy was more important than sacrifices offered in the temple (Dennis Bratcher. The Needy in Jewish Tradition. The Christian Resource Institute, p 2, January 7 2002).

Providing for the poor is not a favour granted by the giver. The Jews believed that the needy have a God-given right to aid and the giver has an obligation to God to help. Jews call such an obligation a mitzvah (i.e. "command"). Therefore, every worshipper of God should seek opportunities to perform mitsvot (plural of mitzvah). Acts of compassion were not a burden for the Jew. They were simply part of being God’s people in God’s Word and therefore should be done with joy.

God says, "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6). When mercy is lacking, then religious formalities are meaningless.

Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is filled with biblical injunctions concerning treatment of the poor, widows, orphans, travelers and people in need.

Ministries of Mercy are not to be considered a secondary duty. It is not something we get to if there is time and money in the budget. Christians are called to help the poor and needy.

A young lawyer asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" And answering him, Jesus told him a parable. The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 teaches the necessity of mercy as fundamental to being a Christian. The lesson in the parable is that Jesus commands us to provide shelter, finances, medical care and friendship to people ("especially unto them who are of the household of faith," Gal 6:10) who lack them. He sees care for the poor and needy as part of the essence of being a Christian.

Both James and John used the ministry of mercy as a test. James argues that a profession of faith unaccompanied by work of mercy is not a genuine faith (Jas 2:14-17). John insists that real love is expressed in works as well as in word (1 John 3:17, 18). Proverbs 14:31 and 19:17 remind us that to ignore the needs of a poor man is to sin against the Lord. No passage is clearer than Matthew 25:31-46 which describes Jesus’ examination of mankind on Judgment Day. On that day, Jesus himself will separate those who are truly his from those who are not by examining their fruit, namely, their concern for the poor, homeless, sick and prisoners (1 Cor 3:13-15; 2 Tim 2:19).

The early church practiced mercy ministries (Acts 2:44, 45). The believers had an intense feeling of responsibility for each other. They recognized that they were fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. They knew that whatever they possessed belong to the Lord. They were only stewards of what God had entrusted to them. So, whenever there was a need, the people sold what they had to meet that particular need (The verb "sold" is a customary imperfect which means that the believers sold from time to time to meet a particular need). As a result, no one was in need (Acts 4:32-37). A real Christian cannot bear to have too much when others have too little (Rom 12:13)

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a priest and a Levite soon came along in turn, and each passed by on the far side of the road, not wishing to become involved in the man’s needs. Whatever excuses they might give, they had violated the clear teaching of Scripture – to have mercy on even strangers in need (Lev 19:34). They had neglected the principle that to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22).

Though the young lawyer did not deny the need to take care of the needy, he still asked, "Who is my neighbour?" There is the question of the scope and dimension of the ministry of mercy. This is also our concern. How far should I get involved in mercy ministries? Here are some excuses people give: "O Lord, let’s be reasonable. We know we are to help out the unfortunate, but just how far do we have to go?" or "O Lord, you don’t mean every Christian must get deeply involved with hurting and needy people. I am not very good in that kind of work; it’s not my gift." or "I have a busy schedule and I am extremely active in my evangelical church. Isn’t this sort of thing the government’s job, anyway?" or "I barely have enough money for myself!" or "If I give to him, I am encouraging him to be lazy and to depend on others." or "If I start to give to him, he will take advantage of me."

Whatever excuses we may give, Jesus says in Matthew 5:42, "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." We should not withhold ourselves from giving to people (especially those who are in the family of God) who are genuinely in need. Hebrews 13:16 reminds us not to forget to do good and share with others who are in need, for in doing so, God is well pleased.

1. The Family as Ministry Base

A needy brother or sister should first approach his or her family for help, not the local church. The Bible teaches that the Christian home is the first "building block" in the ministry of mercy. Clear directives are given to the family to take in the hungry and homeless poor for hospitality (Isa 58:7). Therefore, a believing family that does not care for its own members is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5:8; Lev 25:25).

2. The Local Government

Some people argue that the local government has no biblical warrant for helping the needy. However, a careful study of the Scripture shows otherwise. A pagan king named Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4:26, 27) and a Hebrew king (Psa 72:1, 2; Prov 29:14; 31:9) were called by God to render justice and mercy to the poor. Joseph, a Hebrew believer who served as a civil officer in a pagan government, saved thousands of people through a hunger relief program (Gen 47:13-17). Therefore, there is warrant for needy citizens to seek help from the local government.

3. The Local Church

The local church should develop programmes and ministries of mercy that mobilize the gifts and resources of the congregation to aid the needy. The office of deacon was specifically ordained as a ministry of mercy to the needy (Acts 6:1-6). Tithes and offerings were regularly used for the relief of the poor (Deut 14:28, 29). And special offerings are to be taken by the church to take care of Christians suffering from unprecedented hardship or emergencies (1 Cor 16:1, 2; Rom 15:25-27; 2 Cor 8).

Oftentimes, mercy ministries are not done through official programmes. Rather, sensitive individual members watch for needs and meet them out of their own schedules, out of their own pockets and out of their own hearts (Acts 2:45). Lifers are good examples as shown in the Church Weekly.

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" If your answer is, "The one who showed mercy," then Jesus’ immediate reply is, "Go and do likewise!"