As Unto the Lord

"While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. 'Why this waste?' they asked. 'This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.' Aware of this, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'"
Matthew 26:6-13 

There are many poor people in the world. There are also many people who are helping them. Many fine organizations have the mission of helping the poor. It is a wonderful thing to help, but I wonder what the motivation is for doing so. Jesus was a defender of the poor while he was on the earth. He loved them and helped them in the same ways he helped all he encountered. Yet on this one occasion he rebuked the disciples for complaining that the perfume could have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor. The lesson to be learned was about the condition of their hearts, not the act of giving. 
    The disciples felt that the anointing was a waste of money. But the heart of the woman told a different story. Her act of giving was born out of her love for Jesus. At that moment, the poor were not her concern. Her love for him was the overriding issue. Jesus was not telling us that we should not give to the poor. He modeled that for us and taught us that these acts of kindness are noticed and rewarded by God. But the woman wanted to give all she had to Jesus, in spite of the frowns of the disciples. 
    I think that giving to the poor is vitally important. But it must be done from the motivation of loving Jesus. Everything we do, everything we say, every act of kindness is done as unto the Lord. Later in Matthew 25, Jesus tells of the day when he will judge the nations. Those who helped the poor, visited the prisoners, ministered to the sick, and gave cups of water will be rewarded. Those who do not, will be punished with everlasting fire. The key is this: Jesus said that these things should be done in his name. So our motivation for helping others must come from our love for Jesus. Any other reason has no eternal value. Whatever we do for others should be done as if we are doing it for Jesus himself. 
    It is worth examining our motives. Do we do good things and get involved in ministries because we feel obligated, or do we do these things because we love Jesus and want to be his disciples? We should give serious thought to our lives. If we do these things in the name of humanity or even in the name of the church, we are accomplishing nothing. The woman gave liberally to Jesus. In turn, Jesus helped many people through his ministry. There are those who are called to touch the poor. They should do it out of the passion they have for God. Some are called to minister to the sick. They should do so out their love for Christ. Let's be generous, but let's give as if we are giving directly to Jesus. The eternal value is incredible. There is no selfishness in this kind of gift. We are Jesus in the world, we should minister to those in need...as unto the Lord.