CHARITY SAVES FROM DEATH

 CHARITY SAVES FROM DEATH – Proverbs 10:2
Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

Maybe it is not a sudden surprise that Jesus had siblings, as it is written in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, that While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. One said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you.”
In the parallel Gospel, Mark mentions, that once,  When the Sabbath had come, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him. ”
Once the Apostle Paul was quite annoyed with an unreceptive audience in Corinth, Greece, and he bragged about his celibate condition, stating it that “Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?”, thus he mentioned the brothers of the Lord, as family relations.
The writings of Apostle Paul as documents of historical value are important, because Paul’s writings are date earlier, than any of the Gospels, and it comes from a first hand information.
Even at the most denying people had to say that these are at least Jesus cousins, if not direct siblings. One of them was Yacov, or as the King James Bible translated it into English, was James.
The Apostle Paul also specifically mentioned James in his letter to the Galatians, regarding the event when he visited the Jerusalem congregation, saying that “But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother.”
James was historically known to the early church fathers, authors and scholars, as James the Just, or James, the brother of the Lord. He was the first leader of the Jerusalem Congregation, at least from 44 CE, which era is also called the  Apostolic Age.
It is believed that James the brother of Jesus was martyred in AD 62 or 69 by being stoned to death by the Pharisees on order of High Priest Ananus ben Ananus.
An early church father Eusebius , the bishop of Caesarea in the Land of Israel in the early 4th century, records that Clement of Alexandria related, that "This James, whom the people of old called the James the Just because of his outstanding virtue, was the first, as the record tells us, to be elected as the bishop of the Jerusalem church.
James the Just, of course the English epithet, the Hebrew original is Yacov ha Tzaddik.
Tzaddik means Just or Righteous.
It is very interesting, that the term Tzaddik has the same root with an other Hebrew term, called Tzedakah, which means righteousness. However, Tzedakah it is also used to mean charity, like donating to feed the poor, clothe the needy, house the homeless, helping out the people in hopeless debts.
Nonetheless, the English term charity and Tzedakah do not mean the same thing as charity used to be described as some philanthropic activity driven by good will, charity, soliarity, benevolence or generosity, etc. In the Jewish practice of tzedakah, when people contribute money, time, influence, resources to the needy, they are not intended to be explicitely benevolent, generous or “charitable.”
Rather they are doing or trying to do what is right and just.
The ancient and contemporary sages teach that the world, as a permanent stucture was built upon kindness. The durability of our world depends on the amount of its glue, which is loving kindness, CHESED in Hebrew.
Although Tzedakah (צְדָקָה) is often translated as charity, it goes one step beyond. Literally translated as “justice” or “righteousness,” tzedakah tells us that to give to the needy or rather sharing what we have with others is not something we can choose out of personal kindness, from the goodness of our hearts.
Charity implies kindness performed out the goodness of one’s heart, but which is by no means obligatory, it is free choice. If it is made, then it is made. If it is not made, it is up to You. It is nice, but it is not mandatory, there is no real moral push for it.
Tzedakah, however is mandatory, it means "doing right," implying an obligation to help others — financially, materially, spiritually and in any way possible. Avoiding doing so, is a sin. That is why Jesus told the disciples about righteousness that “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’
“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you did it to me.’”
We can see that the Tzedakah is not a lovely option, it is a commandment.
Tzedakah is not limited to gifts of money. If we do not have money, we can donate time, expertise, or even a smile.
For some is easier to help people who are far away. However, charity starts at home, as our responsibility circle is concentric. The ancient sages said, that there must be some hierarchical guidelines of helping. A family member who is in difficult financial straits takes precedence over non-family. Likewise, local poor and charitable organizations take precedence over their faraway counterparts. And charitable causes in your own country take precedence over the charity cases abroad.
Thus, the Jewish and consequently the Christian charity are not optional, but mandatory.
However its main characteristics is not that it is ordered by Jesus.
He explicitly states, that Tzedakah is a condition of entering Heaven, as it is written that Jesus said, that “Before the Son of Man all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.’ ”
As at the GATE the sheep and the goats will be judged upon the merits of charity,so Tzedakah saves from death, by the Grace of the Lord, according the will of God, by the Holy Spirit.
AMEN