What Does God Want People To Do?

What does God want people to do? This is obviously a loaded question, but to answer it we need to answer two more questions first.

(1) Which God?

(2) What people?

For most of my friends from the Christian heritages that I grew up with, the answer to the first question is either “Jesus” or “the Trinity.” For most of my friends from the Jewish traditions the answer is “Yahweh” or a euphemism (HaShem) for the unpronounceable name. And then there my atheists friends who say, “There is no god, so don’t worry about it!”

The answers to the second question usually fall into two categories – insiders or outsiders. My Christian friends will usually ask if I am referring to Christians or non-Christians. Jewish friends will ask if I am talking about Jews or Gentiles. My atheist friends will just shake their heads. And of course, if we ask members of other religions we will get even more answers to both questions.

Since Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism trace their roots back to the Late Second Temple Period, let’s ask this question instead – What did the Jewish people living at that time period believe God wanted them to do?  

The first thing we need to understand is that the Jewish people didn’t all hold the exact same beliefs about things we would call religion. However, there is little doubt that they did agree on who their god was – Yahweh. The presence of the Temple made that very clear. But if we asked what Yahweh wanted people to do, their answer would have reflected which sect they belong to or followed – Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Hasidim, Zealots or the Jesus Movement. Below are snapshots of the things that were important to the insiders – members of the group. The things that were important reflect their centers of power. So, keeping the above questions in mind -- What does God want people to do? – below are the answers we would have probably received.

Sadducees

(1) Participate in Temple rituals and services.

(2) Follow a literal interpretation of the words of the Written Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) as interpreted by their leaders.

(3) Maintain ritual purity as defined by their leaders when at the Temple.

Pharisees

(1) Participate in Temple rituals and services.

(2) Participate in synagogue services and rituals.

(3) Participate in studies of their Scriptures at the synagogues and houses of study.

(4) Follow the words of the Written Torah (which included the books found in modern Jewish Scriptures) and the Oral Law as interpreted by their leaders.

(5) Maintain the same state of ritual purity, as defined by their leaders, at the Temple and in their daily lives outside too.

The Essenes

(1) Live a life that reflects their unique status of having been predestined by Yahweh to be members of this exclusive group, the “true Israel.”

(2) Maintain ritual purity in their daily lives according to the stringent views of their leaders.

(3) Keep themselves separate from outsiders.

(4) Community ownership of property.

The Hasidim

(1) Follow the words of the Written Torah (which included the books found in modern Jewish Scriptures) and the Oral Law as interpreted by their leaders.

(2) Spiritual attainment as a virtue by of voluntary poverty.

(3) Do miraculous deeds (causing rain, healings, casting out demons, etc.)

(4) Doing good deeds (providing food, water, clothing, shelter, etc.)

The Zealots

(1) Drive foreign oppressors out of the land given to them by the Covenant of Abraham.

(2) Use physical and deadly force against those who oppose them (Jews and Gentiles).

(3) Return to the state to what it was originally under the Written Torah.

The Jesus Movement

(1) Participate in Temple rituals and services.

(2) Participate in synagogue services and rituals.

(3) Do miraculous deeds (causing rain, healings, casting out demons, etc.)

(4) Do good deeds (providing food, water, clothing, shelter, etc.)

It is important to understand that by not speaking of the study of Torah Jesus gave more emphasis to the importance and priority of doing good deeds. The words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 25:31-46 reveal his answer to the question that began this discussion -- What Does God Want People To Do?

^31-33 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

This event is called “The Great Day of Judgment.” Be sure to note that “all nations” are being judged, not just the Jewish people or members of the Jesus Movement. The members of all nations will be divided into two groups – sheep (those on the right) and goats (those on the left).

^34-36 Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you 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; 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.”

The “Son of Man” is now called “the King.” He was speaking to the people in the group on the right called “sheep.” The people in this group did “good deeds.” Members of the Jesus Movement and Hasidim would have quickly recognized this as part of their group’s teachings. However, at this point in the account, they didn’t understand the importance of doing those deeds.

^37-40 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Master, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?” And the King will answer and say to them, “Amen! When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me!”

Those in the group on the right that were called “the sheep” are now called “the righteous.” Notice that the righteous are not surprised by or question whether they did those acts. Their only question they had was whether they did those acts for the king. They didn’t remember doing anything for him. The king’s answer reflects an important Jewish belief -- humans are made in the image of God. There is also a very good chance that Jesus taught his followers that the Spirit of the Creator is with every person. Therefore, every person they encountered in the normal course of life was not only created in the image of God, His Spirit was with them too witnessing everything that happened.

^41-43 And the King will say to those on the left hand, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels -- for I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

Notice that those in the group on the left that had previous been called “the goats” are now called the “cursed.”

^44-45 And they will answer him, saying, “Master, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?” And he will answer them, saying, “Amen! Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

Notice that the cursed are not surprised by or question whether they did not do those acts. They did not disagree about not doing those acts. They didn’t remember not doing them for him.

⁴⁶ And the cursed shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into eternal life.

Keep in mind that the members of the two groups above are the “cursed of all nations” and the “righteous of all nations.” Jesus’ teachings echo three very well-known sections of the Jewish Scriptures. The first is from Ezekiel 34. I suggest that you read the entire chapter, but below are verses 1-6:

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

Are shepherds supposed to take care of and feed their flocks or devour them? Everyone in the ancient world or people that own sheep today would know the answer. Shepherds are supposed to protect and preserve the lives of their sheep. For centuries Ezekiel’s words have been used to condemn the actions of people in power and leaders of nations and religions. So, how could Ezekiel’s words be related to the actions of ordinary people in Jesus’ teachings about the Great Day of Judgment?

The second section comes from Genesis in the same context that reveals that “humans are created in the image of the Creator.” This information is found in Genesis 1:28 and it reveals something that is extremely important, but readers of English translations cannot see:

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The clue is found in a note in The Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament for the Hebrew word traditionally translated “have dominion.” -- the basic meaning of the verb is not to rule; the word actually denotes the traveling around of the shepherd with his flock. When the Creator blessed the mankind, He empowered all humans to be shepherds over His creation, which included acting as co-shepherds over one another.

The third section is found in Isaiah 58. Once again I urge you to read the full chapter, but below are the key words related to what Jesus taught above. They are found in in Isaiah 58:5-8:

Is this the fast I will choose, a day to afflict a man his soul? To bow down his head like a bulrush, and he spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day of delight to Yahweh?

The issue in the above quote is the importance and priority of religious rituals. The Israelites in the account were very religious and did the ritual, but complained to God that He wasn’t paying any attention to them. His responds by saying:

Is this not the fast I will choose: to open bands of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, and to let the oppressed ones go free, and every yoke you shall pull off. Is it not to break your bread with the hungry, and wandering poor you should bring (to your) house; when you will see a naked person, you shall cover him, and from your flesh you will not hide yourself. Then your light shall break forth as the dawn, and your healing shall quickly spring up; and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh shall gather you.

Instead of religious rituals God wants people to break bands of wickedness that were oppressing and restraining His people. How did He want them to do this?

(1) break your bread with the hungry

(2) bring the wandering (homeless) poor to your house

(3) when you will see a naked person cover him

(4) do not hide from yourself from your flesh (those created in the image of God)

So, with this information let’s answer the question that we began with -- What does God want people to do? For those of us with a Christian heritage and value the words of Jesus the answer is: God wants us to do deeds of righteousness and make it our top priority.

This is also the only thing Jesus taught about the Great Day of Judgment and the afterlife. He taught nothing about praying a Sinner’s Prayer, belonging to a specific church, doing religious rituals or believing the right things as prerequisites for salvation. We have had almost 2,000 years of Christians teaching those things. Maybe it’s time to consider doing what Jesus actually taught. There can be no doubt that a lot of people’s lives would be made better.

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