Hunger: A Biblical Mandate

Theological Framework

The authority of Scripture is that witness of the Prophets and Apostles which point to our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Messiah, God Incarnate, He is our Lord and Savior. We, as Christians, are to live according to the precepts and tenets of the Bible. A major theme that both Testaments are concerned with is that of hunger.

The Prophets spoke much about hunger, specifically in the context of doing justice (mishpat, in Hebrew). Like golden strands of thread does this theme of justice run through the Books of Jeremiah and Isaiah. Perhaps the Prophet Micah posited the quintessential question: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

David reminds us, in Psalm 24:1, that "The world and all who live on it are God's." In the Old Testament, divine ownership of all things was not only because God created them, but also because God made it possible both to acquire and to use them:

So then, you must never think that you have made yourself wealthy by your own power and strength. Remember it was the Lord your God who gives you the power to become rich. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

In the New Testament as well, Jesus sees hunger as something to be dealt with head on. The Pharisees once posed a question to Jesus: "Teacher, which is the great Commandment in the Law?" And He said to them, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first Commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) What does it mean to "love your neighbor as yourself"? Does it mean we can stand by apathetically while our neighbor goes hungry? Can we still call ourselves Christians and be apathetic about our neighbors' plight?

Jesus speaks to His disciples about "The Great Judgment" in Matthew 25:31-46. As the Judgment commences, Jesus, now sitting on the throne of glory, will separate the sheep from the goats. To the goats He says "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food.... Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me." (Matthew 25:41-42,45)

St. Luke, evangelist and historian, tells us of life within the early Church. He records for us in Acts 2:44-47 that "All who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of good with glad and generous hearts, praising god and having favor with all people."

Being God's stewards requires responsibility and an obligation toward those whose stomachs ache with hunger. God created this earth for us — all of us — and He called it "good." From the pages of Scripture, the Prophets and Apostles, and Jesus himself, cry out to us to listen to their message: God wills that People must not be allowed to go hungry. This message is not an anachronism, but speaks to us in our day as well: People must not be allowed to go hungry!

With such a precursory framework let us now see the association between the issue of hunger and the Eucharist. The question that needs to be asked is, "What does it mean to be the body of Christ?" The assertion that we are the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:27) was no poetic extravagance of Paul, but a deep spiritual and theological conviction. The implications of this insight are substantial. We are integrally bound to Christ and to one another, and this bond is affirmed whenever we take and share the Eucharist. This realization, however, carries obligations. "Any who eat and drink without discerning the body eat and drink judgment upon themselves" (I Corinthians 11:29). What are we to discern? That all members of the body have enough to eat. That food and drink are to be shared.

Unlike the church in Jerusalem where they "had all things in common" (Acts 2:44), Paul found great inequity within the Corinthian community and reminded them, as us, that as Christians we are responsible for and accountable to one another. To take bread and eat it when another is hungry is a violation of the body of Christ.

When Paul spoke of the body of Christ, his concern was the Christian community. Surely those who were followers of Jesus, who shared spiritual benefits, should share physical blessings as well. Does that limit our own responsibility and concern to those who are of the fold? Boundaries may be implied in the theological enthusiasm of Paul, but they were most certainly absent in the actions of Jesus. Are we, then, to place limits on the cosmic expectations of Christ?

The Matthean text concerning The Great Judgment augments the Eucharistic theology of Paul. According to Paul, we Christians are Christ's body, for we share in the Bread of Life. According to the Gospel, the poor also are His body and they, too, need bread for life. Indeed, whenever we minister to one in need we are ministering to Christ. If we fail to feed the hungry, if we hesitate to support the poor and oppressed, our Eucharist runs the risk of bringing judgment on ourselves.

Hence, this is what we must remember: the Bread what we break to assuage our heart's hunger also represents that "daily bread" to which the poor and hungry lay legitimate claim. This is what we must do. We who would minister to Jesus must break bread for the hungry. And we who identify with Jesus must be bread for a broken world.

Here in Queens, as in our urban cities and towns, hunger is reaching epidemic proportions. People, both domiciled and not, roam the streets ringing Church bells in search of food. Sometimes they are in luck, if the house of worship happens to have a food pantry or feeding program. More often than not, though, they go away hungry. In a country which has the largest population of overfed people, a country where food is surplused, is it moral or ethical to allow some to go hungry? It is the position of the Queens Federation of Churches that those who do not have the resources with which to feed themselves and their families must not be allowed to go hungry. Thus, the following position of this body is set forth:

Hunger is a problem of epidemic proportions across the nation.

Hunger in America is a serious and widespread problem. It is in fact so widespread and obvious that its existence has been documented by 15 national studies, and even more state-level studies, during the past two years.

While no one knows the precise number of hungry Americans, available evidence indicates that up to 20,000,000 citizens may be hungry at least some period of time each month. In the 1960s, before the expansion of federal nutrition programs, hunger was a daily problem to millions of citizens. Today, evidence indicates that weaknesses in these same programs leave millions of citizens hungry several days each month, often more.

Hunger in America is getting worse, not better.

Evidence from the states and regions of the nation indicates that hunger continues to grow. Reported improvements in the economy appear to be having little, if any, impact on the problem of hunger.

Almost without exception, emergency food programs across the nation report significant increases in the number of hungry people. Accordingly, the pounds of food provided to alleviate this growing problem are, themselves, increasing at a steady rate. It appears that most Americans who are "recovering" economically were never hungry, and those who are hungry are not recovering.

Malnutrition and ill-health are associated with hunger.

Hunger and poverty are frequently associated with malnutrition and other forms of ill-health. Today, compelling evidence indicates that members of vulnerable population groups, particularly children and the elderly, are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes due to hunger.

Malnutrition is a problem which impacts somewhere in the vicinity of a half million American children. Growth failure, low birth-weights, and other outcomes associated with inadequate nutrition are serious among low-income pediatric populations, and health problems and chronic diseases associated with under-nutrition are serious among the elderly Poor.

Hunger is the result of federal government policies.

Hunger in America is the result of a series of governmental policies, some within the past few years, others of longer duration.

Hunger does not just happen in a nation with more than enough food to feed itself and a good part of the world. Hunger occurs because policies either produce it or fail to prevent it. We have permitted poverty in this nation to reach record levels. Programs which help our citizen endure economic hardship have been cut. As a result, America has become a "soup kitchen society," a specter unmatched since the bread lines of the Great Depression.

Present policies are not alleviating hunger in America.

Hunger is getting worse, and no evidence indicates that it will lessen as a problem.

Poverty in the country is at the highest rate in 20 years and purchasing power for the poorest 40 percent of the population is lower than it was in 1980. It is unlikely that economic changes helping the better-off will assist those who are hungry.

The bottom line is that policies which supposedly were to help the poor have not done so. Some existing programs need to be made more effective. New initiatives need to be taken.

We believe that our political leaders must end their laissez-faire attitude toward hunger. Millions of Americans are hungry now, and political leadership — both Republican and Democratic — is required to address their plight. Even if things do improve in the future, our job is to make sure that all of our citizens have the opportunity to reap the rewards of democracy today.