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Christ in today’s Gospel commands that Christians “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame” to their feasts “because of their inability to pay,” and in doing so, gives us a teaching that is both immediately beautiful and deeply challenging. This command to incredible and free generosity shows us the greatness and glory of Jesus’ own heart, and paints for us a near utopian vision in which precisely those in most need are the ones fed. At the same time, this command to serve without expecting anything in return counters a human tendency to assert our own will, a tendency as common in Christ’s time as in our own.

In the Roman political system, it was expected of the city government that they should provide free grain, corn or bread for the poor. This began with 40,000 eligible households during the late Roman Re-public and increased up to 200,000 households during the reign of the emperor Augustus. Augustus, who reigned during the first decade of Christ’s life, even went so far as to provide this food out of his own personal funds, and every emperor after him would likewise pay for the bread dole themselves. This program became a necessary civic institution, up until the end of the Roman Empire, and those who received this bread ration were proud to do so, some even proclaiming on their tombstones that they had received the emperor’s bread.

While Christ does not mention the imperial bread dole, his teaching does offer a comparison that allows us to understand the difference between Christian charity and Roman, secular charity. The Roman dole immediately became a tool of power. Political figures could increase the size or distribution of the bread dole for instant secular gain. They could, and did, use the continuation of the bread dole, on which hundreds of thousands relied, as a method of influencing the public on matters wholly unrelated, gaining votes or public approval at will. In this way, the poor repaid their patrons with power in this life. The emperors of the Roman era took advantage of the fact that survival would matter more than matters of policy to the average citizen; their charity always had strings attached.

In contrast, Christ makes clear that Christian giving expects no such reciprocation from the poor, or from anyone in this earthly life. Far from using charity and patronage as a means of gaining honor or influence, Christ’s disciples are even to refuse higher places at the table, accepting honorable positions only when granted freely, unsought. Rather the Christian gives disinterestedly in this life, does not seek advancement for worldly ends, and receives true repayment only in eternity, “at the resurrection of the righteous.” This is not just a lesson in humility, but also a lesson in the purpose of our charity; since charitable giving is aimed at eternal gain, our eyes should always remain fixed on heaven without getting caught up even in the good temporal results of our works. Whereas the Roman patron would direct their clients back toward their patron, the Christian directs the recipient of their charity toward God, who alone is the patron of all.

So then, we must ask ourselves, how is it that I give to my neighbor? Does my charity come with strings attached? Even in something as simple and small as an act of kindness to a family member, do I love freely, or am I seeking to influence the other person for my own benefit? Christ promises all those who give freely and for God’s sake a reward in eternity. That reward is God himself, and it is more than worth forgetting ourselves in our gifts.