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Have you ever heard this Present-Day Proverb: “A hungry belly has no ears.”
This is a new one to me: “A hungry belly has no ears,” but when I heard it, I realized how true it is. When a person is in great need—for food or clothing or housing or some really urgent need—giving them a lecture or preaching a sermon is wasting your breath. That person has one thing on their mind—satisfying that urgent need.
I’ve heard wives tell how they’ve learned not to approach their hungry husbands with a problem or suggestion or issue until they’ve eaten! They get a different reception when their husband is hungry compared to when he’s just enjoyed a good meal. It’s true—a hungry belly has no ears.
When we think of reaching people who don’t know Jesus with the good news of the Gospel, we need to remember that before they will listen to us, they need to see that we care about their needs, whatever they may be. My church opened a residential home for women rescued from sexual exploitation. The first thing those women need is a safe place to live with people who care for their physical and emotional needs. Then they will have ears to hear our Bible lessons and the good news about Jesus.
In Matthew 25 Jesus told the parable of the righteous people who fed the hungry and gave drink to the thirsty and clothed the naked and looked after the sick and visited those in prison, saying that they had done this for the King. Since they didn’t remember ever doing this for the King, he explained, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
When we reach out to satisfy the needs of “the least of these,” it is the same as doing it for Jesus himself. A couple in our church have begun to feed the homeless people who are on the streets around their apartment and pay for them to wash their clothes, and because they are meeting those basic needs, they have the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. Remember, a hungry belly has no ears.
[We have created Present-Day Proverbs cards as a helpful reminder. If you would like to download them click here or call (630-462-0552) us to receive them by mail.]