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How Does Ḥeseḏ Connect Food Banks & Brain injuries?

How Does Ḥeseḏ Connect Food Banks & Brain injuries?

Last updated on: May 31, 2025 at 7:41 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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How Does Ḥeseḏ Connect Food Banks & Brain injuries? 2025-05-31T19:41:53-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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While President Trump and many conservatives are striving for greatness and power, millions of Americans are suffering financially and physically. This year the Trump administration and the GOP cut $500 million in funding to food banks and paused another 500 million.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

These food banks help more than just impoverished families; senior citizens also depend on food assistance from these resources. These cuts are in addition to the GOP cuts to SNAP benefits through President Trump’s big beautiful bill initiative.

I first learned about these unloving cuts a couple of months ago while volunteering at a local food pantry. Five hundred families in my community alone depend on this ministry and its assistance.

Let me assure you, these are fellow Americans, farmers, and neighbors who are being neglected by President Trump and the GOP as they focus on earthly greatness. Their pride has blinded them to the basic teachings of Jesus:

Feeding the poor
Caring for the strangers among us
Helping the least of these
Caring for the sick

As a Christian, I am confused and frustrated over how people who claim to follow Jesus can disobey basic teachings that are meant to help set God’s people apart from the world (Deuteronomy 14:2, John 13:34-35, 1 Peter 2:9).

We live in a fallen and selfish world that is out for earthly greatness at all costs (Genesis 3:1-24, Ephesians 6:10-12). There was a time in my life when I lived for my selfish desires, God gave me another chance at life to do what is right (Genesis 4:7-8, James 4:17).

If we are a redeemed people, we will act more like God and less like this world. We will be more generous like the God we serve (Exodus 34:6, 1 Chronicles 16:34).

What is Loving-kindness

God’s divine nature is the polar opposite of our sinful nature (Psalm 92:5, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 55:8-9). We live in a cruel and fallen world that looks out for its own best interests. Loving-kindness is defined as “Tender and benevolent affection; unconditional love.

Image by Pixabay

This world has been fallen and selfish since the first Adam chose earthly greatness over the goodness of God (Genesis 3:1-24).

Our fallen human nature is contrary to the kind and loving nature of God (Psalm 119:76, Ephesians 2:6-7, Titus 3:4-7). As God’s people and His representatives, we are to emulate God’s loving-kindness.

That is why the Bible has a lot to teach us about loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3, John 3:16). When God rescues us from our selfish and sinful nature, He molds and changes us to be more like Himself (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 3:10.)

No, this transformation is an immediate like our salvation, we are molded over time by the Holy Spirit to be more like God and less like this cruel world (Romans 12:2, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 10:14). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about God’s nature and loving-kindness.

Ḥeseḏ****

The Torah tells us that after the fall, the earth became so selfish and evil that God regretted making His creation (Galatians 6:5-12). It was out of God’s loving-kindness for His creation that He did not destroy it (Genesis 8:21, 9:11-13.)

The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for loving-kindness is ḥeseḏ and it can also mean “Mercy, kindness, goodness, favor, or wicked thing,” depending on the context it is used in.

Out of God’s love for the world, He created a nation and people to help change and restore this corrupt planet (Leviticus 20:26, Deuteronomy 14:2). Yet, God’s people still hardened their hearts and rebelled against God repeatedly (Nehemiah 9:26-27, Hosea 4:16, Malachi 3:5).

God showed mercy and His loving-kindness to His people (Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 7:7-9, Psalm 25:6; 36:7, Proverbs 31:26, Isaiah 54:8). God’s loving-kindness became one of His most precious attributes:

Compassionate and gracious
Slow to anger
Abundant in loving-kindness
Abundant in truth
One God
Merciful to a thousand generations
Forgiving iniquity
Cleansing
Forgiving transgressions
Long-suffering
Loving
Forgiving transgressions
Faithful

The New Testament continues the Jewish teachings about loving-kindness. Jesus taught His followers to be more like God and less like this world (Matthew 5:48). In the time of Jesus, the poor and disabled what looked down upon by most people, so Jesus changed the narrative by loving on the poor and least of these (Matthew 9:36; 14:13-14; 15:32, Luke 7:13). Most of Jesus miracles were performed to help the poor (Proverbs 21:13, Luke 14:12-14).

Jesus Helping others

Image by Pixabay

He taught His followers to take care of the least of these and the sick (Matthew 4:23; 19:21; 25:31-46). Jesus cared deeply for the sick and the lame (Matthew 14:14).

Brain Injuries

I have lived almost 30 years of my life with a traumatic brain injury, and I have devoted myself to helping, encouraging, and advocating for people with disabilities. The Bible is clear God’s people are to care for those who are disabled or sick (Leviticus 19:14, Exodus 4:10-12, Mark 5:1-42, Luke 10:30-37, John 9:1-3).

Image by Martin Thomas Johnson

As clear as Jesus’s teachings are about caring for the disabled, I am disgusted by how the Trump administration and the GOP have treated people with disabilities. I am not talking about DEI or its damage to the ADA. Nor am I talking about the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, which millions of disabled Americans and senior citizens depend on for health insurance.

I want to bring attention to the anti-Christian and unloving cuts to the brain injury and brain cancer community. The Trump administration and conservatives have been quietly cutting funding for brain injury and brain cancer research since last fall.

As a brain injury survivor, I was angered and disgusted when Pres. Trump paraded a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor for political gains during his State of the Union, all while gutting critical research. His publicity stunt was both unloving and unethical.

Unfortunately, just this week, the 13-year-old boy has been diagnosed with more brain tumors. It has become clear that President Trump and Maga conservatives are neither Christian nor ethical:

Unloving
Greedy
Deceptive
Prideful

There was a time in my life before my accident when I looked down on the poor and even mocked the disabled. It took God humbling me through my accident to soften my heart. Like the Apostle Paul, I had to become physically blind to see more spiritually (Acts 9:8-14, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

I hope and pray that this nation doesn’t have to be humbled by God for us to turn from our selfish and unloving ways like our Jewish forefathers (Deuteronomy 8:1-2). Billy Graham once stated, “Kindness is an essential part of God’s work and ours here on earth.” One thing I know is America will never be great until we get back to ḥeseḏ!

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