A while back, I found this post in my RSS feed, and since then, I haven’t been able to shake out of my head.
For those of you too lazy to click the link (don’t worry, I totally understand), it’s a commentary on Matthew 5:42: “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” And for those of you too lazy to read the entire thing, here’s the part that really hits me:
I’ve thought a lot about this command of Jesus over the years. I’ve discussed it with many. I think I know all the major reasons why not to give when someone asks. You don’t want to encourage deception. You don’t want to feed a chemical addiction. You don’t want to contribute to someone’s cycle of poverty. And there are many others.
But still this text unnerves and convicts me.
The reason is that Jesus doesn’t give this command in the context of addressing how I can best facilitate transformation in someone else. He is telling me how I should respond to those who are making demands on me, either from explicitly evil motives or just plain out of their difficult situation. He is telling me how I ought to respond even when being taken advantage of.
Full disclosure: I haven’t given a (monetary) handout to anyone in five years. My first two years in Berkeley cured me of that. Well, actually, it was just this one guy that I met sophomore year. I can’t remember the name he gave me, but I’m pretty sure it started with a vowel, so I’m going to call him “Ike.”
The first time I met Ike was in front of Dwinelle Hall, near the benches where Stoney and the Dave Matthews guy usually stand around. (Looking back, I think that’s why my guard was down: most of the panhandlers usually stay off-campus.) I must have looked like an easy target, because he singled me out of a whole mess of people. He spun me this story about how he was about to take some accreditation exam at the DMV so that he could support his family…and how a few dollars could really help him out. Touched by his honest, heartfelt demeanor, I gave him $15 and wished him good luck.
The next time I met Ike was in the exact same place. I was a bit confused, since it was about a month later. I figured that he would have been gone by then. I asked him about the DMV. He gave me this split-second look of confusion, but quickly recovered and said something like, “Oh yeah, man, it didn’t go through, but, you know, next month, Imma try again.” And in my head, I was like, “Wow, I am a sucker.”
The last time I met Ike was in the hall between Yogurt Park and Sufficient Grounds. That time he didn’t even bother with formalities. I was carrying a whole bunch of orange juice cartons that I bought using my soon-to-expire meal plan points, so he was like, “Hey, man, gimme one of those.” I didn’t feel like I had a great reason *not* to give him one, so I ended up giving him one. “Alright, here you go.” I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you.
After Ike, I stopped giving homeless people stuff, if only because it reminded me of how gullible I was. So you can imagine my sense of relief when I started learning the socially acceptable reasons not to give to people: “It only feeds their addictions.” “Those who don’t work shall not eat.”
But I’m starting to see now that I was merely repeating excuses to avoid caring for those in my sphere of influence. Ironically, I was using the words “true love” to excuse my own lack of love for those around me.
I dunno. I know the Bible tells us to care for/give to/remember the poor. I don’t think the Bible means that we should just help the poor who are easy to help…or those who are grateful for our help…or just the Christians…
At the same time, I know that we have to be wise in how we help. I can’t be hard-hearted, but I can’t be gullible either. I…I just don’t know…all I know is that I need to pray.
-Tim