Offering Help, Not Excuses
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
This week I encountered someone who was in need of help and I’m ashamed to say, I saw the need and I hesitated to act. Perhaps part of it is seeing needs so often that I’m getting desensitized to it. But I suspect a bigger part is fear and frustration rooted, as the city that I live in has been facing problems with crime and addiction and homelessness and it’s become easy to want to be the judge and jury in deciding who to help or who not to help. But in the end I did help. I’m so happy that I did, but that hesitation got me thinking about my attitude and why I hesitated.
The truth is, whenever we are faced with a situation we aren’t supposed to act based on our internal fears or attitudes or judgements. We are called to act based on what the Bible tells us to do. And looking in God’s Word we don’t see the answer is to see a person in need, project a judgement on them, all so we can feel justified as we hurry on by. When fear or a judgemental attitude replaces love and empathy we really need to wonder what has gone wrong in you and me.
We Are Not Called To Judge
If you hesitate to act because you suspect the person could be on drugs and you don't want to give them money to fund an addiction, fine, but it's not an excuse to not do anything. Buy them a meal and deliver it. Give them a gift card that can be used towards food. But above all else, treat them like a human being. Talk to them. Make eye contact. Ask what you can do to help and then be sincere in following through. When we are children and projecting our futures, in between aspirations to become police officers or firefighters or doctors, no one wishes to one day be caught in the snare of addiction or to somehow find themselves homeless. And just for the record, the large majority of homeless people I've encountered were not there because of drug or alcohol addiction. But how they ended up there is not our concern. It's between them and God. No where in scripture are we told to investigate someone's circumstances before helping them. God is their judge, we are not. But where we are not called to judge, we are called to love.
Deep down as Christians we know that to be true, yet how often do we find reasons to excuse our inaction and justify our behaviour? This isn’t a new practice. In Luke 10 we are told the parable of the Good Samaritan but right before Jesus goes to tell the story we are told the intentions behind the person who was speaking to Jesus. The man asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus challenged the man on what the law of Moses said about how he should behave, here’s where we pick it up in Luke 10 starting at verse 27,
The man answered, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!" The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:27-29
Trying To Justify Our Actions (Or Inaction)
The man wanted to justify his actions. Can you relate? I know I can. It’s easy to read how Jesus calls us to act and then come up with a list of ways to justify our doing nothing, but let’s not forget that in response to the man’s question and his poor attitude, Jesus then went on to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. A story of two religious men who walked right by a man clearly in physical and financial need and their only action was to cross to the other side of the street (Luke 10). But then as Jesus taught,
"Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. [35] The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.' "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." Luke 10:33-37
Knowing What The Bible Has To Say and Choosing To Obey
Now go and do the same. It’s a sad day when Christians aren’t the ones leading the charge to help the hurting, the broken, and the ones chained in addiction in our neighborhoods and our communities. It’s a sad day when we would travel five miles to spend our money on expensive coffee yet ignore feeding the hungry just down the street. It’s a tragic day when we are comfortable reading the Word of God and then completely excusing ourselves from doing what it says. If we claim to follow Jesus then we better know what the Bible has to say and we better do whatever it takes to obey.
And what does it say? Jesus said in Luke chapter 6, starting at verse 36:
"But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. "If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. "Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:27-36
A Calling To Meet Needs
No where in these verses are we given an out. If someone has a need, we are called to meet that need. If someone asks us for help, we are instructed to help. It’s that simple. We tend to complicate it because complicating it means we get off the hook, but it’s really this simple. If God wanted to provide us with an out, then Jesus would have added a list of conditions and exceptions when He called us to live this way. But He didn’t.
If someone is hungry, give them something to eat, don’t judge why they need food in the first place.
If someone needs a place to stay, invite them in or help connect them with a place, don’t decide whether they are or aren’t worthy of your time and assistance.
If someone is caught up in addiction, you don’t have to give them drugs, but you do have to give them love. And since many people are drawn into addiction because they have experienced the evils of abuse from other people, maybe it will be your love that helps them to know they are worthy of love and of more than drugs have to offer. But if they choose not to get help, that doesn’t give you and I an out. We are still called to love and we are accountable for our behaviour to God.
What Would Jesus Do?
So the next time we encounter someone in need of assistance, before judging or coming up with a reason to move on, we need to stop for a moment and ask ourselves WWJD: What would Jesus do? It’s more than a bracelet that was popular in the 90’s, it should be our way of life. And then do as He would. Remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:
But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Matthew 25:31-40
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