The Least of These

We see them everyday, when we go out for groceries, dinner, the movies, and even Church. Yet so often we don't seem to acknowledge them, and if we do it is always with hesitation and negative presuppositions. The them that I am referring to are the "outsiders" of society, those who live on the fringes, the homeless, the poor, and the destitute. Often times our judgments and stereotypes are correct but they are also just as often wrong. 

It just so happens that the current city in which I live is permeated with the poor, and the homeless. Little Rock has a major homeless issue and is considered to be one of the worst towns for homeless people because the number of shelters is sparse. There isn't a day that goes by usually that I don't encounter one of these individuals. About three weeks ago I was out for a walk near my apartment when I was approached by a man who asked me for some money. I typically do not carry cash on me but I knew I had some in the apartment so I asked the man if he would wait while I went to grab some since I was less than 100 yards from my apartment. When I returned he began to tell me how he was recently released from prison and that he had found God while he was there and was able to get out early on good behavior. From the very moment that he began speaking to me I immediately thought "here we go" because it has been my experience that tale being told is usually a tall one. I gave him a few dollars, some water, and I prayed with him. The last thing that he said to me was that I wouldn't see him again because he was heading home to Conway. When he said that I was inclined to believe that maybe the story he told me was true. 

It wasn't even a week later when I was sitting inside the apartment with Katelyn that I heard someone knocking on the wooden fence around our patio. I go out to see what is going on and lo and behold there is the same man who told me that I would not see him again. He told me that he was never able to get a ride into Conway and that he lined up a ride and just needed a little cash, all I had was 2 bucks so I gave it to him. He told me how it bothers him when people don't believe him just because he is on the streets, but here he was a week later after telling me I would never see him again. I will admit I was a little bothered by the fact that he was gutsy enough to come to my apartment, the intent I had with leaving him and going to the apartment to get some cash was so that he would not know where I lived. But since I study on my patio often it stands to reason that he must have seen me there before. There is a part of me that feels like I was lied to and violated. There is another part of me that was initially concerned for the safety of Katelyn, and our belongings inside of our apartment. However, it has been over two weeks since I last saw him, so I am hoping that he really was telling the truth.

This encounter has been weighing on my mind a lot lately and has drawn me into deep reflection. While reading through Luke recently I was confronted with a part of scripture as I believe probably happens to most of us that convicts us deeply and I thought I would share that with you. Throughout the scriptures Jesus tells us that we are to take care of the poor, it is one of the most popular topics in scripture. Why is it that Jesus tells us to do this so much, and why is it often so hard for us to do? A portion of scripture that I think will help us shed some light on this is found in Luke 14. Starting in verse 7 the scriptures talk about how Jesus told a parable about a banquet. Jesus continues this banquet theme in verses 12-14 where Jesus says not to invite your friends and relatives to your banquet because they will repay you, but instead invite the poor because they will never be able to. Then in verse 16 Jesus began to tell them about a man who gave a large banquet but those who he had invited were giving excuses as to why they could not come. Because those whom he had initially invited turned him down, he decided to invite those on the outskirts of society.

There are a number of different interpretations that are applicable to this group of scriptures, however, there is a certain aspect that I really want to focus on. What really confronted me about these passages of scripture is the way that our relationship with Christ is mirrored in the relationship to the banquet host and the outcasts that he invited. There is something about the emphasis on the fact that Jesus says we are to invite the poor due to the fact that they will never be able to repay us that really hit home with me. Not only does scripture command us to assist the poor, it does so without offering conditions. There is never a phrase that starts out "Help the poor, unless..." No in fact, Matthew 25: 40 says that whatever we do for the "least of these" we have done for God. The reason that this is important is because this relationship with the poor like I said before mirrors Christ's relationship with us. Jesus came to the Earth, and was rejected and crucified by his own people. These are represented in the parable as the people who he sent out invitations to but made excuses as to why they could not attend. Upon his death and resurrection his grace and salvation was offered to all of mankind, his table was opened up to everyone. What is most remarkable about Jesus' sacrifice was that he knew full well that there was nothing that we could ever do to repay him for it. Yet, he offered it freely and to everyone. He offers it to the liar, to the thief, to the adulterer, the murderer, etc. It is completely unconditional, the only thing that we are required to do is accept his generous gift, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us.

Just like the man who I ran into on the street while out for a walk, who may have been lying to me, who may have never accepted Christ like he told me, who very well may have been a murderer, is the same way Christ found me. Spiritually I was on the street, lost, and with no hope. The commandment of helping the poor is not necessarily for the benefit of the poor but to serve as a reminder to us as believers what God did for us. Jesus died on the cross even though he knew some of us would reject him, that we would squander his precious gift, that we would waste it, that we would never improve our lives, that we would still stumble and fall. Just like when we give to the homeless, they may go and buy drugs, they may squander the money, they may never get off of the street. Yet we are not only obligated to help them but we are to do so unconditionally. Now I am not trying to say that we should always give them money, there are other things that we can do to help them. The best example of what we can do is found in Acts 3 when Peter and John stumble across the beggar in the street. Being poor themselves the only thing that they could offer was the most precious gift of all and that was the good news of Jesus Christ. If nothing else we should always pray for those in need, and give them the Gospel. Which in all honesty is much more difficult to do than to give a couple of dollars. Often times we think they don't want to hear about God and that they probably either don't believe or that they despise him. Something that I have found however in my interactions with the homeless is that this idea couldn't be farther from the truth. Often times I have found that they are very receptive and at times possess greater faith than I probably ever will. It is strange that it is often so much easier for us to open our wallets than it is to open our mouths and share the message of the Gospel.

Something that I want to challenge you all to do as Christians is the next time you encounter someone who is on the fringes to not allow harsh thoughts towards them to be our initial reaction. Instead we should remember that this is the same way that Jesus found us, and knowing full well we may lie, he gave anyways. If and when you do encounter one of these individuals I would admonish you to offer them if nothing else a prayer and the Gospel message of Jesus.