Helping Panhandlers

            There was an article in the paper the other day that said that people were complaining about the panhandlers downtown during some of the celebrations.  I’m not surprised at the panhandlers, but I am a bit disappointed in the complaints.  The last time that Rosie and I went downtown to see a show at the Benedum, there was a panhandler on the corner who was simply asking for money.  Rosie gave him something and we crossed the street to go to the theater.  All of a sudden the panhandler was behind us giving Rosie a leaflet that she had dropped when she gave him his money.  It wasn’t a big deal, the leaflet was simply one that she had picked up at the parking garage advertising something.  And I don’t tell you all of this to brag about giving the man some money.  I tell you this because of the simple act of kindness toward us by that man who could have just left the leaflet to stay on the ground.  I was really touched by that effort and I won’t ever forget it.  Here was common humanity between us and them; the givers and the receivers.  I’m not really sure which are which.

            Yes, there are a lot of panhandlers downtown.   I’m not surprised that they turn up during the festivals.  There are a lot of people at those things.  That seems to me to be a perfect time to ask for some help from the people who obviously have some help to give.  It doesn’t take much to give a little.  Those people are just trying to get something to tide them over.  Yes, they will be back tomorrow, and no they don’t necessarily have jobs.  Some of them have been unemployed for a long time.  But we don’t need to ask those kind of questions.  Just take them as they come and listen to what they ask. 

            There is a sharp divide over the rich and the poor in this country.  Those who are poor are always being blamed by the rich and told to take care of themselves.  Sometimes that is a very difficult thing for them to do.  Most of those who are poor didn’t choose to be that way; circumstances have just forced them into poverty.  I think that it is the job of the rest of us to take that condition seriously and do as much as we can to help.  Making sure that we are not being ripped off by calculating thieves seems to me to be too much of a job.  Just give them the money and let them get on with their lives.  Somebody always says, “Well, they will only go and buy drugs or whiskey”.  Certainly that might happen, but they also might use the money to take care of themselves or their family.  That is also possible.  I think that I would rather hope for that, rather than insure that the money is spent wisely.  I don’t even think that I always spend my money wisely. 

            James, in his epistle has some words for us who make distinctions between rich and poor.  He writes:                        
                                   If a person with gold rings and fine clothes comes into 

                            your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes

                            in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes

                            and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor

                            you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made

                            distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil
                            thoughts?

            James is right on target with this.  It is easy for us to judge those who have need.  The papers are full of these kind of judgements.  We always want to make sure that those who are getting handouts deserve them.  But we don’t really deserve what we have either.  It is really by the Grace of God that we are supplied with what we have.  I’m always amazed by people who are substantially rich who think that they did it all by themselves.  That is generally not true.  Mostly we get where we are partly by our own effort, but also by a lot of help from our friends and from many people who we don’t really know at all.   

            In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus encounters two people who are in need of healing.  The first one is a Syrophonoecian woman with a daughter who is very sick.  She asks Jesus for help and he says that it isn’t right to take the children’s food and feed it to the dogs.  She replied to him that even the dogs eat the crumbs that have fallen to the floor.  Jesus heals her daughter, and I think in that encounter that he learned something himself.  Later he encounters a man who was deaf and unable to speak.  Jesus simply took him aside and healed him.  Never did Jesus ask if the man deserved to be healed.  He simply did what was needed. 

            That is God’s word for us when we are confronted by need.  Simply do what is necessary to take care of the need.  Don’t ask too many questions.  Don’t let your culture dictate what you are able to do.  Help those who come to you and you will be blessed indeed.