Do Something

“Now by chance  a certain priest  came down that road. And when  he saw him, he passed  by on the other side.” Luke 10:31  (NKJV)

Do you get a lot of mail pleading for help for one cause or another? I have heard  complaints about such “junk mail,” which  is straightaway  tossed into the reclycling bin. And almost daily  by the roadside we see the man or woman  holding a sign saying, HOMELESS, HELP!  On these occasions, how do we respond?  Sometimes as I sit  waiting for the light to change,  I get that  uncomfortable feeling, and  try not to  make eye contact with the  person asking for help.  At other times, I reach into my wallet for a small bill to hand out the window. I feel embarrassed when the person  rushes over, takes the money, and says, “Thank you. God bless you.”

Jesus said at one time, “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). It’s not an encouraging prospect  for the poor or for those of us who are troubled in our conscience.  How should we respond in these  situation?  Two instances come to mind.  First is the story that Jesus told about  the good Samaritan who went all-out  to help a wounded  Jewish man on  the road to Jericho. The second is  a modern-day  true story I read  not long ago.  The storyteller and his friend, a priest,  went to a restaurant for lunch. At the entrance to the restaurant was  a  man  asking for a handout. The priest walked right past the man. The friend thought to himself  that the priest was being callous, stepping past a needy person  like that.  When they got inside, the priest said to the hostess, “Take a meal out to that man by the door. I’ll pay for it, but don’t tell him who paid for it.” The storytelling friend  was flabbergasted,  and, of course, now had  the highest  admiration for the priest.

The priest in  today’s focus text “passed by on the other side.” From the tone of the story Jesus told, He  wasn’t at all pleased with the priest’s action. The modern-day priest did something, and I think we also  should do something. A gift given to one of the charities can do a lot of good. A small donation to a homeless person on the corner may  satisfy immediate hunger. Let’s  not second-guess what will be done with what we give.  We  have to do something, no matter how small.  Jesus accepts all contributions.

This week will provide us with opportunities to help a worthy cause or a needy person. Let us not pass by on the other side.

Always,

Judith

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“Whoever is kind to the  poor lends to the LORD,
And he will reward them for what they have done.”
Proverbs 19:17