Tag: Homeless

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What God sees.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭36‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Matthew gives us a front row seat to understand the character of Jesus – which IS the character of God. He writes, “when he saw the crowds.” When Jesus sees, it lets me know what God sees. When Jesus is moved with compassion, it lets me know that God is moved with compassion. Is God still moved as He sees the crowd? Matthew tells us that Jesus saw the crowds as confused and helpless.

He used a couple of Greek words that may help us understand just how Jesus/God saw their pain. He uses a word that comes from “skulló” which means to skin, or figuratively to trouble. That’s right, the root word is “skylon” which is the word for skinning an animal pelt – properly, skin alive, mangle (flay)! Figuratively, to harass, or extremely annoy. The New Living Translation couldn’t possibly capture being “skinned alive” with the word “helpless.” Life with all its turmoil of political, societal and personal struggles gets EXHAUSTING! People felt it then and we all feel it now.

Matthew also used the word, “rhiptó,” to throw or cast off. This word is often used to describe throwing something down, like Judas throwing the silver coins down at the chief priests in the temple. Or, the demon throwing the man to the ground as Christ cast it out. Jesus saw the crowd and felt the gut wrenching pain of compassion (splagchnizomai).

The crowds were made up of more than just physically sick, blind, crippled or deaf – they all had the weight of this broken world on their shoulders. Jesus says this is what the harvest field looks like! This is where the seeds of sin and selfishness, loneliness and sufferings have come to fruition and are ready to be harvested to heaven or let to rot, falling to the field of death and destruction. Jesus saw humanity’s grief as opportunity to disperse mercy and grace. But it would require more of his followers to see what he saw. And, more of his disciples to feel what he felt so that more would be saved from being flayed and tossed down. Jesus obviously wants believers, his followers, to look at crowds and see differently. To see protesters, rioters, concert-goers, stadium sports fanatics at a much deeper level. I drive my city streets and see the crazed, naked, ranting madness and feel so helpless to do anything. What would Jesus see? What would he have me do? What does sending “workers” into our modern fields of ripe-chaos look like today? I do not know, but I am curiously challenged to figure it out.

Prayer

Dad,
I feel like such a chicken when I see the overwhelming craziness of our streets, our looters, our protesters. When I saw the woman screaming and ranting while I was at lunch with a Pastor friend, I did not know what to do. She was completely out of her mind! I would like to just say she was mentally ill, but it looked and sounded so much more demonic than just being sick! I do not think you would have hesitated to go and heal her of whatever it was that caused such torment in her. I could only muster enough compassion to feel sorry for her! Why can’t I be one of those workers you look for? Fear? Not wanting to look stupid or like some kind of religious freak myself? Oh, how I need your boldness beyond my compassion! If I were you, I would not have hesitated at all. However, even though I see…I am still just me!

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Similar biases about the poor and rich.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Then I said, “But what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant. They don’t know the ways of the Lord. They don’t understand God’s laws. So I will go and speak to their leaders. Surely they know the ways of the Lord and understand God’s laws.” But the leaders, too, as one man, had thrown off God’s yoke and broken his chains.” Jeremiah‬ ‭5:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I read Jeremiah’s words spoken to himself and I agree with him – we both have these strange stereotypes and biases about the poor (followers) and the rich (leaders).

Fair warning, there are some big assumptions coming up next.

I struggle with a belief that the poor, and disenfranchised do NOT have sin. I don’t quite think they are perfect, but I have a weird framework that puts them in a far more angelic posture than the rich. They’re poor! How can they possibly do any wrong or get into trouble – they are broke!

I dismiss so many behaviors for them. They lie, well it’s because they’re poor. They cheat, they steal because they’re poor. They are angry, violent at times, aimless, weak and frail – all because they are poor. How can they possibly be wrong? How can they sin, they’ve been sinned against so many times?

I live in a “below poverty level” neighborhood. And for the majority of my neighbors I just feel sorry for them. They work so hard to make money, mostly with side hustles. They walk or bicycle everywhere. They drive slow and cautious. They do so many things together as families. Many of my neighbors still WALK with grandparents, parents and children to a local church!

But It’s not just poorer families, we’ve got more homeless wandering the streets than anywhere else in our County. They are not just poor, they are mentally unstable, like a scene out of the walking dead. They walk across traffic without looking. They wander about ranting and raving, cussing at the air while standing on the corners. They walk our sidewalks completely naked, except for shoes. They huddle against the walls and front doors of our local businesses and stores, shaking from drug use and frightening anyone who just wants to be a customer.

Other than constant annoyance and pure pity, I still can’t judge, blame or otherwise see them as sinners. I agree with Jeremiah – they seem ignorant of God!

Oh, but the rich, the wealthy, the powerful – oooh baby, they are the sinners. They know better, they have more! They live a better life. Yeah, they should be judged, blamed and held accountable for their behaviors. Like Jeremiah insinuates, they are NOT ignorant! Earlier in this text, God tells Jeremiah something we all know to be true, “Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city.”

It is ridiculous for me or Jeremiah to believe that the poor are angelic and the rich (leaders) are just evil monsters. It’s not right for me to excuse, my behavior, the poor’s behavior or the rich’s behavior based on these equitable qualities of money or influence. All of us have sin! All of us do sin well in our own ways! All of us find ways to be creative in our sin to get what we want, when we want it. Sadly, none of us are innocent and should be given a “pass” or excuses to make wrong choices.

I’m neither poor nor rich, but I could easily blame my past or my parents for my bad choices today. And it would just be the same smokescreen justification as the rest of humanity. It’s not my fault! Well, it’s a hard reality – it is my fault, and yours too.

Prayer

Dad,
Wherever I go, whatever I do, I cannot get away from who I am. I am still just a regular old sinner saved by grace. And, as I look at the world around me, rich and poor, I have to remember that we are all at fault for own decisions. We are all responsible for those choices. As much as I do not want judge nor pity, I have to give every person their own dignity of being human, created in your image. And still keep in mind that we are all broken and in need of rescue and redemption.