So here’s my predicament: I ignored a beggar on the off-ramp today while coming to work. And when I say, “ignored,” I mean “totally did not even acknowledge his existence – no eye contact, no wave, nothing.” Just to be clear.

As I passed him, I noticed the sign he was holding. It said, “Hungry – Need food, please help!” Instantly, I became angry. I was angry at a presumably homeless beggar on the side of the road. I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, this pastor sure is compassionate. Where do I sign up to go to his church? I bet they not only ignore the homeless, but punch gentle elderly folk in the face and gamble with the offering dollars!” Trust me, I felt awful about my initial reaction as well. It was a struggle that has followed me around since the incident this morning. Allow me to let you into my struggle…

When I passed this man, I noticed something very peculiar:

He was not old, he was young. He couldn’t have been older than 30.
He was holding a sign about being hungry, yet he was smoking a cigarette with the pack in his other hand.
He was dressed not in rags, but in fairly decent clothing. I wouldn’t have chosen his clothes, but he looked presentable.

This puzzled me.

I am of the belief that knowing the background of any given situation will change the reality of that situation almost 100% of the time. For instance, a father on a subway with seemingly no control over his screaming and out-of-control children looks a lot different when you learn that he just came from the hospital where his wife died and he has no idea how to tell his kids. Compassion breaks forth when you learn of this and a mild irritation becomes a heartbreaking scenario.

Take my puzzling situation from this morning and I will fully admit to you that my compassion was tested. It was tested because of the questions in my head:

“If he’s hungry, then why is he smoking cigarettes? Why couldn’t he take that money and buy a meal? Or even a hamburger? If there is money for cigarettes, why could there not be money for food?”
“If he is hungry, and as young and as healthy and well-dressed as he appears to be, why can he not go and get a job? Even manual labor can provide a livable wage – what is the hang up here?”

So this is what I struggle with. Maybe you have struggled with the same question? The question of, “when do I give to the poor and how much?” This question, regardless of religious affiliation, is a uniquely human one. Even as a committed follower of Jesus, this question still hangs over my head like a cartoon thought bubble made of bricks. (What makes this matter even more difficult is the increasingly common stories of “beggars” who make $100,000 a year sitting on the corner, begging for a living. They are professional beggars. They don’t beg because they need it, they beg because, quite literally, it’s an easy buck or two… or one thousand.)

How do you answer this question? Would knowing the background of every beggar that you meet change if and how much you give? Why or why not? Would you give even if you knew the person would spend the money on something else than what they needed? Where does the line for benevolence begin and the line for personal responsibility end?

Some of the things I’m considering on a Tuesday morning. Peace to you…

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Contributor: Justin Wise

I am a religious deviant who enjoys coffee, collared shirts, spending time with my wife and son, learning about quantum physics and creatively exploring the riches of the Spirit of Christ. Find more here: JustinWise.me