Don’t Walk On By...

One of the simplest and plainest messages of Jesus for his followers is "When you see someone in need, don't walk on by, help the distressed."

Sadly, this message is often ignored, reinterpreted, or ridiculed, despite Jesus making it abundantly clear that those who help others in need find comfort and those who walk on by find discomfort.

We see this when Jesus told us about a victim lying on the road after a brutal attack. Two righteous godly leaders approached him, they didn't want to get their hands dirty, and they didn't want to disrupt their journeys, they were possibly scared, so they both passed on by on the other side. Then Jesus, with his unique ability to shock his audience, brings up a Samaritan, someone who would have been an enemy of the dying man, someone whom the listening crowd would have despised. The Samaritan walked down the same road and did the right thing by stopping. He allowed his hands to get dirty. He disrupted his journey. He sacrificed his time. He cast his fear aside, plucked up the courage and spent his hard-earned cash because he saw the need and responded out of love for his distressed neighbour.

We see this when Jesus told us about a man experiencing homelessness named Lazarus, who lay near a rich man's gate. Lazarus was so sick that he had festering wounds which dogs licked to give him comfort. The rich man lived in luxury and had lavish parties, where he and his glamorous friends walked by their suffering hungry neighbour to eat and drink and enjoy themselves. Both men died and Jesus gives us a glimpse of the afterlife. Lazarus was taken into comfort. The rich man was experiencing agony and he sees Lazarus chilling across the divide. He seeks comfort for himself and his family, something they never gave Lazarus when he was at his gate! The rich man begs for solutions so his family can change their ways, he wants them to stop walking by their distressed neighbours. The sin of the rich man and his friends and family wasn't one of violence or exploitation, but of simply seeing someone in need and choosing to walk on by.

We see this when Jesus tells us about a king who separates people, like a shepherd who separates his sheep from the goats. Those who are experiencing hunger, thirst, a lack of clothing, homelessness, sickness or incarceration are who Jesus focuses on and he calls them "the least of these". Jesus reveals he not only has compassion for them, but "he is them", and when we walk on by the "least of these", we walk past him and ignore his need! He calls those who stop and help, sheep, and those who walk on past, goats! The goats, the ignorers and walkers, he says, face judgment! Meanwhile, the sheep, the helpers and stoppers, find eternal comfort! This message reminds us how important it is to respond to the needs we see.

We see this when a very wealthy young ruler approaches Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. He revealed how he was a good citizen who obeyed all the laws. Jesus acknowledged his faithfulness but noticed how he was guilty of walking past the needs around him, so he encouraged him with these words, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The rich young ruler didn't get the response he wanted, he didn't want to part with his wealth, he wanted to continue to walk on by the needs that surrounded him, so he went home very sad!

We see this when Jesus didn't walk on by a short little fella who had to climb up a sycamore-fig tree in desperation to see him. Jesus stopped and invited himself to his house, surprising and angering the crowd surrounding him. This man's name was Zacchaeus, he was a chief tax collector, meaning he worked for the oppressors and had gained his immense wealth through exploiting his people. Through Jesus refusing to walk on by, through Jesus seeing and loving him, one of the most hated men of all Israel, Zacchaeus repented and followed Jesus's lead by giving half his possessions to the poor and repaying all those he had cheated not just what he owed but giving them four times as much. Because Jesus refused to walk on by, Zacchaeus also refused to walk on by, and salvation came to his house!

This message of Jesus is plain and simple and should be taken seriously: when we see someone in need, follow the good Samaritan's example, pluck up the courage and refuse to walk on by. Stop and help! When we see a person in need, even if they are our enemy, disrespect us, or even if they can never pay us back, they are our neighbours and worthy of our love and respect.

This message is especially relevant for those of us, like myself, who have been born into or have access to their privilege, power and wealth. Jesus challenged us by saying don't be the rich man who walked past Lazarus, or the "goats" who ignored the "least of these". Jesus challenged the unequal, unfair and unjust systems by asking his followers to play their part in making things equal, fair and just! Jesus was always revealing what his kingdom on his earth should look and be like! Sadly, we have fallen short!

I believe we learn from the poor and oppressed. Jesus compared a widow who gave a little over a penny with some rich folk who gave much more, but it came out of their abundance. From a superficial view, we often praise wealthy people's contributions, while failing to see the poor's gifts. Jesus takes us to his spiritual eternal view by honouring the poor woman because "she gave out of her poverty, all she had to live on". Through all my years of working with those in poverty, I have been ashamed of my efforts when I look at my contributions from a spiritual eternal view, when I compare my giving to those sleeping rough and experiencing homelessness. Look and observe, the poor and oppressed teach us how not to walk on by...

I will always remember bringing Frenchie into the shelter. He was cold, he lacked clothing, he lacked a home, he lacked food, he was thirsty, he was one whom Jesus would describe as the "least of these" and therefore, in the words of Jesus, "the way you have treated this man, is how you treat me". I had the honour of giving him an area to sleep in, a bed and other necessities, but it came from the shelter's surplus. What I witnessed next was truly beautiful, I watched many other shelter guests, other people experiencing homelessness, shower this humble quiet man with gifts to meet his numerous needs. He was given warm clothes, and comfortable blankets, and someone cooked him some yummy food. They gave from what little they had. They made him feel welcome. They made him feel at home!

I went home that night knowing Frenchie was safe. I had seen love in action. I saw a group of people who were homeless themselves refuse to walk on by a neighbour in need, a fella who they knew could never pay them back.

Jesus revealed his deep love and care for the Frenchies of this world, those who are poor, oppressed and in captivity. Jesus revealed that his kingdom brings good news to the poor. Jesus revealed that his kingdom brings liberation to the captives and oppressed. Jesus revealed that his kingdom is an equalising kingdom. Jesus revealed that those who are marginalised have a special place in his heart and his eternal Kingdom.

An unsettling truth lingers for us endowed with wealth, power and privilege, with Jesus lamenting how "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God". As followers of Jesus, we shouldn't ignore this warning. He made it abundantly clear, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God", and then he followed it up with another warning, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.” Let us also remember that Jesus not only said "The last shall be first", but also told us, "The first shall be last."

We don't know much about Lazarus or the rich man. We know one was named, and the other was labelled. We know they were neighbours who saw each other regularly. One would have been deemed a "first", while the other "last". One would have been labelled as "the least of these', while the other, a "goat". What we don't know is if Lazarus caused his own poverty and sicknesses, or if he had faith, or if he smoked crack, or if he prayed, or if he wasted a fortune on prostitutes and wild parties, or if he attended Church, or if he was a victim of generational poverty, or if he read the scriptures religiously, or even if he prayed a special prayer for salvation. We don't know! What we also don't know is anything about the rich man's religious life, he could have been a faithful Bible-reading, church-going, praying tither who got his fortune through hard work! But again, we don't know! We do know that the rich man had the means to help his neighbour in need and he chose to walk on by, and we also know the name Lazarus means "God has helped", and in the end, he was helped and given loving comfort.

To the prisoner, to those experiencing homelessness, to those who are sick, to those struggling with your mental health, to those who are victims of war and genocide and apartheid, to those being bullied, to those hungry and thirsty and naked, to those who've suffered under settler colonialism and slavery, to all who've been marginalised by a world that's determined to belittle and hate and judge you, know God's deep love and care for you! Know God sees you and you, like Lazarus, are precious in his sight! Know his comfort!

For those of us, like myself, who have the means to help our neighbours, our challenge is not to walk on by! Sometimes we don't stop because we feel inadequate and think we must solve the issue. Making a genuine effort, despite how awkward we may look, offers those in need, hope. On countless occasions, I've seen how seemingly small acts of love rife with mistakes offer people a ray of sunshine in their darkness. Sometimes all it takes is a smile, kind words, a prayer, a sandwich or a nerve-racking hospital visit to provide hope in seemingly hopeless situations. If we claim to be a follower of Jesus, we need to hear scripture's plea and follow the words and example of the One we claim to follow! It takes courage! It takes faith! It takes love! But the world needs us and is looking to us to help the distressed and not walk on by.

I end where I started: One of the simplest and plainest messages of Jesus for his followers is "When you see someone in need, don't walk on by, help the distressed". Be willing to love those in need, even if we make mistakes and look foolish. My challenge for us all is to look around and ask ourselves how we should respond when we see someone sleeping in their car, or our neighbour struggling to feed her kids, or the way we're witnessing Palestinians being maimed and slaughtered at horrifying rates, or how we can help those incarcerated or suicidal or hospitalised. Whether locally or globally, the struggles in this world are real and painful, and Jesus asks us, as followers of him, to not walk on by, to "love our neighbours as ourselves."