In the classic Dickens tale A Christmas Carol, a pair of
philanthropists approach the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, seeking
donations for the poor. "Are there no prisons?" Scrooge asks. "No
workhouses?" Assured that those institutions are still in operation,
he replies, "I help to support the establishments I have mentioned:
they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there."
Scrooge is vilified as a cold-hearted old miser whose only sense of
charity is that which he has purchased with his taxes, and that only
grudgingly. But are we really so different from him?
I recently sat in on a management meeting for a downtown
restaurant, in an area of town frequented by panhandlers, homeless,
and other "street people." The owner gave each of his managers a
small card, printed with the phone numbers of various local
charities. "When someone asks for a handout," he said, "send them to
one of these places. It's their job, not ours, to help." As he said
these words, Scrooge's questions echoed in my mind: Are there no
prisons? No workhouses?
We live in a society that has delegated the responsibility of
charity to government agencies and a precious few private
organizations supported by tax-deductible contributions. How easy it
is, then, to pass by those in need and say, "That's what I pay taxes
for," or "I gave at the office." We give, willingly or not, to the
institutions who do the work, congratulate ourselves on our
liberality, and consider our hands washed of the matter. We say, in
effect, "It's not my job."
The Greek word agape is much used by Christians today, but
too few understand its true meaning. Modern versions of the Bible
render agape as love. It's interesting to note, however, that the
same word in the King James is translated as charity. Agape
is not something you feel, it's something you do. In
Matthew 25 Jesus makes it the job
of every Christian: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the
sick and imprisoned. For, "inasmuch as you did it to one of the
least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." It's not enough to
give our money; we are called to give ourselves. To act in charity,
agape, in love. And when we act in love for "the least of
these," we demonstrate our love for Him.
