MERCY IN ACTION
How often are you moved by mercy? Does the suffering raging in the world arrest your attention? Or do you live with little concern for the needs of others? In Matthew 5:42, Jesus commands His disciples to “give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” Most of us would, I believe, willingly admit that selfishness regularly makes us stingy with our financial resources. Because we are selfish by nature, it is often difficult to sacrifice for the needs of others. And yet, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges us to willingly give to those who are in genuine need.
Beneficence is encouraged throughout the Bible. In the Mosaic Law, God instituted rules governing generosity. In Deuteronomy 15:7-11 we read:
If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, “The seventh year, the year of release is near,” and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”
--Deuteronomy 15:7-11
In this passage, God warns his people against hardening their hearts to the needy. He also commands them to not look for excuses and loopholes to get out of helping the poor. The thrust of Deuteronomy 15:7-11 and Jesus’s teaching is we must put the needs of others above our own convenience and give as we are able. Christians are forbidden to turn their backs on the genuine needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ. We must willingly sacrifice our financial resources for those facing hardship.
Generosity is also to be extended to our enemies. In Exodus 23:4-5, we read, “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.” In this case, beneficence does not come in the form of money, but in the form of physical assistance. Not all needs are met with money. In fact, sometimes giving money is actually the easy way out. Paying someone else to help an animal in distress would likely take far less of personal time and energy than helping ourselves. But in this case, the shared sweat and effort would communicate compassion more effectively than tossing the donkey’s owner a few dollars to hire someone else to help. Sweat equity goes a long way.
Another important passage concerning generosity is Proverbs 3:27-28. It reads, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’--when you have it with you.” These verses teach a simple principle: when your neighbor has a known and legitimate need, you have a moral obligation to assist; if the need is within your power to help, you must meet the need in an appropriate and timely manner. To better understand how we can extend mercy and generosity to the suffering, let’s dissect my summary statement of Proverbs 3:27-28 by making six observations.
First, when your neighbor has a known need: this seems simple enough, but it must be mentioned; we cannot offer assistance when we are unaware of the need. I always jokingly (mostly) say that pastor in Greek means “last to know.” If a need is unspoken, people are unable to offer support. It takes a certain level of humility to admit a need; therefore, when your neighbor asks for assistance, be sure to extend a helping hand with grace and mercy.
Second, when your neighbor has a legitimate need: cynicism is a dangerous and lonely road, so we never want to take that dreary route. We have all been taken advantage of before. That is what it is. Nonetheless, we must be wisely discerning when to offer assistance. We should always practice wisdom when helping someone in need. For instance, it is generally unwise to give cash to an alcoholic or drug addict. It is equally unwise to give money to every beggar; otherwise we will end up being a beggar too. The Proverbs passage is not promoting an indiscriminate expenditure of resources and does not encourage enabling freeloaders. The text does indicate that the person in need is personally known by the one showing mercy, making it likely the legitimacy of the request is equally known. The goal of mercy is to relieve suffering, not to foster unhealthy dependency.
Third, there is a moral obligation to assist: I am drawing this point from the phrase, “to whom it is due.” This would include our families, our neighbors, and in the case of Exodus 23:4-5 mentioned above, even our enemies that we have contact with. In the Proverbs example, there is clearly a level of relationship involved. This does not, however, negate the possibility of random acts of kindness and mercy. From Jesus’s teaching, and the Old Testament texts, we learn the importance of being a good neighbor and mercifully caring for those with whom we have some type of relationship.
Fourth, it is within your power to help: no one has unlimited resources. Needs arise all the time that we do not have the money, expertise, time, or other necessary resources available to resolve. The point of Proverbs 3 is not that we should help in every situation, but that we are expected to help in every situation in which we are able. We are not morally obligated to do what we cannot do. We are, however, morally culpable when we are able to relieve suffering but refuse. If it is within our power to help, we must do so.
Fifth, you must meet the need in an appropriate manner: most often, we think of relieving suffering in financial terms, but that is only one part of showing mercy to the needy. As previously mentioned, there are occasions in which giving money is actually ill-advised. Situations involving addictions are one example. In these cases, it may be more appropriate to personally pay one or more of their household bills rather than giving cash. Throwing money at a problem is sometimes the easy way out. We often prefer forking over money and walking away over investing hours of time and energy. In certain instances, giving money is absolutely appropriate. But not in all of them. Other ways, in addition to money, to show tangible acts of mercy would include: investing time, providing a listening ear, giving food, clothing, or providing a particular skill; loaning a car or a tool; driving someone to a medical appointment; helping someone find a job; sitting with a sick or aging neighbor; babysitting or caring for a pet. These are only a few suggestions, but hopefully they provide some insight into how we can extend mercy to the suffering in ways other than money.
Sixth, you must meet the need in a timely manner: people facing urgent needs don’t always have time to wait for assistance. When we have the necessary resources to alleviate our neighbor’s suffering, we are expected to give support expeditiously. Unnecessarily prolonging someone’s torment is anything but merciful.
Helping the needy is undoubtedly a thorny issue that comes with many complexities. This article clearly does not address all of the challenges that come with beneficence. Nonetheless, the overwhelming message of Scripture is that God’s people are expected to help alleviate the suffering of others through compassionate, sacrificial, and timely assistance as they are able. Rather than turning a blind eye to the needs of your neighbors, find out how you can assist and provide whatever help you can to alleviate their suffering.