"Give to everyone who begs from you . . ."

[Kim G]

Luke 6:30a--"Give to everyone who begs from you"
How are we supposed to take this verse? When I work at my office downtown we have beggars come in often to ask for food. Their bleary red eyes indicate that they are not looking for food. Do I give to them because they beg regardless of what they will use the money for?

Luke 6:30b--"and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back." If a thief breaks into my car and steals my CD player and money in the glove compartment, do I not call the police? If he is caught, do I demand my goods back? If a neighbor borrows my husbands' tools and moves without returning them, do we chase them down to regain our property?

I'm just wondering how to apply these verses in today's culture.

 

[christiana]

I feel it best to use wisdom! Years ago while working I tried very hard to be available to a young couple and assist them financially as I could, only to learn that they spent the money on drugs!

Another instance of contributing to one on a street corner in an effort to help but as I drove off he threw his literature into my car about Hari Krishna.

Now, if and when approached with needs I would direct the person to the proper agency that could both screen and give assistance with discretion.

These instances were years ago when I was young and just wanted to help and gave to those who asked. This was not in the church but out in the work world, neither were any related to people I knew really well. All those things would make considerations different at times.

I believe it is wrong to just have an open hand to anyone asking but we are to be wise and discerning and to know that what we offer is used responsibly!

 

[Kim G]

I believe it is wrong to just have an open hand to anyone asking but we are to be wise and discerning and to know that what we offer is used responsibly!

That is what my reason says as well. But that's not what these verses say. The previous verses say that if someone strikes me, let them strike me again. If someone takes my coat, give them my shirt too. If someone steals from me, don't ask for your goods back. These things do not sound reasonable or wise, but they are what Christ preached.

So what am I missing?

 

[Wannabee]

Deuteronomy 15:7-87“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, 8but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.

Psalm 37:26
26He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.


Proverbs 19:17
17Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 21:26b
26b the righteous gives and does not hold back.

Romans 12:9-21
9Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.


Giving money is seldom advisable. Their need is not money, it's Christ first and sustenance second. However, if they are hungry for food proclaiming Christ can fall on deaf ears; and understandably so. We provide for physical needs as they are evident and use that as an opportunity to minister to their soul as well. As a church calls for help are somewhat common. I received a call last week from a woman who came here with a friend who ended up in trouble. She was stranded at a hotel (that was her story) and was calling around for assistance. I called the hotel (we have a relationship with the owner) and asked if this lady was legitimate (he generally knows the deadbeats in the area). He said it was, so I went down and paid for two nights. Before letting her know I had paid for them I sat with her and challenged her on her spiritual condition. Christ was proclaimed and sin exposed. May God bring fruit and see us united with this woman in Christ.

You'll often find that beggars live quite well. Sometimes they will be asking for food, but if you give to them they are ungrateful because they want money. The money may be for drugs or simply a means of making a living. This is very common in border towns of Mexico. And anyone who's spent much time in Europe is familiar with the gypsies there who see work as a disgrace and rely on begging and thieving. The only thing I give them is a Gospel tract. Christ is what they truly need.

 

[Scott1]

"Give to every man that asketh of thee: and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again." Luke 6:30 (KJV)

This is a verse where putting Scripture in context (of other Scripture) a.k.a. the "analogy of faith is helpful.

I copied parts of this from an explanation in another post as it has helped me understand generally how to understand Scripture:


"analogia fidei (analogy of faith) that teaches us to compare Scripture with Scripture, to interpret less clear passages by clearer passages, and that permits us to deduce teachings by good and necessary consequence from the text of Scripture. Many key doctrines, like the Trinity and the nature of the Incarnation, are gathered from a multitude of passages spread throughout Scripture and are not necessarily taught with the explicitness in a given passage... "

This means other passages help inform our understanding of this one.

For example, we would not violate the summary of the Ten Commandments (Do unto others...) by giving something that would be harmful (Matthew 7:12).

The answer to what circumstances require us to give to would depend on context, and its good you are thinking about how to biblically apply it.

If someone has a genuine need for a necessity (e.g. food or clothing) and it was within my ability to help, I think one would have a high duty to provide it, without expecting anything in return (that gets to the second part of the verse).

One time a man, begging, came up to me at a gas station and asked for three dollars for a hamburger. The man was overweight, though he did look pitiful. Having been involved with the Salvation Army in the past, I noticed a Salvation Army office right down the street. I told the man, "There's the Salvation Army office right there, go there and they will help you with food." The man replied,
"I don't want that, I want a hamburger," and he gestured toward a nearby Burger King.
My sense was a basic food need is legitimate but being choosey is not really. I did not give him any money. I struggled a bit about this but eventually came to peace that I did the right thing.

I feel a lot better about referring people to the Salvation Army when I am financially supporting it.

Maybe Jesus is saying here to meet needs as best we can, but not necessarily wants or desires. Sometimes we may even meet a want or a desire, to be a blessing or to witness, too. It might not also be good to help further a pattern of dependency out of "love for our neighbor," too.

 

[christiana]

It would surely be wrong to suppport someone's drug habit! In giving to whom asks you will likely be doing such!

To buy groceries or give grocery, utility or rent assistance is helpful but to give cash is questionable!

The verses are true, as are the verses advising discernment.
What does 'help' really look like? Not giving cash without question surely.

To give a gospel tract to a hungry person would be terrible just as the verses in James tell us to give help but consider these verses:
'If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; not withstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?' James 2:15

 

[Hippo]

I believe it is wrong to just have an open hand to anyone asking but we are to be wise and discerning and to know that what we offer is used responsibly!

That is what my reason says as well. But that's not what these verses say. The previous verses say that if someone strikes me, let them strike me again. If someone takes my coat, give them my shirt too. If someone steals from me, don't ask for your goods back. These things do not sound reasonable or wise, but they are what Christ preached.

So what am I missing?

Many of the posts here make excellent points however I do share your concerns that certain commandments of our Lord tend to be ignored or explained away beacuse they do not seem sensible to us. There is a similiar problem with the teaching that we should turn the other cheek and willingly give our goods to thieves.

Perhaps these statements are similiar to the quotes from the early parts of Matthew that if we sin we will go to Hell and that looking at a women with desire is the same as physical adultry. These statements are to drive home the verdict of the law and the impossibility of us earning merit with God. If we ever rely on our conduct rather than grace we are lost.

What we should never be is satisfied with our giving or our generosity, it is never enough and we should resist self justification. After all the Lord should have first call on our private property.

I write this in my nice house, by my nice car, on my nice computer and with as much food as I could possibly want having just spent £100 on frivolous items while others starve.

 

[Pergamum]

Most of the reluctance to give is in western cultural contexts where the poor are usually the drugged or mentally insane.

In the Third World there is legitmate poverty based on social class or lack of work or handicaps. When the price of rice rises and your neighbors make less than 2 USD per day, then this verse really haunts one.

I actually taped this verse up on my wall because, as a Westerner, my heart gets a little angry at times (sinfully so) when we are always mobbed when neighbors get sick, etc. We had a dengue outbreak and many sick people came to us Also Mr. So-and-so gets into a bad motorcycle wreck and so they come to us. Rice prices rise and they come too.

We try to give unless the more loving thing to do would be NOT to give. That is our principle that seems to cover almost every situation. Loving one's neighbor means refusing to help them sometimes, but not always.

If we are running low of stuff to give, then we prioritize based on means and relationships and ask the person needing help, "Have you went to your family first... why did you come here first...what is our relationship..." and often send people to ask from their families first. Often their is a distant relative or near relative that culturally possesses a greater obligation than we do. We also try to give in cultural-appropriate ways in this way.

We also prioritize believers first. Our two most effective and faithful women evangelists were adopted into our team after we checked on their work and found that they were literally down to their last bowl of rice and had no more food at all and no money to purchase anymore (and yet they were caring for two handicapped children that their neighbors left them...the same neighbors they mobbed their house and threw rocks through their windows for trying to "Christianize" their village).

We also prioritize those "in our way" and sometimes - due to lack of resources - do not go out of our way to search for needy people. For instance, people with polio or missing limbs gather on the sides of the street in the cities here and if I pass them I can give them a cultural-appropriate amount (i.e. give them what the localy generous person would give them). Since these beggers are ALL OVER, I feel no compulsion to cross over to the other side of the street and give to each and every one, just the one closest to me, concluding that providence arranged the circumstances of our meeting.

In cases of severe medical need, we ask no questions and we seek them out and are willing to travel far to help.

 

[Leslie]

There is a local, cultural difficulty with obedience to this. I live in a begging culture. I'm generous to the poor but ONLY the poor who live in places remote from my home. The reason is this. Were I to give to one person from my home or my car, the following day there would be a long lineup in front of my house.

We lived with this for a while when a retired missionary lived across the driveway from us. He listened to every sob story that came along and, during daylight hours, there were seldom less than 20 poor people who waited for him. So many of them came and banged on our door that I had to hire a security guard to fend them off so as to get some work done. His days were entirely consumed with dealing with the poor--both the really poor and the pretenders.

I've considered financing the benevolent fund of a local church, but the church is so corrupt it's more than likely that the money would line the pockets of the rich.

When I'm at clinic, the situation is different. The poor cannot travel easily between there and my house, so I'll listen to the stories, evaluate the needs, and respond appropriately. Perhaps this is merely rationalization but literal obedience to this injunction on my home turf would burn us out. We would be packed and gone within a month. Yet I feel guilty for not responding. Any solution?

 

[a mere housewife]

Mary I think you are 'giving to those who ask' in that you have made yourself available at certain times and locations. Even Christ went away from the multitudes sometimes. He had to, in order to be focused on His purpose of saving the world.

I do think the gospel is a lot more radical than we are comfortable with, but no, one doesn't give people stones when one can give bread. If someone asks me for help I'm not going to help them to drugs if I can possibly avoid it.

I often got approached by beggars when I was out walking around. I used to carry sandwiches in my purse. I could tell that most people were not really all that needy (they were perfectly good sandwiches!); but a few people were truly grateful and I don't regret any sandwiches given and probably thrown away for their sakes. We try to give in goods and not cash when we are asked here. Sometimes I have just handed them money, when I had nothing else and no time to do anything else. God has given a great deal of grace to me though I have taken and abused the privileges I have time and again. I pray that He will convince them, if they have intentions of using the money for the wrong reasons, of His righteousness and of their sin, and that they will know His great patience and grace as I have.

In Mexico the situation is closer to what Pergy described, though I imagine that country has even more --and even more horrifying-- poverty than Mexico City. Yet there were many people obviously malnourished, who really tugged at your heart, and yes, sometimes it was impossible to give to all the outstretched hands.

 

[Pergamum]

There is a local, cultural difficulty with obedience to this. I live in a begging culture. I'm generous to the poor but ONLY the poor who live in places remote from my home. The reason is this. Were I to give to one person from my home or my car, the following day there would be a long lineup in front of my house.

We lived with this for a while when a retired missionary lived across the driveway from us. He listened to every sob story that came along and, during daylight hours, there were seldom less than 20 poor people who waited for him. So many of them came and banged on our door that I had to hire a security guard to fend them off so as to get some work done. His days were entirely consumed with dealing with the poor--both the really poor and the pretenders.

I've considered financing the benevolent fund of a local church, but the church is so corrupt it's more than likely that the money would line the pockets of the rich.

When I'm at clinic, the situation is different. The poor cannot travel easily between there and my house, so I'll listen to the stories, evaluate the needs, and respond appropriately. Perhaps this is merely rationalization but literal obedience to this injunction on my home turf would burn us out. We would be packed and gone within a month. Yet I feel guilty for not responding. Any solution?

Yes, we often get 5-10 beggers at the door on some days. So much so that I switch over and nap during the day and work at night so as not to be distracted sometimes. The distractions are maddening when I am trying to study.

We usually ask them what their relationship is with us and if they went to their families first before coming to us (the cultural appropriate method of asking for funds, family first, then relatives...going to a stranger first is not normal). If for serious medical needs we always help, otherwise we try to send them away as we already have running commitments with 3 different ministry projects such that we never have any "extra" money. If they get pushy or demanding we send them away with nothing or if they are drunks we never give or healthy we try to give them a job first.


We usually have old rice or food and this always is gone because it gets given away. Poor older women or children we often invite in and have them eat with us so that family does not confiscate their food when they return home. Sad. Probably every week we have 20-30 guests at the door and at least 10-15 at dinner. When interior in the tribe this sounds awful but we actually set our plates outside after we eat and the kids lick our plates clean (they also stare through cracks in the wall in at us while we eat...cannot eat out in public there but must always close doors or eat inside a private room).

Yes, I do think the Gospel is radical and the early church was willing to distribute freely to the poor (but these were Christian families). I am struggling on how to save a little extra when usually medical needs or other pressing true needs get in the way of all of our "Rainy Day Funds."

 

[Leslie]

Pergie, I admire you but I just cannot do it. My son is a missionary in Chad and he's the same way as you are. We were there for a week and it drove me nuts. During daylight hours I couldn't read more than a sentence in a book before being interrupted. I have ADHD so a 30-second interruption requiring thought abolishes a half-day of work.

Actually, once I thought of it, I do sometimes see local poverty problems and respond to them. Anyone who wants to see me about anything at all comes on Saturday morning between 8 and 10 AM and they first go see our security guard, tell him the problem, and get permission to show up. Aside from the kids that I'm holding for kingdom kids, I'll see no one medically by my house whatsoever, for any reason. However, if it's a legitimate need, I'll do a house call close by or examine someone in our security guard's house (a close neighbor). I'm sure he's on the take with this, but so be it.

 

[a mere housewife]

It seems, Pergy and Leslie, like the 'restrictions' you make in this area are because you are focused on giving to these people as a way of life, and if you don't set some kind of disciplined limitations in this area, the vastness of the need would simply overwhelm and make utterly ineffectual what you are able to offer.

It also sounds like for both of you, it is not a drudgery or a guilt trip you're on but a joy to have something to share, and to be able to give it to those who have nothing. I pray God blesses you for resembling Him in this way.

 

[Zenas]

I try to give food. I know they are geniune in their request when I provide food for them and they are grateful.

I was once approached by a man at a gas station I used to frequent who was dressed normally, not like a bum or anything of the sort. He was very humble and acted quite embarassed. He told me that he was travelling home but the belt on his car had broken, but he didn't have the money to repair it. I gave him a couple of bucks and he took off.

About a month later at the same gas station, the same guy walks up. Moreover, he tells the same story. I just tell him to get lost and nothing more.

A short time later, I'm at the gas station down the street about a mile or so, pumping gas. The same guy comes up with the same story. I told him he needed to get a new story, and then proceeded to yell to every person at the gas station who he hadn't asked for money yet that he was a scam artist who'd been pulling this scam for months. He ducked his head and ran off as fast as he could. I've never seen him since.

There are people out there who make a living begging. They have a house, a car (or two), families, pets, and they eat very well every night. During the day, they dress down, try to look poor, and beg for money for "food".

Think about it though, if 15 people give you just $1 in an hour, you just made way above minimum wage. If you can pull that off for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, you'd make over 30k a year. People who give often give more than a dollar too.

I prefer to give food.

 

[Mushroom]

It seems, Pergy and Leslie, like the 'restrictions' you make in this area are because you are focused on giving to these people as a way of life, and if you don't set some kind of disciplined limitations in this area, the vastness of the need would simply overwhelm and make utterly ineffectual what you are able to offer.

It also sounds like for both of you, it is not a drudgery or a guilt trip you're on but a joy to have something to share, and to be able to give it to those who have nothing. I pray God blesses you for resembling Him in this way.

Yep, Heidi's right. You two are in the trenches serving the "least of these". The Lord set the example of serving selflessly, and yet even He in His humanity took time away from the crowds. He recorded that for a reason. It would be an unwise stewardship of the resources He gives you to burn yourselves out or deprive your families of the time together you all need to stay healthy.

Let us "flatlanders" wrestle with guilt over our insufficient charity, you folks need to set wise boundaries. Praying for you both, and all those who serve in like manner.

 

[etexas]

I know people who when they see people asking for money for food, medication, clothes, have offered to go with them and purchase the items....they have seen folk get "deer in the headlights looks" and run! In such cases they want some dope. Not a burger. My family has given to an organization called PATH, they donate food, toys, box fans in the summer, blankets in the winter. They never hand out cash. It is sad that we have to use such safeguards BUT the Lord wants us to be generous and loving, AND be good stewards with what he has given us, you give money to a skin popper (heroin addict) and you are not doing them any good and you are engaging in poor stewardship. This sounds tough perhaps, but this is the sad state of affairs in the Western World. I will grant a 3rd world situation might require a different "type" of wisdom, but since I am ignorant about that....I will shut up. Pax.