Working together we can begin to get to know these men and women. In knowing them we can encourage them to fulfill the purpose in which they were designed. How much do we lose when great potential is lying on our sidewalks or sleeping in our parks struggling with addiction and shame? What do we lose when the mentally ill are sleeping in front of our businesses instead of getting treatment? Helping these men and women will help us.
In the Bible when Jesus would heal someone who was living with some sort of disability or leprosy, we need to understand that many in the community would often help these men and women but from a distance. The care givers were afraid of being made unclean and as a result excluded from the larger community. In a legalistic society giving the handout was right and rewarded with weights put on the good behavior side of the scale. When helping they would announce with trumpets their good behavior so that others might admire their “righteousness.” The poor, the lame and the hurt were a means to an end. But when Jesus healed these men and women, he restored them to dignity, to humanity and most importantly to society.
Scriptures do not tell us much about the aftereffects of those that were healed. But what seems certain is that they did not wait around to get alms anymore. They were able to go worship in community. They were no longer outcasts. Some would have been restored to family and friends. As a result any skills were made available to the community at large. The community was improved.
Compare that to those that received the handouts. They were fed, maybe clothed and maybe given a little glimmer of hope. However, they were still outcasts and despised. They were unable to give to the society that cared for their physical needs. Every day they needed to continue to get alms and care from the community. Each day more folks were added to the roles of the needy. Since the original group was not cared for the numbers grew and grew.
A study of history will show that when the numbers get big enough they will revolt and if you believe that they are disruptive to peaceful society now, what will it look like when they are rioting in the street?
