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Jesus Justice: So Easy a Five-Year-Old Can Do It
By Jeremy | May 22, 2007
Part 2 of 5
[Part 1]
[This is reprinted from the May-June issue of the Journal of Student Ministries.]“Why didn’t we help that man?†As Judah’s confused yet compassionate eyes gazed at mine, his words cut deep. We had just passed a panhandler in Chinatown on the way to introduce mom to soupy dumplings. I had taken him the night before, just the two of us, on a father-son outing. He enjoyed the dumplings so much, and the practice chopsticks the waiter taught him how to use, that he wanted to bring mom the next night. What do you mean, “Why didn’t we help?†I thought. We’re on family time. The rationalization didn’t cut it for me, however, so I figured it would mean even less to him. So I promised Judah that if the man was still there after we ate then we could give him some money. On the way back to the car, we passed the man a second time. No longer panhandling, he sat on a stoop with his head between his legs. I gave Judah a handful of coins and took him to the man. “Excuse me,†I said. “My son has something he wants to give you.†Slowly the man raised his head and watched Judah approach, hand outstretched. The man grabbed his hand and with tears welling up in his eyes, said, “God loves you, boy.†Later Judah offered him his ice cream cone and the tears streamed down his face. The ice broken, the man introduced himself as Lonnie. He said he’s been strung out for 30 years and homeless for 25. At one time he was a Christian, but he turned his back on God and became hooked on crack cocaine and alcohol. He said he’s been off drugs for 12 years, but the booze he can’t shake. He wept as he told me that Judah was the sixth person who stopped to show him God’s love that day. He kept saying he was scared, afraid that he would go to sleep and not wake up. Judah looked at him lovingly, straight in the eyes and said: “Everyone is scared of something.†With that, more tears. Lonnie was chilly, so we gave him Judah’s beach towel from the car, and a brand new Bible I had bought for myself that weekend. But first he asked if Judah would pray for him. He did, along with mom and dad. There we stood, on the corner of Bayard and Mott Streets, around the corner from the ice cream shop, minutes removed from soupy dumplings, spending quality time with Jesusâ€â€in the person of a homeless man. “Inasmuch as you’ve [loved] the least of these,†Jesus said, “you’ve done it unto me.†Family time, indeed. The best kind. ________ Eighteen months later, Judah still prays for Lonnie at bedtime. What’s so striking to me is not that he prays (which, as his dad, I think is pretty cool in itself), but rather how he prays: “God, help Lonnie not be homeless anymore. Give him a home.†After our conversation last August, I realized that Judah had been praying like this all along. Intuitively, this little boy understood that justice is more than just acknowledging difficulties when they exist. It’s more than just covering problems with Band Aids, masking symptoms, or throwing money at them to make them go away. Justice is about righting the underlying wrongs that create the problems in the first place. It’s about restoring balance, renewing hope, and reconciling fractured communities. [Part 3 coming on Thursday]
Topics: articles, jesus justice, journal of student ministries, judah, justice | No Comments »
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