Why Work Works

Bob Coté, the homeless man turned homeless shelter pioneer whom I wrote about last month, used to say, “Work works.” By that he meant not only that work brings in money but also that it brings purpose and community. Paul the apostle also spoke about helping others: Do something useful with your hands, he wrote in Ephesians 4:28.

Paul’s injunction to church members was strong: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…we give you this rule: ‘If man will not work, he shall not eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6, 10).

Paul did not make exceptions for the class of suffering people often cited as nearest and dearest to God: Widows without children or grandchildren are eligible for aid — but, “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”

Paul then noted, “As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list.” He explained why: “They get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.”

Look at Paul’s precautions when recommending even aid to widows within the church: first, family responsibility; second, help only to over-60s; third, help only to those well-known for good deeds. Compare that with the advice some give when a homeless person on the street asks for five bucks: Give it to him, even though we know that passing out dollars in that way may encourage less work commitment.

From Paul’s writing we learn much about the particular problem of helping widows in the church, but we should also draw a logical conclusion: Shouldn’t we be careful in handing out money? And how careful should we be in making up a list of those to be aided by government?

The crucial question regarding charitable activity is not whether aid makes the giver feel good but whether it is likely to be used rightly and effectively. Peter in Acts 3 responded to a crippled beggar’s request for a handout not by giving money (the liberal solution), nor proffering a job as if that alone would solve deeper problems (the secular conservative solution). Instead, Peter told the man to arise and walk, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The man did so. God transformed him from a helpless person staring at passersby with hope for a handout, to a tiger who walks and leaps through the Temple courts and stands before the Sanhedrin, praising God. A similar change, although not always one as physically dramatic, comes among poor persons (and rich) who gain faith in Christ.

The gospel does have material effects: Among many poor persons who become Christians, it leads to a change in values, which produces a change in behavior, which normally leads to a job, which leads to material improvement. There is no guarantee that spiritual change will lead to material change, and the process should not be regarded mechanically — but a general principle is at work here.

Arise and walk! Today’s homeless in the United States are often the victims and perpetrators of illegitimacy and abandonment, family non-formation and malformation, alienation and loneliness and much else — but they are not suffering thirst, hunger, or nakedness, except by choice, insanity, or parental abuse. When we lack discernment, we give money to panhandlers that most often go for drugs or alcohol. Christ does not include in his list of commended charitable acts, “When I was strung out, you gave me dope.”

What are we truly doing to homeless men when we enable them (through governmental programs, undiscerning nonprofits, or tender-hearted but weak-minded personal charity) to stay in addiction? Here’s the reality: When I was an addict, you gave me money for drugs; when I abandoned the women and children who depended on me, you gave me a place to stay and helped me to justify my actions; when I was in prison, you helped me get out quickly so I could commit more crimes.

If we take seriously Christ’s words, “When you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me,” then giving money that goes for drugs is akin to sticking heroin into Jesus’ veins. The Bible, however, points us to a life that is disciplined in work and worship, living and giving.