Can you spot a con artist?

“My baby boy has stomach cancer. He's in a hospital in Chicago,” said a young man to a group of pastors that were meeting at an inner-city church one night.

Heart broken for this young man they prayed for his sick son. After the prayer the young man said he was trying to get train fare to get to Chicago. He just got out of the county jail and needed money.

You could see the disappointment immediately appear in their faces. They'd been had. Questions flashed through their minds.

“Why was he released from jail without documentation?”

“Do they release prisoners at night?”

“Where is his family?”

“What was his plan before he found a church with lights on?

His lies were very thin and easily exposed because he followed a familiar pattern. First, there is the disease. It's better if it's a child, a parent or a pregnant woman. Second, there is a travel motif. Getting to the hospital or back home; sometimes a hotel room for the night. Third, the monetary need is an odd number: $17, $65, etc. Fourth, someone has already provided funds and they just need a little bit more. Fifth, the person requesting help is a stranger. Sixth, the need is urgent.

The lies are in the details. What is the problem? Is it the disease? Are you trying to get home? Do you need a job? The problems seem insurmountable but the immediate solution appears to be monetary. You are overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness that can be quickly resolved by giving up a few bucks. At this point we just want to feel better by getting rid of troubled soul. We will never see them again (the travel motif). We just want them out of our way.

Con artists work on your emotions and read your face to measure your response. That is why the story has so many details. I don't suggest we ignore requests for money. I suggest that we determine what the real need is and how best to address it. That is the most loving and helpful thing to do.

On the other hand, con artists target folks with surplus funds who are looking for the most expedient thing to do. It is difficult to balance compassion with common sense. These decisions cannot be rushed so, my decision is to pray and think. If this is a real problem it did not happen overnight and it cannot be solved in one day. There is no rush. If it's a con, it will go away. If the need is real, it will still be there in the morning.

Do You Want To Get Well?

Offering help is complicated. Jesus once encountered a paralytic by the pool at Bethesda (John 5:1-15). He had been in this condition for 38 years but no one would take him into the healing waters. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Is this an insensitive question to ask this poor man? It may have addressed some other questions people had but would not voice.
“Why doesn’t he crawl?”
“Why didn’t his friends help him?”
“Where is his family?”

Jesus’ question cut to the very center of the man’s heart and exposed the motives that lay deep within. He had relied upon others to make his way in life. He would no longer have an excuse for the condition of his life. Healing would mean he would need to work and assume responsibilities.

Questions bring clarity and help us to understand the real need. Jesus asked many questions.
“Who do you say that I am?”
“Why do you call me good?”
"Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
“Do you want to get well?”

Jesus often involved the person in the process of healing. He told a blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam (JN 9:7) and ten lepers to go the priest (LK 17:11-19). It seems to me that an individual seeking help needs to work harder than those who are offering help. Otherwise, wouldn’t our “help” actually be enabling. Jesus the told this man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

Another wrinkle is added when Jesus tells the man, “See, you are well. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

Jesus is reminding us that crisis situations tend to have a spiritual dimension. To another paralytic Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven,” before healing him (MT 9:6).

A person seeking help has opened up a door for ministry. The church, both gathered and scattered, is a source of blessing to everyone who is in need. We must be good stewards not just of the resources provided to us by God through His people but, also, of the opportunity to have a life-changing impact on a person’s life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Offering help is complicated but asking questions, empowering the person to help themselves, and being mindful of the person’s spiritual condition can lead to a blessed outcome.