Both Matthew and Mark record the account of a woman in the town of Bethany anointing Jesus with very expensive perfume. Jesus said she did a beautiful thing to him, but the disciples thought the money could have better been used to assist the poor. He reminded them that He would only be with them a short time, but “the poor you will always have with you…” (Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7).

Jesus was not suggesting the poor should be ignored. Just the opposite. He was saying there will always be those in need all around us, and that we should share the love He has shown us with the needy. “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). We want to do things for Jesus because we know what He has done for us: He was the sacrifice that paid the penalty for our sins. We have forgiveness for His sake. That motivates us to help those in need.

Last week some photos popped up on my computer from ten years ago. Our congregation was supporting an organization that provides humanitarian aid throughout the Caribbean, and they invited me to go to Guatemala to see some of the work taking place. We stayed in the town of Quetzaltenango, venturing into remote areas in the surrounding mountains each day. So much of what we take for granted is a luxury for those people.

• In one village, we dedicated a water project that provides clean, running well water instead of the women having to haul dirty, river water over a mile uphill. One woman exclaimed, “Now we can bathe every day!”
• In another location we dedicated a modest school building that allows children to learn indoors rather than sitting under a tree. Cramped, overcrowded, and understaffed buildings are seen as a tremendous blessing by them.
• We witnessed families scavenging a dump for food and any items they might be able to “recycle” or sell. In that area, they were trying to build community centers where women and men could be taught life skills and alternative ways of providing for themselves and their families. Over the years, families found scavenging at the dump have been relocated into homes.

Those things are just a drop in the bucket to be sure. But it is a start. And a difference has been made in the lives of those people. You need to start somewhere. It might be giving to a food bank or thrift store, volunteering at a place that serves meals to the homeless, helping Habitat for Humanity build a home, or opening your church doors to an organization like Family Promise. Find a need and fill it. Do what you can. Respond to the salvation Jesus earned for you by living for Him.

An old man was walking down a beach covered with starfish. He was bending over and picking them up one at a time and gently tossing them back into the ocean. A younger man saw him and asked why he was doing it. The old man said, “The tide is going out and if they don’t get back in the water, they will die.” The young man said, “There are so many, you can never save them all! How much of a difference do you think you can really make?”  The old man bent over and picked up another starfish, tossed it into the ocean and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

The poor will be with us here, in our community, and around the world. What will you do for them? Or, to put it in Biblical terms, what will you do for Jesus?