There are many people who are marginalized in society or are otherwise on the fringes, such as the homeless; the widowed; those in jails, prisons, and mental health institutions; people in nursing homes; even those who because of serious health issues spend a lot of time in the hospital. Here are several Scriptures to remind us that these people matter:
Matthew 25:34-40: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ ”
Luke 23:39-43: Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
James 1:27: Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Matthew 7:12: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
The Bible certainly has more to say even than this about the marginalized, but by now you should get the picture. Somehow, though, certain aspects of these verses are lost upon a lot of churchgoers. In fact, I would daresay that there are many who do not see the picture at all. Our churches are full of professing Christians who, quite frankly, couldn’t care less about the marginalized, especially those who have been in trouble with the law. They can’t be bothered with even praying for “those kind,” much less actually doing anything for them. They assume that just because they have written these people off, somehow God has written them off as well.
We pride ourselves on being such good people, yet how many believers hear about someone’s arrest on the news and say, “Oh, they got him!” when the guilt of the person in custody has yet to be determined? And don’t make excuses, either, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34b). How many times have you heard prayer requests made in church for those who are incarcerated? Rarely if ever, no doubt. We pray for widows, for the sick, for those in nursing homes, for the homeless, for the victims of crime and for others who are in a bad situation, and we should, but when it comes to people we do not like and are uncomfortable with, crickets—on a good day. On any other day there are only derisive comments.
What if that was your loved one who was in trouble? What if he or she was caught up in the clutches of our increasingly corrupt criminal justice system with its bad laws and worsening prison and jail conditions? I would hope that would change your mind, but some of you in your pride would simply disown them so you won’t have to deal with them anymore, since you can’t be bothered to give a flip. In case you forgot, here is how God feels about pride and other sins, many of which professing Christians are just as guilty of as the lost:
Proverbs 6:16-19: These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.
As you can see, pride is at the top of the list!
We have a lot of cultural Christianity down here in the deep South. The Southern Baptist denomination is endemic here, its plethora of good ole boy politicians embedded within the churches like brands on cattle. While it is agreed that there should be penalties for crimes, some of the harshest states in America in dealing with crime are those in the Bible belt. That is a far cry from the redemption message which resounds throughout Scripture, particularly in the New Testament. Some laws are so stringent, especially for some categories of offenders, that it is nearly impossible for these folks to start their lives over when they get out of prison.
The lawmakers knowingly pass unconstitutional laws, seeing that most people cannot afford the caliber of lawyers needed to fight them in court and get them overturned. These laws, quite often, are crafted by those who are professing Christians. Imagine that! There is about as much mercy in these modern-day Pharisees as there is in a pack of hyenas. Jesus had harsh words for religious folks like you:
Matthew 23:33: “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”
You want to run certain criminals out of your states, saying there is no room in society for folks like them, but many of you are members or even heads of various religious and civic organizations, having prominence much like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’s day. You think you are serving God as good Christians, but your fruit is rotten. One day you will stand before an angry Lord who will make it clear there is no room for folks like you in heaven and that He will drive you from His presence and into the lake of fire forever! You will hear Christ’s dreaded words: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23).
Do you honestly think that you will make it into heaven while those you look down on, those of us who are marginalized, stand no chance at all? Do you think God has written us off just because you can’t be bothered to care about us? Think again! Just as the religious hypocrites of old thought they had a lock on God’s favor while those they frowned upon did not, so God also blesses the repentant and disdains religious hypocrisy today.
The churches themselves are not off the hook, either. Some are mean-spirited, spewing fire and brimstone at everything and everyone—especially those whom they do not like and do not want to help! Others are like country clubs. The more prominent cultural Christian politicians and others like them ought to know this well, for you are part of the problem. You can’t be bothered to stoop down to the level of those who have actual needs unless it provides good optics for your campaigns. There are many churches that are seeker-friendly—unless there are certain types of sins in someone’s background, then that person is a liability and a pariah, encouraged in only one way: “Go somewhere else. We don’t have a ministry for your kind.”
Just as Peter harshly rebuked Simon the sorcerer for thinking the gift of God could be purchased with money (Acts 8:14-24), so God will one day harshly rebuke those who practice such rank hypocrisy, people who can’t be bothered to give a rip one way or the other about “folks from the wrong side of the tracks.” If they do not repent, they will find themselves on the wrong side of eternity: Among the damned. Their works will be damned and burned, and they will be damned and will burn forever in the lake of fire. These folks are fooling themselves if they think they are right with God yet can treat certain people like garbage!
It is not always possible to help the marginalized in material or other ways, though if it is within your means, you should try. Notice the Scripture:
James 2:14-17: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Think about all the people who stand in need. The lonely widow who does not have many friends and is too old and feeble to drive herself to church. The terminally ill hospital patient who has no family to spend his last hours with. That inmate who is in a prison filled with corrupt staff, violence, awful food, and inadequate medical care. The person who has gotten out of prison but cannot stay with his family because they live too close to a church or a school. The poor old man in the nursing home whose family has dumped him off there because they are tired of caring for him. That woman languishing in a mental institution, dazed half out of her mind on psychotropic medication and abused by mean-hearted staff.
The list could keep going. If you can help these folks materially or with transportation or housing, then do so. If you have the means to advocate for reform or fight to overturn unjust and unconstitutional laws, then have the courage to stand up. Even if you are in a position to not do any of these things, you can always pray. Never minimize the importance of prayer. Sincere, heartfelt prayer moves the heart and the hands of God and mobilizes the resources of heaven. You will see what importance God puts upon the prayers of His people in this example from the book of Ezekiel. As with ancient Israel, so it is with anywhere that the saints of God dwell:
Ezekiel 22:23-31: And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds upon their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.
Had God’s people prayed in that time, a whole lot of calamity could have been avoided. So you can see that God has chosen to act upon the prayers of His people. Prayer is that important! If you have been a religious hypocrite, I plead with you, repent today! Care about the marginalized. Do whatever you can for them even if you are not comfortable with them. If you can do nothing else for them, then at least pray. One of the greatest sermons I have ever heard was by the late David Wilkerson, a sermon titled, “A Call to Anguish.” It can be seen on YouTube. We must get to the place of anguish, praying for and doing what we can for the marginalized. God is so filled with love that even if you have been as mean as a Pharisee, He longs to forgive you. God is love (1 John 4:8). Repent and love like Jesus today!
