Rejected by a Deaf, Dirty, One-Handed Man

As I was driving home through a nearby mountainous region, I passed by a homeless man walking uphill in the opposite direction. I remembered passing him earlier that day farther down the mountain as I was rushing to complete various tasks in a nearby city. On my way back, however, I was free from any time constraints and my conscience quickly convinced me to pull off and try to help him.

He was no ordinary homeless man. He had matted hair and an unwashed face that matched the color of his torn clothes, which were all black from dust and soot and truck exhaust. His shoes were mostly intact, but I thought I could see some blood seeping from one of the soles. He carried a couple of plastic bags and a small, mostly empty, duffel bag in his one good hand. His other hand was pretty much gone, save the nub of his palm and the remains of a few fingers. It was not raw and bleeding, but neither had it healed “properly”.

I got out of my car and started walking beside the man, trying to speak to him:

“Hello! Where are you from? Do you need anything? Where are you going? Can I help you?”

No intelligible answer came. He looked upset at me as he rattled on incoherently, obviously wishing I would leave him alone. I tried to tell him I wanted to give him some money to buy food. He refused every effort I made to hand him the equivalent of a few dollars (local beggars would normally smile ear to ear with a much smaller gift). I eventually succeeded only by discreetly dropping the bill into his half-open duffel bag.

I began to try and share the Gospel with him, asking if he had ever heard about Jesus. It didn’t look like he was even hearing my voice. I began to think he was deaf from the way he never responded directly to anything I said. He just became more agitated the longer I walked with him up the hill away from my car. I finally left him in peace and began to pray for him as I walked back down the hill.

If only the man knew…

… that I could have taken him to bathe and wash all the dirt away

… that I could have thrown away his dirty, torn clothes, and given him clean garments to wear

… that I could have given him healthy food and clean water to drink

… that I could have taken him somewhere to wash his wounds and nurse him back to health

… that I could have given him a safe and comfortable place to rest for as long as he needed

As I thought of what the man was rejecting, I couldn’t help but be reminded of unregenerate mankind.

The average sinner may not look as desperate as this man did on the outside, but if the state of the unredeemed human soul could be seen as outward filth and stench and wounds and disease, we would all vomit in disgust! It would be incomparably worse than any unclean homeless man.

And not only that, but the lost are deaf and blind to the voice of God in creation and in revelation! They see the world God made, and refuse to give Him glory. They hear the Word of God being preached, but plug their ears and babble on incessantly about whatever man-exalting philosophy they can think of to try and justify their refusal to simply repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

If only sinners knew…

… that Jesus could cleanse them and wash all their sins away

… that Jesus could strip away the filthy garments of iniquity and clothe them with His righteousness

… that Jesus could give them bread from Heaven and rivers of living water that will never run dry

… that Jesus could one day give them a glorified Body free from every wound and pain

… that Jesus could some day give them eternal home with Him that would never be taken away

Unbeliever, please realize that your heart is dirtier and sicker and more starved of all good than you could ever imagine. Repent of your sins while you still can, and believe that the Son of God died on the cross and rose from the dead for you!

Christian, give God the glory for making you a new creation. And don’t be discouraged by rejection. Keep reaching out to all men with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, trusting in the God who raises the dead to bring life to dying souls!