This question from the guy in the Wal*Mart parking lot or at the Chevron station just off the freeway usually makes the butterflies in my stomach go into cardiac arrest, but this time, I just had to laugh. Driving along Canyon Street in Boulder, Colorado, I saw the usual unkempt guy holding the usual cardboard sign, but with the unusual black-marker letters: “Honestly...I just need a beer.”

What is it about encounters with these unfortunate souls that twists my stomach into knots? Why do I feel it necessary to roll up my car window on a hot day when I approach a red light where he’s standing with his cardboard promise? As a fellow human being, shouldn’t I feel sorry for the couple I see at the same intersection day after day whose car “just broke down?” As a Christian, surely I should honor the Vietnam veteran who says “anything will help.”

If I were as honest as the guy who just wanted a beer, this is what my cardboard sign would say: “I don’t trust your motives. I’m afraid you’re going to scam me. I will reluctantly help you only if I know my money will be put to good use. Yes, I do have some change...but not for you.”

How did Christ respond to the down-and-out who asked Him for help? The gospel of Mark records Jesus being approached 12 times for physical healing—and He goes 12 for 12 in giving away what He had on Him, without even once questioning motivation or what the person was planning to do with his new-found health.

I thought I found a solid argument against indiscriminate giving in Matthew 7:6, but, as is often the case with Jesus’ teachings, I only realized I was asking the wrong question. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” This verse concludes Jesus’ thoughts about judging. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (verses 1, 2). Verse 6 seems to mirror verses 1 and 2, hatching the same bird out of a different egg. As human beings, we have been created with a powerful, “sacred” capacity for interaction with each other, and Jesus is encouraging us not to misuse it by allowing it to descend into destructive judging—drawing conclusions without having all the facts (or letting it “go to the dogs”). So, the “dogs” and “pigs” of verse 6 don’t refer to people, but represent the deterioration of our sacred capability for interaction into cheap and easy judgment. Instead of asking if I should give or not, this verse turned my attention to the more important question of how I give.

Like an actor late for the dress rehearsal might scrounge around his trailer for the script, I tend to want a script for every scene of my life. I want to know exactly what the “Christian” thing to say would be in every situation. I want to know who to give money, and who to speed by. Recently I had a jaw-dropping revelation: What is my overall attitude toward the man behind the cardboard sign? Do I sincerely love him and want the best for him as Christ does? Or do I just want to, at best, fulfill my duty and then get out of there? Maybe I should decrease my concern for his motivation and think more about mine.