Consider the oft-cited phrase, “God helps those that help themselves.”

According to some, it is the most quoted Bible verse that cannot be found in the Bible.

Its origins appear to date back to an Aesop fable. Ironically, its popularity in the United States, is attributed to Ben Franklin, a deist who didn’t even believe in a personal God. But Franklin was an scientist, printer, and a tireless self-promoter. So even though he didn’t think God helped anyone, he probably thought the phrase would “stick” and be a hit among Puritans, Calvinists, and 18th-century entrepreneurs who were his readers.

And it did!

“God helps those that help themselves” might be an expression with good intent – the goal is to motivate someone to work, seek, and act, and in doing so, show them that the more effort they make, the more good things will happen to and for them.

It makes sense from a human perspective. Hard work leads to success. Laziness to ruin.

God loves the hard-working. But lazy people, not so much.

That’s not the God I know.

To put bluntly, the phrase “God helps those that helps themselves” runs counter to my Christian belief. It is a phrase that would never come out of the mouth of Jesus.

Consider all of Jesus’ miraculous healings of the lame, the blind, the sick. Before he healed people, did you ever hear him asking:

“Before I heal you, I want to know what steps you have taken to get better? Have you seen a doctor? A therapist? Are you taking your medicine on a regular basis? Have you asked for help from family members? I’m going through my notes and it doesn’t look like your doing that much to help yourself.”

Or did Jesus ever decide not to heal someone because they weren’t “doing enough?”

I don’t know, Jerry, if you’re not doing enough to help yourself, why should I help you? I don’t see that you’ve done much to make yourself deserving of my help. No. I’m not going to help you unless and until you put in a more effort. I don’t help the helpless. Try coming back to me with”

No. He didn’t seek out people who “helped themselves.”

By my reading, most (all?) of Jesus’ healings were among those who fell into the “helpless” category.
I think this is one of those instances where the mystery of God and God’s love defies human understanding.

Three thoughts.

First, the phrase “God helps those that help themselves” risks having us think that God owes us something. He doesn’t. Just the opposite.

Second, it makes God small. It suggests our relationship with God is transactional. I don’t think it is. At least I hope it isn’t. The God I know helps a lot of people. The sun rises and falls on the just and unjust. Bad people get away with murder – literally. And bad things happen to good people. I’m not sure if God is behind it—the provision of good things to bad people, that is. Maybe it is the forces of evil helping them. But who am I to tell God who to help? I’m going to leave it to Him.

The God I know can help anyone He wants.

Finally, I look around, the phrase just doesn’t make sense. It lacks existential evidence. There are many people who help themselves who don’t seem to receive much help from God or others. At least not in the worldly sense. Ask Job. Sure, he’s been dead for a while, and it ended up ok in the end, but boy, did he have to suffer.

Do you know someone who worked hard, did everything right, went above and beyond but despite all their efforts got a bad deal at just about every turn? I do. Plenty. Good people. Worked hard. Put up with a lot of crap. Turned the other cheek. Went the extra mile.

And they failed. Economically, socially, and physically. No one lent a hand. No one helped them up.

I think that’s where we come in. You and I.

If we’re to follow Jesus, who should we help? Should we only “help people who help themselves?”

I don’t think so.

It shouldn’t be up to me on who gets help or not. I’m not that smart.

If we follow Jesus’ example, we help others regardless of merit, regardless of their effort.

Indeed, Jesus’ example suggests that those who can’t or won’t help themselves are most in need of having someone lend them a hand.

Unconditional love. That is the God’s love that I know. And if we are to follow Jesus, that is the love we’re called to give.