As I sat eating in a McDonalds one day, a man walked in who had all the signs of being homeless and having no money. His clothes were dirty, his long, shaggy hair and beard were tasseled, matted and unkempt - he looked like a wild man or a man possessed - or maybe someone who was just scared and had no hope. I suspect he spent the night in the streets. He walked up to the counter and asked for a cup of coffee. I don't know whether this was a ritual and the cashiers knew this man and had given him coffee before, but he secured the cup of java and proceeded to a table just across from me. He held the paper cup between his hands as to absorb the warmth.
Initially I tried to avoid eye contact but soon realized he was looking far beyond me out the window into the distance. I wondered what he was thinking – what kind of fear he might have – if he wondered what the day would bring. His eyes were the most beautiful, clear and blue I had ever seen. They betrayed the rest of his features which looked far too old and worn for such youthful and magnetic eyes.
He sipped the coffee, seeming to savor each drink. I was slightly embarrassed when I finally snapped to my senses and realized I was staring at him while these thoughts and others were going thru my head. I could not get the stark contrast of those eyes in the midst of the misery that the rest of his physical presence exuded. I felt strongly impressed to approach him and ask him if I could buy him a meal. I sat and enumerated in my mind all the reasons not to act on the impulse – it would embarrass him, it would embarrass me, etc.
As I contemplated my next move, one of the workers came over to his table with a tray of food saying, "Someone wanted to buy you lunch, so here it is." A look of overwhelming joy came over his face as he could barely mouth the words, "Oh, thank you!" I watched every bite, every french fry, disappear into a dark hole in the midst of all that amassed facial hair and could nearly feel the security and warmth each bite of food provided him, as if I were eating it myself.
It didn't take long for the meal to disappear completely. He gathered his scant belongings, perhaps his whole material world, and left. I sat for some time contemplating all that has just happened. I felt terrible that I had not been the one to buy him his moment of joy, but was also glad that someone else saw and felt the same need as I had. I thought of the parable of the good Samaritan and Jesus Christ saying, "Even as ye have done it unto the least of these your bretheren, ye have done it unto me". And again I lamented my inaction.
But, I will never forget that man at McDonalds. His eyes pierced me, hauntingly, as no others ever have. I saw a lost and hopeless soul for a moment see meaning and am confident that he went forward then to share what bit of humanity he had received with someone else in need. That day, a hungry, ragged homeless man at McDonalds taught me about Jesus Christ and how far I must yet travel to become like Him.
