The Small People

Last Wednesday, June 16, after a day of intense grilling in the White House, the Chairman of British Petroleum, better known as BP, Carl-Henric Svanberg, stopped and delivered a statement to reporters. Then he decided to respond to a few questions. Among the comments that he made were these: "He (speaking of President Obama) is frustrated because he cares about the small people and we care about the small people. ... I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care. But that is not the case in BP. We care about the small people."

Immediately the media had a hay-day with that term "small people." They accused the Chairman of being insensitive to the small business owners along the Gulf Coast who have had their livelihoods either threatened or destroyed because of the oil spill. They said that this was the attitude of big-business to look out for only themselves and not to care about others. The next day, a spokesman for BP said that Mr. Svanberg's comments were due to a language barrier: Mr. Svanberg is a Swede and his abilities to communicate in English were not the best.

As I listened to the replays of his comments, I knew what he meant. And I think every American knew what he meant. It was not a derogatory term. He was not looking down upon the shrimp and oyster fisheries or the tourist shops or the restaurants that are suffering because of the lack of business. I think, in his own way - limited by language, he was saying that he truly cared about those who were suffering.

But that term "small people" got me to thinking about a statement Jesus gave to His disciples. They were coming from the temple during Jesus' final week of life. They had asked Jesus to share with them signs about the coming of the kingdom. Jesus then told them about the separating of the sheep from the goats on that last day. Listen to these words of Jesus: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25:34-36). Of course that elicited a response from His disciples as to when that had happened. Pay attention to what Jesus says next: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

In this passage I believe Jesus was describing "small people." These were the people that are easily overlooked in the everyday humdrum of life. These are the people that we sometimes go out of our way to avoid, much like the Levite and priest did to the wounded traveler in the story of the Good Samaritan. These are people that we are tempted to think cannot amount to much in the world. But Jesus challenges us to care for them; to provide for their needs; to have compassion upon them.

As I have done some re-reading of the Gospels, I continue to marvel at the time Jesus willingly took for those people that were looked down upon by the elite of His day. Jesus delighted in caring for the small people of Galilee and Judea and even an outcast woman in Samaria.

Mr. Svanberg said that the people at BP care about the small people. Should we not also as believers?

Mr. Svanberg, I knew what you meant. And I am glad that you do care and I hope that caring truly flows, not just from the big pocketbook of BP, but from the heart of everyone associated with your company. And, thank you for reminding me of those words of Jesus to be mindful of the small people around us. They are very important to Him.