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The advice Jesus Christ gave to his disciples that "it is more blessed to give than to receive" was at the center of the advice U.S Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, gave to hundreds of graduates, parents and supporters who attended the Jefferson State Community College commencement Friday afternoon at the Cathedral of the Cross on Center Point Parkway.
The parking lot for the commencement was overflowing, and friends and family of the 250 attending graduates filled much of the church. Audio problems plagued the early parts of the ceremony, but the sound leveled out as Bachus -- who is retiring after 22 years in Congress at the end of this term -- began to speak.
After inviting the graduates to stand and thank the parents, siblings, spouses, and others who had attended with applause, Bachus began in an unusual way: by describing the Sea of Galilee.
"It teems with fish," Bachus said. "It is an amazing, amazing thing. It is full of numerous species. And every drop that it gives ... it flows out of the Jordan River, and it enters the Dead Sea. It gives away everything that it receives. It gives. It's a giver."
He compared the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea.
"There's not one living animal or plant in the Dead Sea," Bachus said. "I've actually stood near the shore and the smell even repels. It is an inhospitable place. It retains every drop of water that it receives, but it doesn't give that to anyone, and it doesn't share that with anyone."
"My message to you to today is to be a giver, not a receiver," Bachus said.
"People don't want your money," Bachus said at one point. "They want you to care. They want your time."
He created an unintentional moment of levity when he suggested that when parents walk down to greet their new graduates after the ceremony, the graduates won't want a hundred-dollar bill, they'll want a hug and love. The graduates began to laugh, prompting Bachus to say, "Well, they may want your money." He recovered quickly.
"Believe you me, you will remember the tears in your parent's eyes or your spouse's eyes, and the joy of that day, but you won't remember that one hundred dollars," Bachus said.
Imparting upon the graduates the fact that not everyone will be thankful of giving, Bachus referenced the Biblical story of the ten lepers who came to Jesus and asked for help. In the story, Jesus sent the lepers to the priests, and were cleansed as they left. Only one, a Samaritan (a foreigner, Jesus notes) returned to thank Jesus and praise God.
"You can make people's lives better, and they may never know it, they may never return and say thanks," Bachus said. "But, as Christ said, 'You have made yourself whole.'"
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