The least of these
-
Matthew 25:34-40 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Here Jesus teaches that when we help those in need we help Him. We are the hands of Jesus on this earth and as such we are here to help those who are truly in need. Too often we just see someone who smells bad, or makes us uncomfortable asking for food, or someone who is cluttering up the over pass with their shopping cart of stuff. Instead we need to see souls. We need to see souls that need our help and need the salvation of Jesus. Yes, they might be in that situation because they don’t work, and that isn’t right. Or they might be in that situation because they drink and that isn’t right. We are not here to enable them to continue in sin, but we are here to teach them how to get out of sin. The thing is, tossing the homeless drunk a $5 bill does not help him, but rather many times it just enables him to continue in sin. It actually takes an investment of time, effort, and teaching to help the spiritual soul of the person and not just the physical needs. It is something I struggle with, but something we need to all work on. Jesus said, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me“.
-
This is one of the most important verses in the all of the Bible.
