“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”—Matthew 25:40
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
A story is told of a woman who invited Jesus to visit her home. As time for Jesus’ arrival drew near, the woman shooed away the people coming to her door: the foul smelling beggar, the child dressed in tattered clothes, and the stranger in need of assistance. The woman waited but Jesus never came. When she saw Jesus the next day and asked why He did not show up, Jesus noted He tried to visit three times—as a beggar, an under-clothed child and a stranger in need. Each time, the woman sent Him away.
The story is a sad but true commentary about the human condition—we yearn to see God but God is seldom who we think. God is not some old man sitting on a throne in a faraway place but the person in need, the individual who is not like us, the one still recovering from their past mistakes. Often, God is manifested in the manner, time and place we least expect. God is incredibly near to us and embodied in the people we meet each day. How we view and treat those in need is a reflection of how we see and treat God.
As Jesus talks about the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25, He places us in a unique position, to be benefactors to God through our service to others. Not because those people think like us, live near us, or positioned to return the favor. In fact, the people Jesus described here—the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned, could never repay us for any kindness we offer. We are to care for them because doing so is the same as doing it for Jesus. Yet, our purpose is not to do good in order to be recognized, but simply to do the right thing for others.
Those on Jesus’ right, the sheep, were compassionate without seeking to be rewarded; they ministered to those in need without recognizing it was Jesus they served. What about us? Are we open to ministering to others who do not look, think, believe or act like us? Or do we limit our compassion to a select few within our comfort zone? An interesting and telling question is whether the woman in our introductory story would have helped those at her door if she knew it was Jesus she was helping? Would we?.
Question to Ponder: How would our perspectives change if we saw Jesus in everyone we met?
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”—Matthew 10:40
