The Least of These

April 30, 2019

The Least of These

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

Matthew 25:40

The religious leaders opposing Jesus believed that the nations of the world would be judged, at the Final Judgment, on the basis of how they treated the nation state of Israel. In this parable, (Parable of the Final Judgment, Matthew 25: 31-46) Jesus the Messiah of God confronted their understanding of the Final Judgment. In this story Jesus tells, he redefines Israel, the people of God, as his followers. Jesus says that at the Final Judgment all people will be judged on the basis of how they have treated his followers.

This parable is often twisted out of shape to have Jesus saying Christians will be judged on the basis of how they have been kind to "the least of these," meaning the prisoners, poor and dispossessed people of the world. However, there is sufficient support elsewhere in Scripture for prison and hospitality ministries. Let's try and hear what Jesus is saying to us today through this parable.

The context of the first hearers of this parable is helpful to us in this quest. Matthew was writing his Gospel for the church in Jerusalem at a time when the persecution of Christians was severe and not long before the Romans ended the revolt in Jerusalem by destroying the entire city. I believe this parable was very comforting to the followers of Christ in Jerusalem. Through this parable, they knew Jesus took notice of their suffering, and they knew that in the end they would be vindicated. This parable would also have been encouragement for the followers of Jesus to extend a helping hand to their brothers and sisters in the faith.

As I think about this parable, I remember several years ago when Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church, was returning to his pulpit four months after his son's tragic death. He and his wife, Kay, had experienced both sides of this parable. The popular culture vilified them because of their faith in Christ, many suggesting it was their faith that caused their son to commit suicide. However, countless thousands lifted them up in prayer. Pastors from across the country filled his pulpit while he took the time to grieve. Thousands reached out to Rick and Kay through cards, email, Facebook and Twitter. This latter group reached out to "the least of these." Those who vilified will be judged for the abuse they heaped on Rick and Kay.

Often the persecution of Christians is inflicted by other followers of Christ. I can't imagine that those who overtly inflict abuse on others will be surprised at the Final Judgment, but I do believe there will be countless Christians who are shocked when the Good Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and they are judged for their failure to extend kindness to "the least of these."

My Takeaway: It is not enough that we do not abuse our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus is calling us to extend our hearts and hands to our fellow believers. He is also telling us if we do nothing, if we remain silent when others are being abused, he will put us in line with the goats.

Sē’lah

Alex

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.