Day 17 | Matthew 25:34-40
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘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.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV)
For Reflection:
Jesus came to teach a message of love for all; a message of compassion and mercy. He spent His days on Earth rewriting the narrative of who salvation was meant for. Jesus came to remove our preconceptions that certain ones of us deserved salvation because of the family we were born into or some deed we had done; He came to refocus our lens in order to realize that His coming for all meant ALL… the rich, poor, healthy, and sick… the greatest and the least of these.
Recently, I’ve found myself in a season of experiencing being “one of the least of these” as I’ve been in need of rides to appointments, help with cooking meals, help finishing processing my garden and even needs as simple as my hair getting done. It’s been a season of having to choose daily to humble myself and move past my pride and independence which like to interfere with my first asking for and then thereafter accepting help from those around me. And the experience, while painful and counter to the core of my being, has also been beautiful. Recognizing that “the least of these” have to exist in order for God’s people to come around them with support, compassion and love, I realize that right now it’s my turn to be “the least of these”, and down the road, it will be another person’s turn and I’ll have the opportunity to be Jesus to them.
What a God we follow! A God, not who commands and sets himself apart, but instead who lives in each and every one of us so that when we as a community feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick… we are in fact feeding and clothing and visiting Him. Can we reframe our thinking to see God in all people around us? Can we come together, recognizing each of our needs through the changing seasons, and confidently know that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming and setting the example of what it means to love others while at the same time recognizing our own need for love and compassion from others. Allow me to be humble when I truly need something… not seeing being “the least of these” as a negative thing… but instead as an opportunity to experience YOUR kingdom at work in those around me. Thank you for your love. Amen.
Questions:
When have I experienced being “one of the least of these”?
What is one way I might extend His love through service to someone around me today?