“The Least of These…”
Matthew 25:31-46
May 31, 2009
Me: I don’t know that compassion could be called one of my strong suits.
I don’t think I’m necessarily a big meanie, at least not intentionally, but I’m not a person who can easily see someone’s suffering, unless someone tells me about it, or it’s incredibly obvious.
When I finally get it, I’m usually pretty quick to act. Usually. Unfortunately, there have been times when I was confronted with a need, and I’d just roll my eyes before doing anything about it.
I’m not real proud of it. And I’ve determined that the next time one of my kids asks for a glass of water, I’ll just go ahead and get it for them…
We: Have you ever been met with a need from someone and you’re thinking, “Not again. This happens all the time and I’m getting a bit tired of it.”
Or maybe you come across a homeless person or someone you know could use a helping hand and you wonder what you can do to avoid helping that person.
You use all sorts of rationalizations like, “He could get a job if he really tried – being hungry will give him some incentive.” Or, “I don’t have time to dig a couple bucks out of my purse – I’m late picking up the kids from soccer.”
Or you know a fellow Christian who’s fallen on hard times and you wish you could do something about it, but you’re not really sure what to do.
I think most of us have had situations like that.
But have you ever thought about the fact that helping someone, especially those who are part of the family of God, has eternal implications?
That your helping someone might actually be a way of touching Christ Himself?
It’s an awesome thought, and our passage from Scripture today talks about that.
God: Jesus lays out a scene here that describes a judgment. This is not a parable, strictly speaking, but rather a word picture of an actual event in the future.
Matthew 25:31-46 (p. 702) –
We start off with a description of the setting of this judgment –
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him,
Man, that seems awesome, doesn’t it? I don’t think I can really put my brain around that scene, can you?
Jesus – in all his glory – surrounded by all the angels. Not just some of the angels, not just the archangels, but all the angels. Now I have no idea how many angels there are, but it’s got to be a pretty huge number.
Okay, let’s keep going, back in verse 32 –
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "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.
Isn’t that awesome? This Kingdom, existing from the beginning of time, is sure and unchangeable. Believers need never doubt its existence. (LACNT)
Continuing:
35 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, 36 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.’
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 "The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, ’Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 "They also will answer, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 "He will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
This passage moves from the concepts of being wise and being ready in the previous parts of this chapter and chapter 24, to the concept of judgment.
On its surface, it might seem to be a straightforward description of that time when the “great sorting” will be done, with those going to heaven being separated from those going to hell.
But when you look at it a bit closer, a couple questions arise, and I think that unless they are answered, there is the potential to misinterpret this story and cause someone to actually miss out on the salvation they need so badly.
So we’re going to take a look at these two main questions.
The first question we need to look at is…
* Who are “the least of these?”
At least 5 different opinions, the first four of which we’re not going to dwell on very long:
1. All who are hungry, distressed, or needy.
This is probably the most popular view of this story.
This view says “the least of these” must refer to the “least” in any given society, particularly those in need.
I think all of us, looking at homeless people, or anybody less fortunate than ourselves can see how these could be seen as “the least of these,” right?
In many conversations I’ve had over the years, and in the media, the term, “the least of these” is usually applied to the poor, hungry, or otherwise needy.
And by the way, even those who believe this in the most hardcore way say that this does not apply to whining teenagers who won’t walk to the refrigerator themselves.
Another opinion as to whom this referring to is…
2. Apostles and Christian missionaries.
The idea is that when you receive missionaries you receive Christ, and if you reject them, you’re rejecting Christ.
And often, missionaries live by the skin of their teeth, barely making ends meet.
In years gone by, churches and others would send “missionary barrels” containing clothes and such to missionaries overseas.
Oftentimes these were cast-offs or items that weren’t good enough for the original owners, but for some reason, were good enough for the missionaries…
I think it might be easy to see why missionaries might be considered, “the least of these.”
A third opinion is that “the least of these” refers to…
3. Jewish Christians.
These are Jews who come to Christ during that seven-year time period known as The Great Tribulation.
This view is held by those who believe that the church will be raptured, or taken away, prior to that period, and so those left would not be believers, but could become believers.
This view especially focuses on how converted non-Jewish Christians treat converted Jews who are missionaries for Christ during the Tribulation period.
If these needy Jewish Christian missionaries are treated well, then those helping them are ministering to Christ.
A fourth opinion is that “the least of these” refers to…
4. Tribulation martyrs.
This kind of speaks for itself. It’s those who come to Christ and are martyred for Him during the Great Tribulation.
During the Tribulation, lives of Christians won’t be worth very much. Christians will be considered as a menace, if not a disease, and the “cure” will be to eliminate them.
Their place in society will be very low. It’s easy to see how they could be considered “the least of these,” if this opinion about Tribulation martyrs is correct.
A fifth and, I believe, more accurate interpretation is out there, and it’s that “the least of these” are…
5. Needy Christian disciples.
All needy Christian disciples.
This is the interpretation that I feel best fits the passage. How do I come to that?
Let’s look at the sentence from Jesus:
’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Who are Jesus’ brothers? Those who belong to His family. Other children of God. Those who have put their faith in Christ for forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven.
Folks, I don’t think you have to look very far to find brothers and sisters in Christ who could use a hand up once in a while.
Christians who work and work and work, and yet can’t pay all the bills, or have little to eat, or who have medical expenses they can’t hope to pay or who delay medical help because they can’t afford it.
People who love Christ and serve Him, but have little in terms of material possessions.
Christians who, for no other reason than that they love Jesus, are in jail, or prison, or have lost their jobs.
And Jesus says that when we step in to help these brothers and sisters of Jesus, we’re actually helping Him.
One of the things that has blessed my heart especially over the last couple of years here is that some of you have come to me and specifically asked how you could help someone in this church you knew was struggling financially.
I didn’t come to you asking you to help these people. You came to me asking how you could help, and you wanted to do it anonymously.
You just wanted to help – to bless someone because God had blessed you enough to be able to do that.
That’s wonderful, and I believe that’s an example of what Jesus is commending in this passage.
By the way, I’m not saying that we should ignore those outside of Christ who need help.
What I’m saying is that this passage is not discussing them. Jesus is discussing those in the family of God who are in need.
Okay – we’ve discussed the first main question of who are “the least of these.”
Let’s move on an look at the second main question:
* Is Jesus saying that our salvation is determined by our ministering to the needs of people?
The answer: no.
The ministering to these needs does not earn our salvation, it confirms it.
It’s very important to understand that Jesus is not saying we earn our salvation by how we treat the poor and needy and imprisoned.
Scripture is abundantly clear on the fact that good and even righteous works don’t save us. Only our faith in Christ brings us to salvation.
Our response to the suffering of fellow believers is an indication of where we stand with Christ.
I also need to make a statement here that just because a person does good things like looking after the needy, it does not necessarily mean they are a believer and follower of Jesus.
Lots of non-Christian people do many fine things to help the needy.
The point here is that if you claim to be a Christian, it needs to show in how you care for those less fortunate, especially those in the family of God.
Look at these passages from Scripture (by the way, for some of you, the copier nipped off the far right edge of your note-taking guide. Sorry about that – I didn’t see it until it was too late, but the full verses and references will also be up here on the screen, okay?):
James 2:14-17 –
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James is saying, “You call yourself a Christian? Then you need to show it in how you meet the needs of your fellow believers when you’re able to do so.”
If your faith in Christ isn’t the kind that prompts you to help in a tangible way when you can, then your faith in Christ is not genuine, and you need to come to Christ for real.
That may sound harsh, but it’s a bit hard to candy-coat that, even with that yummy stuff on the outside of Skittles…
1 John 3:16-18 –
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
This is John saying, “Put your money where your mouth is.”
It’s not enough to just say, “Wow – that’s too bad for them. I hope they can crawl out of that hole. Speaking of holes, I’ve gotta get to the golf course.”
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t play golf. But if you can afford to play golf, don’t you think you can maybe help someone in a bit of a tight stretch?
I also understand that not everyone is in a position to help someone financially.
Some of you may not be able to give someone some money or clothes or something big. But maybe you can bring a meal by their house, or some extra blankets during winter.
You don’t have a lot, but there’s a person or family you know who is having a harder time than you.
You know what I’ve found? I’ve found that even during the hardest times of my life financially, there was always someone who had it harder than me, and I would find God prompting me at times to maybe buy a bag of groceries for someone or having them over for dinner so that would be one less meal they had to scrape for or even miss.
I came across this illustration as I was preparing this message:
Briton Nordemeyer, eight, of Brandon, South Dakota, wanted to help the children who had lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. So when Briton’s tooth fell out in the fall of 2005, she decided to donate the money she’d get from the tooth fairy to the Red Cross.
Instead of waiting for the tooth fairy to arrive, however, Briton mailed her tooth to the Red Cross. She included a letter explaining that the tooth fairy would render payment upon arrival.
When news about Briton’s generosity reached the public, the Red Cross received a $500 donation from an anonymous donor who heard about Briton’s tooth and wanted to help provide a fairy-tale ending. Todd Hertz, “$500 Tooth Saves the Day,” Ignite Your Faith (June 2006)
Isn’t that cool? This little girl didn’t have money, but she was willing to give what she had – a lost tooth.
You: The best application I can give you today comes from another passage of Scripture:
Galatians 6:10 –
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Why is this so important, folks? Because not only are you blessing someone in need, you are actually ministering to Jesus Himself!
Does this not strike something in your heart? Shouldn’t this give you incentive to reach out to help your brothers and sisters in Christ?
I hope so!
Has God put someone on your heart who could use a helping hand from you?
Then act today. You may not know exactly what you can do for that person, but there is something you can do: ask them, and then, if you’re able, do whatever that is for them.
Do you have an idea on how the church can minister to our people, or other believers in our area?
Speak to me or the board about it.
Maybe you can personally sponsor a child with World Hope International, or would like to step in and cover any month we have a shortfall in the pocket-change offering.
Maybe you know a believer that could benefit from a vacation or a conference, and you know they can’t afford it – but you can afford to send them.
Whatever God is telling you to do, then do it.
It could be that your major application from this passage is just to get down on your face before God and ask for His forgiveness for neglecting “the least of these,” asking Him to help you recognize and take opportunities to minister in His name to the family of God.
Or it could be that you simply haven’t really thought through this issue enough, and you need to spend time with God to allow Him to soften your heart on this issue.
I don’t know what He wants to say to you specifically, so I’ll let Him take care of that between you and Him.
We: One of the more prevalent opinions about conservative Christians is that we don’t have compassion.
We’re painted as people who are more concerned with political activism and shoving our morals down people’s throats than with caring about helping those who are less fortunate.
The fact is that this is a false picture. Overall, conservative Christians are some of the most generous people on the planet.
But you know where the generosity of Christians is best measured? In the local area.
I’m all in favor of giving money to the International Red Cross or other national or international agencies, but I’m convinced that if we will show this local area that we care for each other and for all we can help, then not only would we see real progress in people, but we’d see people wanting to know Jesus because they see what He’s doing in us – as individuals and as a church.
Here’s your invitation to let God break your heart and get involved. Don’t pass it up. For Christ’s sake, don’t pass it up.
Let’s pray.
