THE LEAST OF THESE
The title is taken from Jesus' words in Mt. 25 when he said, 'whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine you did for me'. Jesus didn't use that phrase to indicate that the people he was referring to were the least important.
In fact, in Luke 9:48 when the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest, Jesus had a little child stand next to him and he said, 'whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me and the Father. Whoever is least among you all-he is the greatest'.
Last week I did a sermon on encouragement. Afterwards I thought about the kinds of people who need encouragement the most. I thought about Jesus' ministry. Though he loved and ministered to everyone, he paid a lot of attention to the ones who got the least attention and encouragement.
Fast forward to today and although things have improved, society still has a problem with ignoring or shunning certain kinds of people. Typically, the ones who have money, power or popularity get the most attention. Sometimes it's the ones with the loudest voice. They get what they want through annoyance and intimidation. The squeaky wheel gets the grease but they may not be the ones who really need the grease.
A few weeks ago I saw a video about a man with CP named Michael Murray who wrote a book titled, "Nobody Left Out - Jesus Meets the Messes: A 40-Day Devotional for Messy, Broken People (Like Me!)". It was about Jesus' encounters with those who were sick, crippled or sinful; those who were shunned or ignored by society. Obviously as a handicapped person he could relate to some of the ones Jesus ministered to.
Let's look at how Jesus ministered to the less fortunate.
1) Jesus was focused on them.
After he was baptized by John, Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Then he started preaching and calling his Apostles. Then we see Jesus healing the sick.
Matt. 4:23-25, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."
Early on we see the big focus of Jesus' ministry was preaching and ministering to those who were handicapped in some way. It didn't take long for the news to spread and soon everyone was bringing the less fortunate to Jesus and he healed them.
We don't see Jesus focused on going straight to the religious leaders to hang out with them. He doesn't go back home and chill with his family. He isn't looking to hobnob with the societal elite-he gravitates toward those who many people wouldn't spend time with-the diseased, the demon-possessed, the handicapped; people like that.
What about us? Cornerstone has ministered largely to the kinds of people Jesus focused on. Everyone needs to hear the gospel. Everyone needs to see the love of Jesus displayed through his followers. But the ones who are "different" don't get as much attention as others do.
And though we may be moving to join NSCC that doesn't mean we leave behind our need to minister to the least of these. As long as we have a heart for the ones who tend to get overlooked we will continue to reach out and minister to them.
Matt. 15:29-31, "Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel."
We see that even though Jesus moved locations he still ministered to those who were handicapped. His location changed but his focus didn't. No matter where we are we can still care for the vulnerable. We still love the unlovable, we still reach for those who are tucked away in the corner. We still focus on the least of these.
2) Jesus focused on the "sinners".
Obviously we all fit into that category but some people tend to more readily place that label on people whose sins are more visible or severe in their eyes. I'm referring to the drunks, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, the gang bangers, the thieves, the murderers, the child molesters, etc. These are the people society looks down on.
Thankfully there are programs, spiritual and otherwise, that are trying to help people overcome these things. But by and large most don't want to have anything to do with them nor do they feel they are worthy of any attention except incarceration or death. Not that we should minimize what they've done but they are still people whom God loves and sent his son to die for.
But it's not easy to invest in these types of people. I've spent a lot of time with people who fit into these categories and it takes a toll on you. Through these experiences I've come to admire Jesus all the more because he was getting involved in the lives of these kinds of people too. He invested his time in ministering to people with a lot of baggage.
Though gang members and drug addicts aren't specifically mentioned in scripture since Jesus ministered to thieves and prostitutes there's no doubt he would've reached out to alcoholics, drug addicts and gang members too.
Matt. 9:9-13, "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Pharisees scoffed at Jesus spending his time with "sinners" so I'm sure they would've felt the same about him spending time with the sick or lame. I can picture them saying to him, "why are you wasting your time and energy on those people?" I can see Jesus responding with, "These people are a big reason why I came here."
Tax collectors were not looked on very highly. The Jews looked at them as traitors for collecting taxes for Rome and they were known to charge a little extra so they could take a little for themselves. They'd be grouped in with the other "sinners" of society. But what did Jesus do? He ate with them. Sharing a meal with someone was seen as personal and intimate. Jesus wasn't just talking to sinners, he was breaking bread with them.
The Pharisees would've grouped Jesus in with them. "This is the Messiah; the one who would rather spend his time with the sinners than the righteous?" But Jesus wasn't worried about being seen with sinners. He was willing to have people think he was a sinner even though he wasn't. What about us? Are we willing to be seen with the least of these?
2 Tim. 1:16, "May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains."
Onesiphorus didn't let the fact that Paul was a convict stop him from refreshing his friend. Although the only thing Paul was guilty of was preaching Christ, most people would've just seen Paul as a convict and when they saw Onesiphorus helping him they would probably group him in with such a "low-life" as Paul. But obviously he wasn't worried about that. The priority of love and the gospel need to win out over what others think of us.
Jesus tells the Pharisees that he is there to help the sick. He is there to bring change into people's lives. Jesus had a purpose for spending time with "sinners". He loved them and wanted to set them free. He showed them mercy, something the Pharisees didn't do; which is why Jesus wanted them to go away and study Hosea 6:6.
The Pharisees would be focused on sacrifices and burnt offerings but neglect the more important matters. In Matt. 23:23 Jesus told them they were going so far as to tithe their spices but they were neglecting the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness.
When Jesus said he did not come to call the righteous he isn't implying that there were some who actually were righteous. He was highlighting that he was there to call those who recognized they were sinners. There is no one righteous and we have all sinned and fallen short. Jesus was spending his time with the ones who would be receptive to his words; the ones who had ears to hear.
Luke 19:1-10, "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
It's interesting how determined this tax collector was to see Jesus. Why? So he could mock him as he went by? So he could yell at him for looking down on him like the religious leaders did? No. He knew about Jesus; he knew he was different.
You would think a "sinner" would want to stay far away from Jesus but that's not what we find him doing. He wanted to be near Jesus. That's why Jesus said, "I need to come to your house". I'm sure Zacchaeus couldn't get down from that tree fast enough. "Jesus wants to come to my house?!"
Then we see the impact Jesus had on him. He was done with greed and selfishness; he was through cheating people. He came clean, he chose to make things right; he wanted to change and live a better life. Jesus recognized and honored that.
Zacchaeus knew he was sick and he wanted to see the doctor. And because he had a change of heart and repented, Jesus lifted up the one who society looked down on.
Some would've seen Zacchaeus as someone who was beyond repair. Some may feel that way about certain people today. It would be easy to think that gang members, prostitutes, thieves, murders, etc. would be hard hearted and antagonistic toward the gospel. Although some are, many are not.
They may have a hard shell but inside they're a mess; they know they're sinners. And many think they are beyond repair. But when someone comes along and shows them the love of Jesus they can embrace the freedom they've been wanting for so long but didn't know how to find it or believe it was possible for them.
Salvation is for the least of these.
3) Jesus focused on the vulnerable and disadvantaged.
When we think of people who fit in the category of disadvantaged and vulnerable: the poor, the handicapped, the elderly or children may come to mind. And Jesus helped all of them.
He was focused on helping the poor. He instructed the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and give to the poor and he would have treasure in heaven. He did the same in Luke 12 when he taught about not worrying about tomorrow and building up treasures in heaven. In verse 33 he said, "sell your possessions and give to the poor".
Jesus didn't just tell others to focus on helping the poor; he led by example. Even though Jesus really didn't have anything to give, he showed care and concern for those in need. When he taught the crowds into the evening he provided the miracle of multiplying the loaves and the fish so the people could have something to eat.
When Jesus healed the woman with the bleeding issue, he was also healing her of her poverty. Mark 5:25-26 says she had this issue for 12 years and had spent all she had on different doctors looking for a cure but instead of getting better she got worse! So now, not only did she have the bleeding issue, she was broke too! So when Jesus healed her blood issue, he also healed her poverty issue.
All throughout the bible you see examples of God helping the poor. When God enabled Joseph to interpret Pharaoh's dreams he gave Joseph the plan that would provide food during the famine. God worked a miracle through Elijah for the widow and her son by multiplying what little flour and oil she had to keep them alive.
Jesus had a giving spirit and he taught his followers to be that way too. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to follow the golden rule. He wanted us to consider what we'd like someone to do for us if we were in need. Caring for the vulnerable and disadvantaged is part of what true religion is.
James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Widows and orphans would be among the most vulnerable. They didn't have a welfare system then so if a husband died the widow and her children would be reliant on the kindness of others to survive. Even though there are helpful programs today, God still wants us to focus on helping those who are vulnerable.
Along with orphans and widows we can extend that to include the elderly and children as a whole. When we think of vulnerable and disadvantaged we can include all who are unable to really fight for themselves like the mentally handicapped and those who have a disorder that puts them at a disadvantage in some way; especially those who are non-verbal.
Many of these people don't have enough people looking out for them. Unfortunately, there are people who prey on the handicapped and take advantage of them, financially or otherwise. So they need loving advocates who are willing to invest time and effort into helping them; people who will speak up for those who can't or don't know how to speak up for themselves.
Minorities and refugees can be vulnerable. We've seen the violent attacks on Asians recently. Being a different nationality can cause people to treat them differently. The Jews were doing this to the Samaritans. But Jesus ministered to them. The woman at the well is a good example of that. Because Jesus spoke with her, the whole town was influenced not only by what Jesus taught, but they were also influenced to believe that not all Jews felt negatively towards them.
The Jews would consider Samaritans to be disadvantaged half-breeds but Jesus portrayed them in positive light. The parable of the Good Samaritan is a good illustration of that. It shows what the Jew and the religious leader didn't do to help the wounded traveler and then it focuses on the true nature of love shown by the Samaritan.
Another good illustration Jesus used to communicate this is found in Luke 17 regarding the ten lepers who were healed. The only one who came back to thank Jesus and give glory to God was a Samaritan.
I have observed those whom society would consider less fortunate or disadvantaged and though it may be true in some ways, I have found some advantages they have over us. I have seen people with down syndrome who are happier and have a better attitude than most. I have seen them incorporate a work ethic that puts others to shame. I have seen them exhibit unmatched brotherly love and unity. I have seen behaviors in Shaun that outshines most others.
Some may look at these types of people as disadvantaged. But I truly believe what they lack in certain areas God more than makes up for in the areas that matter most. Jesus sees in them what too many fail to take the time to see. The irony is I think I'm more at a disadvantage than they are. We need to look at the least of these through the eyes and heart of Jesus. When we do, we show ourselves to be his sheep.
Matt. 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, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Helping the least of these is helping Jesus; and I think we all want to do that, right?
