This past Sunday was Christ the King Sunday and the reading for the day was from Matthew 25, where Jesus tells His listeners what they have done for the least of society – the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned, the sick, the stranger, the unclothed – they have done for Jesus the King. Similarly, what they had not done for the least of these, had also not been done for Jesus the King.
This can be a difficult teaching when faced with the breadth and depth of need. It’s a golden opportunity to beat yourself up and/or develop a myriad of excuses. Alternatively, it can be a golden opportunity to exalt oneself and compare what I do to what you do.
None of those are appropriate responses. Three different things come to mind for me. First, what we do or don’t do has to flow from our heart and our relationship with Jesus. It can’t be viewed as an opportunity to score Heavenly Points. This teaching is an opportunity to examine our own hearts and determine our alignment or misalignment with Jesus and the heart of God.
Second, sometimes, just sometimes, we are the least of these. We all have times where we need others to step in and help us. But too often our pride in our own self-sufficiency, in our “I should be able to stand on my own two feet”, keeps us from receiving from others. We short circuit opportunities for others. We short circuit opportunities for community and modeling for others what receiving can look like. That also teaches us a lot about how to give assistance. There are so many toxic ways to reach out that deny dignity to those we would help.
Third, while the list is very practical and fairly specific, I think it is a list not just for the physical world. How many people are hungry for God’s love? How many need His water of refreshment and restoration? How many are imprisoned by shame and lies? How many need to be clothed in God’s grace given through us?
The “least of these” is multifaceted and we can see not only others in it, but often ourselves.
Just Sayin' 