Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25: 34-40, NKJV.
Merciful Father, please give us a heart like Yours to minister to the needy. This is our prayer as we enter the study of Your Word, in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
We live in a very individualistic society, with people who love to boast about “pulling [themselves] up by [their] own boot straps.” While their achievements, at times, call forth my admiration, their attitude and stories, oftentimes do not. I warm up to the stories of people giving thanks to other people who helped them in their climb up the ladder of success. I believe that the original plan of God was for people to live together in community.
Could Adam in his sinless state, have cared for the garden of Eden by himself? I am sure he could. Yet God created Eve, someone equal to him, to be his companion, to help him with the chores of caring for the garden, and to rule alongside him, over the rest of creation.
When our first parents sinned, could God have sent angels to preach the good news of salvation to human beings? I am sure He could have; Instead, he chose people like you and me, to minister to other human beings, and tell them what great things God has done for us.
When the Savior was to come to our world, could He have been born without the help of a human being? I have no doubt that God could have designed a way for Jesus to come into the world without the help of Mary. Although Jesus was the Son of God, Joseph was used by God, that the Savior could grow up in a complete home,with a mom, a dad, and siblings. The Godhead prepared a plan of salvation, that included human beings.
All through His life, Jesus the Creator, subjected Himself to human limitations, and depended on the ministry of another to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3: 13-15); on the kindness and hospitality of His friends, to share their home and their time with Him (Luke 10: 38-42); on the generosity of believers to “minister unto Him” (Mark 15: 41). To the very end, He requested the prayers of His friends, to enable Him to drink the cup of woe to the bitter end (Matthew 26: 38-45).
Some people actually believe that whatever they have accomplished, have been all their doing. That is not exactly so. There are parents, teachers, peers, and people who have crossed their paths, who, in one way or another, have helped to make them who they are. Their kindness has blessed them, or, their lack of kindness, has helped them to grow, and become independent.
In this parable, Jesus has shown us “a better way.” People need people. We can follow the example of the Savior who spent His life here on earth – going about “doing good” (Acts 10: 38). We can contribute to the cause of “the least of these,” by being a voice for the voiceless. We can follow in the footsteps of the Savior by serving others, instead of waiting to be served (Mark 10: 45). And we can seek to tell people everywhere, that Jesus is Lord, Savior, and soon-coming King!
When we serve in love, we will not be keeping score. Therefore, when the Savior reminds us of the things we did, we won’t even remember that we did them! But He will – because as we serve “the least of these” we will be serving Him.
NOTE: I have added some clarifying statements to our devotional for today.