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Meditation for your Inspiration and Elevation
Matt. 25:40 “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.’Luke 12: 48 For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more
Jesus and the “Least of These”
Since the Trump administration is drastically and recklessly cutting jobs and services and targeting other vulnerable groups with seemingly no concern about their wellbeing, I thought this would be a good time to remind those who claim to be Christians of Jesus’ expressed concern about the powerless and vulnerable. Jesus called such people, “The least of these,” and challenged those who claim to love Him to show that love in the way they treated them.
To make His point Jesus tells a parable recorded by Matthew in the 25th. chapter of the gospel that bears his name. The scripture used as the background for this meditation comes at the close of that parable.
In the parable Jesus tells of the time when the Son of God will come into His glory and gather the people of the world before Him. He will then reward them according to the way they had responded to the needs of those they encountered who were most in need. According to Jesus, those who spend their lives serving the least among men will be given an everlasting place in His kingdom, and those who ignore the least among them will be banished to eternal darkness.
This parable highlights the most distinguishing quality of Christian character, a genuine concern for the less fortunate, “the least of these.” A true follower of Christ shows the greatest concern for those who have the greatest needs. Jesus demonstrated that concern throughout His earthly ministry. He started His public ministry with a declaration of that concern:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Throughout the four gospels, the scriptures are so clear and abundant on Jesus’ concern for those who are suffering, that it is hard to imagine one claiming to be a Christian while showing no concern for the less fortunate. It is hard to imagine a nation claiming to be a Christian nation, or a Christ inspired nation, without showing care and kindness to its most vulnerable citizens, “The least of these.” And the more one has, or the more a nation has, the more God expects of that person or nation. Jesus said as much when He said, “Of him whom much is given, much is required.”
In our present climate of greed and selfishness, Christians should be mindful of the caring qualities of those who truly represent Christ. We should be mindful of His concern for the humble, the meek, the left-out, those who some would call "losers." Jesus calls such people, “the least of these,” and they are important to Him. And He requires that those who follow Him show their devotion to Him by the way they treat those who have the least.
It is especially important that those with power and influence care about the least among us, and it is dangerous to empower anyone who does not have the proper concern for the powerless. The “least of these” will always be with us and it will be the responsibility of the rest of us to appeal to the very best in us to ensure that they live lives of decency and dignity.
The people of God should always challenge the people of power to do right by the children of God. And if the powerful use their power to exploit and abuse the powerless, the people who truly represent God should stand up to the powerful in defense of the powerless so that the will of God will prevail in the land.
Ultimately, concern for the least among us must come from our allegiance to the God who made all of us. Those who are properly connected to God are concerned about all His children, even “the least of them.” And those who are concerned about a place in His Kingdom are assured by Jesus that proper treatment of the least among you is the surest way to get there.
William Jenkins