The Least Of These

After the service I saw her. A young teenaged blonde girl. She was short and slim. She was accompanied by what looked like to be a younger sister, older sister, and her mother. 

Our paths crossed near the exit. I stuck my right hand out to shake hands with her and introduce myself. She immediately stepped back and recoiled in fear. There were a few awkward seconds as she nervously looked back and forth from her mother to me. I pulled my hand back and told them my name. 

That young girl nervously remained a good distance from me. As we went our separate ways I wondered what horrible things that girl had endured to make her respond that way. I wondered if she had been abused by men. I also wondered who would point the way to her healing and wholeness. 

She has remained in my mind and heart since I crossed paths with her. She is one of the least of these. As well as the homeless, those in prison, and the impoverished. It is easy to turn a blind eye to such. Jesus did not. He embraced the least of these. 

Sometimes our churches can resemble a country club more than a hospital for sinners. We all look alike. Same kind of vehicles, homes, clothes  hair styles, and skin color. Some congregations intentionally target a certain segment of society. Jesus ministered to all types of people from different backgrounds. He broke down racial and cultural barriers. Sadly, His church often does not follow His example. 

Matthew 25:37-40 (ESV)
³⁷  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
³⁸  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
³⁹  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
⁴⁰  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Jesus identifies several different groups in this parable. He identifies the hungry and thirsty. He also points out the stranger and then another group as the naked. This could be people of different cultures and homeless people. Then He focuses on the sick and those in prison. I would identify these as the homebound, hospitalized and the incarcerated. 

These are groups of people many churches and professing Christians will go out of their way to avoid. Too dirty. Too difficult. Too messy. Too uncomfortable. It is easier to write a check and throw some money at the problem than to get involved. To love and get up close and personal. It is easier to take a mission trip than to live on mission right where you reside. It is more convenient to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving than to get involved in their lives after the holiday until the next year. 

We avoid the terminally ill. We don't know what to say. Maybe we don't have to say anything but just go and listen and love. We avoid the homeless. We avoid trashy people, immoral people with reputations, and dirty people needing a bath. We avoid the drug addict, prostitute, abused and the abuser. 

Yet Jesus said when we love and minister to the least of these it is like we are ministering to Jesus Himself. 

Look around you. Who are the least of these in your life. The elderly widow or widower long forgotten. The person of a different skin color. The person from a different country. The incarcerated convicted and guilty. The homebound senior citizen who never gets a phone call or a visitor. Sometimes you would even have to go out of your way to minister to any of these least of these. It is not convenient but is the heart of Jesus. 

May the Lord open our eyes and enlarge our hearts to love the unlovely, accept the unacceptable, befriend the unfriendly, and extend grace where justice says grace is not deserved. May we love and minister to the least of these.