3/29

Matthew 25:38-40

38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"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.'


At the final judgment every man will appear before the King to give an account of the things done during his life. The Son of Man will divide them into just two groups. He doesn't ask them about theology. There are no quizzes. The deciding factor is how they lived. Did they meet the needs of their fellow man? Or did they ignore the pain and suffering around them? One might argue that the only way a person is willing to give of himself out of unselfish motives is that the Spirit of Christ indwells him or her. Indeed, these who did meet the needs of others seem to be unaware that they did so. They did not boast about all the good things they had done, but instead asked when they did them.

Notice also that Jesus says they did it to Him. They asked how that could possibly be, and He explained that doing it to one of the least of His brothers is the same as doing it to Him. This reminds us of the Good Samaritan story.

I once asked the Lord how I could wash His feet. He showed me that washing the feet of His children was the same as doing it to Him. As I proceeded to do so, the realization that I was washing Jesus' feet in washing my brother's feet overwhelmed me. Can we see our brothers' needs as if they were Jesus' needs?

There is a story about three priests whose church was in continual decline. They asked a traveling Jewish rabbi if he had any ideas. The rabbi told them that he had heard Jesus was among them. Each of the priests suspected it was one of the other priests. They began to treat one another as if he were Christ. They began to prefer each other with great respect. The congregation began to grow again and its fame spread throughout the country. It is just a story, but it contains a great truth. Jesus lives in our brothers.

Remember: Let us treat one another as we would treat Jesus. He'll honor that. His life in us makes that possible.