Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.–Matthew 25:40
I was teaching a college class and a brisk discussion broke out about how some Christ-followers act in public. When thinking about Biblical commands like, “Let your light so shine,” “Love one another as I have loved you,” and, “Let us stop saying we love each other, let us show it,” you would imagine that we would get it. Jesus calls us to love people. They are made in the image of God just like us. They are loved by Jesus just like we are. Obedience to Jesus is an act of worship and devotion to the Lord. To love others is simply the least we can do for all that Jesus has done for us. Even so, students in the class had many stories to share in which they experienced a lack of love from other people who professed to follow Jesus. Here’s what one student, who waited tables at a local restaurant, said:
“My worst customers, for some reason, are Visible Christians — like the ten-person table, all jolly and sanctified after Sunday service, who ran me mercilessly and then left me a one-dollar tip on a $92 bill. Or, another guy with wearing a Christian T-shirt who complained that his baked potato was too hard and his iced-tea too icy (both of which I cheerfully fixed) and he left no tip at all.”
If only we viewed others the way Jesus sees others every time we look into the eyes of another human being. If only we would know that as we serve others, Jesus is being served. There are times that we all need to hear and re-hear His words, “When you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
GOING DEEPER:
1. When you read the passage from Matthew 25, what thoughts come to your mind? How do these thoughts make you feel? What can you say to God about those feelings?
2. What is your love quotient? In other words, how are you doing when it comes to demonstrating love to others?
FURTHER READING:
1 John 3:18-24; John 13:34-35; Matthew 25:31-46