Who are the least of these?
Imagine an alternate timeline where Christ, in His Sovereignty, decided to not reveal Himself to the apostle Paul, a counterfactual similar to the one presented in 1 Samuel 23:19-24 where God revealed to King David what Saul would do if he did not flee from Keliah.
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 11:20-24
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
Romans 9:14-18
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Romans 3:23
Truly the Lord does not owe any of us mercy and if He decided to only give us judgment, He would be doing nothing wrong. Think of the conversation the unconverted Saul may have had with the Lord.
Saul: “Lord, Lord I didn't know. I didn't know it was You…”
The Lord: “You had my word Saul, as a Pharisee you were expertly trained in the religious law which ultimately led to your downfall! You were more concerned with the traditions of men and your own esteem than what the truth of scripture actually taught. All you had to do was read the prophecies Saul! You had the law and the prophets and someone with your training along with the intellectual capacity I blessed you with should have easily seen it, but your pride is now your downfall!”
Saul: “But Lord… I was in ignorance.”
The Lord: “Yes Saul, I know, but you had the moral law written into your conscience and my invisible attributes have been clearly seen by you so that you are without excuse. When you were stoning Me, Saul, did you feel any amount of regret, remorse or sadness?”
Saul: “What do you mean Lord, when did I ever stone you or even see you until now?”
The Lord: “When you did it to the least of these, my servant Stephan you did it to Me! I dwelled inside of Him with my Spirit and felt every ounce of pain, but I comforted him. You say you know the law, quote it Saul. Quote it now! Ezekiel 33:11!”
Saul: “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?”
The Lord: “And yet even though Stephen is righteous before me through faith, even within your perspective you should rather have mourned his execution and not approved it! Hosea 6:6.”
Saul: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
The Lord: “Yet you delighted in the execution of my servant Stephen, exposing the wickedness in your heart. Where there should have been compassion and sorry in his death, pride and approval swelled within you. Depart from me Saul, you worker of iniquity, I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
Now, the hypothetical is built on a question I have concerning the text of Matthew 25:40, who are the least of these Christ is referring to? I have two thoughts on this, but I believe both are consistent with the text of Matthew 25:31-36.
The simplest explanation for, “the least of these” are the poor, the marginalized and the outcasts of society, people that God consistently has had a heart for throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
[9] “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. [10] And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:9-10
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-14
The Messiah being God in the flesh (Jeremiah 23:4-6, Colossians 1:15) then identifying with those whom He has a heart for makes sense as a viable interpretation, however it is the term in Matthew 25:40 that causes me a moment of reexamination.
[37] “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? [39] When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:37-40
What exactly does the Lord mean by brothers and sisters in this context? Surely the Lord would not consider an adulterous, unrepentant homeless man who hates God His brother or sister and so I find myself within another line of reasoning.
Consider the following verses…
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:31-35
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:13-24
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
Romans 8:9
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:15-27
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
So it seems from these verses we learn the following.
that the Lord Jesus does not consider those of biological relation to be His true family, but those who love, follow and obey God (Mark 3:31-35).
Those who have placed their faith in Christ receive the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Christ who dwells inside of them, literally having Christ dwell on their body (Ephesians 1:13-24, Romans 8:9, John 14:15-27, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Believers as a whole are considered the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
This means that the Triune God of the universe dwells in every born again believer. When we feel pain, He feels our pain. When we feel happy, He feels happy and when someone helps us or hurts us, it's as if they are doing it to Christ Himself. If we are a thumb in the body of Christ, when someone harms us it's as if they are hurting the thumb of God. If someone gouges our eyes, it's as if they are gouging the eyeballs of Mercy in the sockets of the Son of God.
Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”
Luke 10:16
Are Christians then the least of these? I find the most compelling support for this view in the scripture below.
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 9:1-6
The Lord equates persecution of His children as persecution against Himself and how one treats a genuine Christian is a good measure of their attitude towards God Himself.
I personally believe from the scriptures above with my own personal contemplation of scripture that Christ is going to examine how the world treated His children and will use their treatment of them as a metric of judgment to prove whether or not their faith in Him was genuine or false.
How you treat a follower of Christ is a direct reflection of how you would treat their Master and so I believe the “least of these” does not only apply to the downtrodden, the outcast, the poor, or the foreigner, but to God's actual children.
It is impossible for a born again believer to hate their brothers and sisters in Christ as God's love should flow out of them for their brother or sister and if there is a conflict, rest assured the Holy Spirit will restore the relationship.
11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:11-15
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
James 2:14-19
If you hate someone, you will not feed them. If you say you love someone, but don't help them, your actions betray your words. True love and care for others is always accompanied by actions and so if the world sees a Christian in need and is apathetic to them, it's proof they care nothing for God as the Holy Spirit within them would cause them to run to their brother or sister in Christ’s aid. If they refuse to offer any help because they are a Christian it simply means they hate Jesus.
I believe that on the last day Christians will ask the Lord, “Who were you dwelling in when I gave to the poor, took care of the sick or visited in prison?” I believe the Lord will gladly tell them how He felt as you cared for the person He dwelt in as He heard every encouraging word you offered to His sick child. To His children that were starving, how the food you offered tasted and the relief He felt knowing His needs were taken care of for the day. To the child of His in prison, how you spent time with Him, sharing His light to the soul He was dwelling within as they were in that dark place.
I also believe that on the last day, non-Christians will be as confused as Saul of Tarsus pre conversion. They will ask the Lord, “When did we not feed You, care for You or comfort You?”
I believe He may something along the lines of,
“Remember that homeless man you ignored who approached you at the gas station? Remember that outcast you refused to invite to join your small group? Remember the troubled youth who had no father to care for her? They were all My children. When you did not do it for them, I felt it. I hurt alongside them. When you did it to them, you did it to Me.”
I believe the Lord’s mission is primarily for the marginalized of society and so I believe the question of the least of these is not an either or, but a both and.
Regardless of how you want to interpret who the least of these are, one thing is for certain.
If the least of these are not Christians, then those who care nothing about the poor, the destitute, the prisoner, the foreigner or the outcast their heart does not align with the heart of Christ, proving they are far from knowing Him.
If the least of these are Christians, then those who despise and hate them prove they do not know Christ as Savior and Lord.
Whatever your view is, whichever interpretation you believe one thing is certain.
How you treat the least of these, proves whether you are blessed and on the right side of Christ or cursed and on His left.
Our response to the least of these exposes our heart and demonstrates if we are aligned with Him or if we are far away from Him.
The question now is, what is your heart to the least of these?
I pray this helps you in your own self reflection. God Bless
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