Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – The Least of These
September 2007
Our Lord and “the Least of These”
The Kingdom of God offers a very different perspective on those in need. God’s heart is on the side of “the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). In most cases, we know the address or location of where Jesus would show up if he came to our city. In Isaiah 60:22, the Kingdom of God is described as making certain that “the least one will become a thousand and the smallest one a mighty nation.” Hannah prayed in 1 Samuel 2:8, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.”
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We are all called to serve among the poor in some way. It is |
A central component of the mission of the Messiah is “to bring good news to the poor.” God comes down and sees the misery of his people and rescues them (Exodus 3:7-8). The Psalmist points us to what God is like when he says, “My whole being will exclaim, ‘Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them’” (Psalm 35:10). Hundreds of other passages point us to the clear fact that God’s heart is full of compassion and love for the poor. He treats the poor and needy with marvelous dignity and respect.
But, God goes much further in his love for the poor than merely loving them and attempting to lift them up. God in Jesus Christ became poor for us: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus’ poverty must not be spiritualized. He became poor for us so that we might live! The Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). In The Message, Eugene Petersen translates this passage by saying, “He moved into the neighborhood.”
Our Calling to “the Least of These”
God’s kingdom, like all kingdoms, has a culture. In his kingdom culture, the mind and heart of God reigns supreme. Paul tells us that as his kingdom citizens, we are to take on the mind of Christ “by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Philippians 2:2). We are called to take on the heart of God and this includes his love for the poor.
Jesus tells us in John 20:21, “Peace be unto you, as the Father has sent me, I also am sending you.” We are not only to take on the mind of Christ, but we are to minister as he ministered. This certainly involves his incredible passion for the poor and needy.
When we appear before Christ, one of the primary topics of concern will be how his people fed the hungry, how we gave the thirsty a drink and clothed the poor (Matthew 25:34-40). He says, “To the extent that you did it to the least of these brothers of mine, even the least of these, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). When we are full of God’s Spirit, we will naturally develop a concern for the poor and needy. In some cases, we will have such a heart of compassion for those in need that we will not even be aware of how we have served the needs of others.
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Alan Andrews is the US director for The Navigators. Prior to his current position, he directed ministries in Canada, Asia and the US for The Navigators. |