MINISTERING
UNTO JESUS
Matthew
25:31-46
Introduction: A young lady named Sally took a seminary
class taught by Professor Smith, who was known for his elaborate object
lessons. One day Sally walked into class to find a large target placed on the
wall, with several darts resting on a nearby table. Professor Smith told the
students to draw a picture of someone they disliked or someone who had made
them angry-and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s image.
One
drew a picture of another woman who had stolen her boyfriend. Another drew a
picture of his younger brother. Sally drew a picture of Professor Smith,
putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on his
face! The class lined up and began throwing darts amidst much laughter. Some of
the students threw with such force that they ripped apart their targets. But
Sally, looking forward to her turn, was filled with disappointment when
Professor Smith asked the students to return to their seats so he could begin
his lecture.
As
Sally fumed about missing her chance to throw the darts, the professor began
removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture of
Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled image of
their Savior-holes, and jagged marks covered his face. His eyes were virtually pierced
out.
Professor
Smith said only these words, "In as much as ye have done it unto the least
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." In the Message Bible, it reads:
Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was
me, "you did it to me."[1]
In
the passage, we see how the Chief shepherd now as the King, when he returns to
the earth would judge the people based on their actions or non-actions in His
Kingdom.
In
Chapter 24, Jesus began to teach his disciples about the end times and the
signs of His return to the earth. He warns them saying no one knows the day of
their Lord’s return. Therefore, they were to be vigilant and prepared to meet
their Lord at any unexpectant day or hour. To make them ready for his return,
he tells them the stories of the Ten Virgins and the talents. Now it is not the
Storytime anymore; it is the time to talk about the end times.
I. THE SHEEP AND THE
GOATS
Vs.
31-33 “When he finally arrives,
blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his
place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him,
and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd
sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.” The
Message. Again, we see here the motif of a shepherd.
At
one point, Jesus, while predicting His death also makes a passing remark of his
return. Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the
glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.” Here
the Son of Man is referring to Jesus.
One
commentator notes, these verses speak of the judgment preceding Jesus’1000-year
reign on the earth, where He will establish his Kingdom, sitting on the throne,
he will judge the nations. His verdict is addressed not to the countries but
the individuals in those countries.” As a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.” Right and left are not as you might think our
political parties, but the two sides of Jesus’ throne. What about the
separation of the sheep from the goats? While sheep and goats have many
similarities, yet they are distinct in their behavior, and preferences of food
and shelter.
At
the time of herding, a shepherd keeps both of them in the wilderness. But when
he brings them home in the evening, he separates them based on their preferences.
In a spiritual sense, the sheep and the goats represent the righteous and the
wicked.
On
the day our Chief shepherd returns, to establish His millennial kingdom, He separates
the righteous from the wicked. Until such time they both may live together
without distinction. Here is the distinction in the end times. Malachi 3:18, “17
“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my
treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves
him. Then once more, you shall see the distinction between the righteous and
the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”
In
our world today, the righteous seem to be struggling, and the wicked
prospering. When we see this happening over and over again, we wonder, is it
worth keeping our faith? Do we wonder where fairness and justice are? Welcome to the world of struggling
Christians. To gain the right perspective of our struggles, let’s read Psalm
73: 1-24.
“For
I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they
have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in
trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of humanity. Therefore,
pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. All in vain, have I kept my heart clean and
washed my hands in innocence…
But
when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until
I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” That is why it is
so vital that we come to church regularly so that we can learn to hold on to
our faith when we feel like giving up. Coming back to our passage, we hear
Jesus said two times, “the least of my brethren.”
II THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN!
After
separating the righteous from the wicked Jesus will address them based on what
they have done or not done. He welcomes the righteous to inherit the Kingdom
and sends the wicked into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and the
demons, because of their treatment or the lack thereof towards the least of His
brethren. Who are these brethren that he is referring to?
There
are various explanations as to who they are. Some would say this refers to other
disciples. Some would apply this to the nation of Israel. The term “my brothers
and sisters,” applies not only to the nearby disciples, but it goes even beyond
as Jesus once declared to everyone who does the will of His Father in heaven
are his brothers and sisters. (Matthew 12:50)
I
think that the phrase, “the least of my brethren” is much broader, it is not
exclusively for his followers but to all those who are overlooked and ignored.
In general, everyone who is in need is a brother and sister of Jesus Christ.
Whatever we do or don’t do to them, affects Jesus.
III. MINISTERING
UNTO JESUS
Let’s see the discourse between
Jesus, the righteous, and the wicked. Vs. 34-36, “ I was hungry, and you fed
me, I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink, I was homeless, and you gave me a
room, I was shivering, and you gave me clothes, I was sick, and you stopped to
visit, I was in prison, and you came to me.” Vs. 37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going
to say,
‘Master,
what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you,
thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison
and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth:
Whenever
you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you
did it to me.” The same set of circumstances and challenges were presented to
the wicked as well. They too have responded just like the righteous saying when
did we ever see you hungry etc. But when the final verdict was delivered the
righteous were invited and welcomed into the kingdom, whereas the wicked were
banished into eternal damnation.
What
is going on here? The righteous are living their faith out by involving in
mundane and random acts of kindness. Their acts of kindness were being taken
into account by God who notices everything and judges everyone based on their
actions.
Whereas
the wicked because of their preoccupation and self-indulgence missed out on
the opportunities. They ignored the plight of the poor, the sick, the hungry,
the homeless, and the imprisoned. Hence, they were sent into the eternal fire. Let’s
recap what we have learned so far.
On
the day Christ returns, he will separate the righteous from the wicked based on
how they have responded or failed to respond to the needs of the least of His
brothers and sisters. The righteous will be with God eternally in heaven,
whereas the wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire which is prepared for
the devil and the demons. What a dreadful end that would be!
What
does minister “to the least of Jesus’ brethren” look like? It sees the
opportunities around us to minister to Jesus. As we visit someone who is sick,
lonely, in a homeless shelter, prison, or going through a hard time, we will be
ministering to Jesus. Sometimes these opportunities don’t come in pretty
packages. If we are looking for the pats on our backs or scoring brownie
points, we have missed it completely.
Doing
it unto the least of Jesus’ brethren may mean inviting someone over to your
home or taking someone on a trip or out for a meal or helping with a practical
need like mowing the lawn etc. Mother Theresa said of her motivation to
establish a home for the dying destitute in Calcutta, “I see God in every human
being. When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is
it not a beautiful experience?” She is an incredible role model to follow.
At
Hope Church, I have seen many of you ministering to Jesus in small and big ways.
You send out get well cards, visit the sick in the hospitals, cook meals, make
phone calls, give rides, give words of encouragement, and pray for the needs of
our congregation. When we finally stand before Jesus, I don’t want anyone of us
to miss out on hearing our Lord say to us, “Come, you who are blessed by my
Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you.”? Let’s not miss out on the
opportunity to minister to our Lord Jesus, through random acts of kindness. Amen!
[1] (Lee
Rhodes, Wheeler, Michigan)
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/22661/angels-by-russell-brownworth?ref=TextIllustrationSerps
