Are We Called to the Least of These?
Written by Dylan Wells
Since our family moved to The Gambia earlier this year one of the things I have struggled with the most is the amount of people begging. The streets are full of people, and we are approached at every store or restaurant when we are in the city. Over the past few years, I have explored poverty alleviation, and I have learned that giving to those begging on the street is most often an inappropriate form of relief that can perpetuate rather than alleviate poverty. This leads me to politely say no when I encounter those asking.
My Bible reading plan had me reading Matthew 25 this past week and the second half of this passage hit harder than normal. Speaking of the final judgement Jesus says he will separate the sheep from the goats based on people’s response to the least of these. “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40 ESV) How can I reconcile the best practices in healthy, sustainable poverty alleviation with the command of Jesus to give to the least of these? I finished reading Matthew without an answer to this question.
While reading Paradigms in Conflict for my missions class this semester, I encountered a perspective that really resonated with me. David Hesselgrave writes that Matthew 25:31-46 is “one of the most misinterpreted, misunderstood, and misapplied passages in the entire New Testament.” (270) He writes that the “least of these my brothers” does not refer to the material poor, rather it refers to the people of God bringing the saving message of Jesus to others. This interpretation is best seen by looking back to Matthew 10. When sending out the twelve apostles, Jesus says “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. … And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water… will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42 ESV) Both chapters use similar language such as “littles ones” and “least of these” and mention the provision of water. This presents a strong case for Hesselgrave’s interpretation that Jesus’ test at the final judgement is not whether you feed the poor. Rather it is whether you welcomed and received Jesus’ sent ones and the gospel message that they bore.
As I have reflected on this newfound interpretation, there are three things that stand out to me:
Salvation is through grace by faith alone
Under my previous reading of Matthew 25, the one thing I could not reconcile was that this parable seemed to contradict the gospel. If I am dependent on the blood of Jesus for my forgiveness, why is Jesus basing his final decision on whether I said yes to the material needs of people I encountered? Jim Wallis, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice at Georgetown University, has described Matthew 25 as Jesus' “final test of discipleship,” applying “the least of these” to the poor, immigrants, and other vulnerable people. The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) but we also know that many who say Lord, Lord are not authentic believers (Matthew 7:21-23). How then are we to determine if we are following and obedient to Christ? Wallis would say that Matthew 25 provides clarity to this question based on each of our responses to the least of these. I would agree that Matthew 25 informs on this question, but it is not whether we care for the least of these, rather it is whether we become one of the least of these.
We are called to be one of the least of these
In our age of prosperity, it is difficult for western Christians to imagine we are the ones experiencing hunger, thirst, nakedness, and imprisonment that Jesus mentioned. From our vantage point we can only imagine ourselves as the ones meeting the needs. The reality is that Jesus is calling us to a life and faith that makes us one of the least of these. What are a couple simple ways we can adopt the posture of “the least of these”? First, bringing the gospel message to those who do not follow Christ. The most direct application of this parable is “that Jesus is referring to missionaries and their treatment at the hands of the ethne … to his “sent ones” or missionaries and those people of the world who either receive or reject them and their message.” (Paradigms in Conflict, 272) This is directly applicable to the situation in the world today where nearly 4.9 billion people live among 7,300 people groups that remain unreached by the gospel. Share the good news with those in your life and consider taking this message to the nations. Secondly, live a life of material simplicity modeled by Jesus. Reject the American standard of material consumption and expansion. If God is not calling you to the mission field, seek a life that leverages our resources of time and money for the glory of God and the expansion of his kingdom.
Yes, we are still called to the least of these, just maybe not in Matthew 25
Even if Matthew 25 is misinterpreted, there is still a clear call to engage and care for the poor in both the Old and New Testaments. (Deut. 15:7–11, Prov. 19:17, Isa. 58:6–10, Mic. 6:8, Matt. 6:1–4, Luke 14:12–14, Gal. 2:10, Jas. 2:14–17) As we take the gospel to the nations let’s bring sustainable development to increase the prosperity and quality of life of those we encounter. Here in The Gambia our family is leveraging Farming God’s Way to bring sustainable and healthy farming practices to rural villages.
One day we will gather before the throne of Jesus with every nation and witness the separation of the sheep and the goats. Thankfully we do not need to worry whether we did enough good deeds or if we gave food or drink to the right people. All we need to worry about is our response to the gospel when it was presented to us. Did I receive this message gladly and then pursue a life as one of Christ’s least of these brothers?
