Service

Matthew 25:37-40

New International Version (NIV)

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

When was the last time you selflessly helped someone who you knew couldn't repay you?  As I was pondering this question this week, I realized it has been a long time for me. Not that I don't help my friends and family when they ask for favors, but lately, I haven't gone out of my way to help a stranger, and that's sad.

If you read Matthew 25:31-36, you will see Jesus talking about how the righteous will be separated from the unrighteous on the last judgement; the righteous will be eternally blessed and the unrighteous will be cursed.  One distinction he points out to his disciples between the two groups of people is that the righteous served one another. They fed the hungry, welcomed strangers, clothed the naked, and took care of the sick or in prison. God takes this personally. Jesus told his disciples that when they care for the least of his people, they are caring for him; however, when they neglect the least of these, they are neglecting Jesus himself.

Albert Barnes once noted three reasons why Jesus may have made a point to tell his disciples this story:

1. Because he wished to give pre-eminence to those virtues, to excite his followers to do them.
2. People should be punished for neglect as well as for positive sin. Sin is a violation of the law, or refusing to do what God commands.
3. Nothing better shows the true state of the heart than the proper performance of those duties, and the true character can be as well tested by neglecting them as by open crimes.

On one hand, being a "good person" by serving each other and refraining from sin cannot get you into heaven; we can only be saved by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).  On the other hand, if we trust and love God and are truly his followers, we will want to do what's right to please Him. Remember that Christian hymn "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love?"  True followers of Christ have His spirit; they can be recognized by how they serve each other, working and walking with one another out of love.

One thing we must understand, though, is that even if we do care for our neighbor and help one another, the reason for why we do these things matter.  When we serve, it should be out of love, because the holy spirit is moving us to do good things (whether we realize it or not). If we serve simply for our own image or reputation, or if we serve out of fear for what will happen if we don't, we aren't being sincere, and we aren't fooling God. Matthew 7:21-23 warns us about being a "false disciple," who does good things, but not for the sake of God.  Jesus said that when the day of judgement comes, they will not be recognized by God.

 Luckily for us, we have so many great reasons to do good for the world that selfish reasons aren't necessary. The only question left to ask ourselves is what good can we do?  What opportunities do we have to care for "the least of these?"  Aside from helping people in your everyday life, why not make a little extra effort to volunteer somewhere?  Most food pantries, homeless shelters, hospitals, children's organizations, and nursing homes have needs for volunteers and donations, so there are opportunities to help out in almost every community.  Ironically, when we go out of our way to help others, we are often the ones who benefits the most from it; the joy and humility that comes with service projects is an amazing reward for our efforts.

Therefore, let your compassion be a defining characteristic of who you are in Christ, and take advantage of opportunities that you have to do our Father's work with a spirit of love.

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