Whatever You Did to the Least of These...

I really do believe He means whatever. Whatever good. Whatever evil. How we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ is exactly how we are treating Jesus.

There's at least two things that we need to take from the words of Jesus.
1) He places a greater value on other people than we do.
2) How we treat people matters.
There has to come a time in our lives where we actually believe what Jesus says. Where our faith sees this life through the same lens. Each and every person matters. Whether they are hungry or full, naked or clothed, in prison or out, part of our circle of friends or not.

I say all of this knowing full well that there are accusations being made right this moment by one Christian about another. Knowing that there are Christians who gossip, backbite, slander, and completely avoid certain members of the family. YES! I said family. Because we don't get to choose whose a part of this family. We don't get to decide whose legitimate and who is not. We should hear their testimony. We can see the fruit of their relationship. We are not the judge, but we will be judged according to how we treat them.

In case we missed it, the New Testament has an awful lot to say about the way we treat others. Jesus instructed us on how we treat our enemies (we are to love them), those who persecute us (pray for them), and even those who curse us (bless them). But what He said in Matthew 25 we hear the Father's heart on how we should be towards each other. This line of thinking is found throughout the Gospels and letters to the Early Church. Which tells me that this stuff matters.

We view spirituality much different than Jesus. We tend to focus on our devotion to service times, Bible reading, offerings, and the amount of Christian music we listen to. A checklist to make sure that we REALLY are in the faith. All the while ignoring some of the weightier matters of what we are to believe. Things like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Exactly the things that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for ignoring. There's a reason why He said that our righteousness should exceed their righteousness. These things matter.

Love for one another IS the very thing that Jesus said would prove to the world that we are really His. REALLY HIS!!! So how we talk to one another, treat one another, care for one another, talk about one another, etc. These things matter. And I honestly believe that the world would be a much better place if we took them seriously.

I realize that this may sound harsh, but that is not my heart. I want us to take the "red letters" of Jesus and put them to the forefront of our thinking. If He said it, it matters. We should put our focus on these things and trust the grace of God to enable us to make it happen. Let's see people exactly the way Jesus does. Let's treat them exactly the way we would treat Him. Let's allow love, honor, respect, and genuine care be named among us. When we do there is a great possibility that we will see Jesus more clearly. In the others.

God, being God, makes sure that we have ample opportunities to experience the Kingdom. Each and every day. The people you worship with each and every week. Your coworkers and/or employees. The people at the rec field and at the ballgame. All opportunities to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Let's get to it.

Remember: Whatever we do - we do it to Him. What an adventure!