Who Are The Least of These?
The marginalized? The unborn? Children in schools? Minority groups? Veterans?
This is a loosely related series considering:
What is the Church?
What is her purpose?
How does she accomplish it?
You can read my first post of the series here, which outlines in broad strokes the purpose of the Church and how she should accomplish it,
Here is the second post that specifically looks at what God meant by “loving the neighbor” in the Old Testament.
Here is the third post that addresses Who Are The Foreigners?
Today, we are considering who Jesus meant by “the least of these, my brothers,” in his Matthew 25 parable.
Who Are the “Least of These”?
In Matthew 25, Jesus makes a bold statement: whoever cares for “the least of these” has an eternal reward. Wow! That’s a weighty declaration. The Least of These are hungry, naked and imprisoned; certainly they are very needy. But who are they? Are they all needy people? Do people need to take care of the every single needy people group to get that heavenly reward?
That seems unlikely. How could taking care of somebody get you to heaven? Acts 4:12 clearly states that the only way to eternal reward is through Jesus, and the Bible doesn’t contradict itself.
Jesus’s Brothers
Deeper reading of the text gives us a clue. Jesus says eternal reward follows those who care for the “least of these, my brothers.” But who are Jesus’s brothers?
Jesus’s brothers are those men and women who are members of the family of God, which is the global church (Matthew 9:37–38). So that means that Jesus’s brothers (that is, Christians) are hungry, naked, and imprisoned.
This interpretation actually parallels the entire tenth chapter of Matthew and Mark 9:38–41 quite nicely.
Sent Out, Flogged, Rejected
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the Twelve to preach the gospel as strangers in Jewish cities where they were unknown and without support. Jesus warns them that it will be difficult. They will be flogged and destitute. Disowned and rejected.
And how does Matthew 10 end? Jesus says:
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
What does this sound like?
This sounds like Matthew 25. But here, it’s explicit:
Whoever welcomes the Twelve, actually welcomes Jesus.
Whoever welcomes the Twelve, gets a prophet’s reward.
Jesus even goes so far as to call his disciples “little ones,” echoing the “least of these” in Matthew 25.
Paul’s Experience
This description also precedes the Apostle Paul’s own experiences. He wrote to the Church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:23–28):
“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
Three times, I was beaten with rods; once, I was pelted with stones; three times, I was shipwrecked;
I spent a night and a day in the open sea, and I have been constantly on the move.
I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles;
in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false believers.
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep;
I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;
I have been cold and naked.”
Why the Suffering?
And why? Why was Saint Paul flogged and imprisoned? Why were Jesus’s disciples, in Matthew 10 and Matthew 25, hungry and naked?
The answer to the question is this: Jesus’s disciples were destitute because they had laid everything aside to share the gospel, and it was not always well received.
To reiterate Matthew 10:
Jesus sent his disciples out as strangers with a message from Jesus himself: the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
He told them not to bring a spare set of clothing or a bag of money.
These messengers he was sending out would be arrested, he warned, and imprisoned.
Their bodies might be killed, he said, but their souls would be saved.
How amazing that his followers did this willingly!
Who Receives the Reward?
Finally, we must consider: who is it that receives the eternal reward? Who is it that cares for the least of Jesus’s brothers?
If it is correct that the disciples of Jesus went out destitute, sharing the gospel message and leading people across the world in the knowledge and worship of God, then those who accepted the least of Jesus’s brothers were the unbelievers who welcomed the gospel message.
This interpretation is consistent with the whole of scripture: those who accepted the disciples and their gospel message ultimately accepted Jesus, and in accepting Jesus through the testimony of the “least of these” they would have an eternal reward (Acts 4:12).
By contrast, those people who did not accept the disciples and their gospel message did not accept Jesus and therefore they would go into everlasting punishment.
The Least of These Are Gospel Messengers
The least of Jesus’s brothers are the men and women of God who are sacrificing it all for the sake of sharing the gospel.
Like all of us, they live their lives fulfilling the Great Commission, the one and only Mission Christ has prepared for us. For the “least of these, my brothers,” however, their commitment to the cause costs them more than the average Christian.
For this reason, Jesus says:
“Treat them well! For however you treat my brothers is how you treat me.”
Postscript
Christians can care for the marginalized and needy without erroneously referencing Matthew 25. For example, Paul writes to the Church in Galatia:
“Be sure to do good to all people, especially those in the household of God,”
— which I think is a great perspective for how Christians are to navigate the many necessary causes available to us today.
Do good to everyone.
Especially the Church.
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Ephesians 3:10–11
Another great read and timely post. Excellent.