Matthew 25 is usually quoted to remind us of the importance of “benevolent work” or prison ministry. The text says, “Insomuch as you did it unto one of the least of these, you did it unto me.”
Today I am thinking about a different application of this text. How do I treat my brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I sensitive? Do I recognize their needs, their frustrations and hurts, their challenges and doubts? Do I barge ahead in the name of ‘principle’ or do I in the name of compassion resist the temptation to get everything right?
God lives among his people. The Bible says that Jesus inhabits our hearts and that the Holy Spirit lives within us. How we treat one another is how we treat God. How can we say we love the unseen God when we mistreat our spiritual family whom we see each week? How can we have open hearts to God when we have closed and restricted hearts toward those around us?
Many of us (myself included) are good at process over people, transaction over transformation, developing projects more than developing people. Matthew 25 serves as a reminder that becoming like Jesus includes how we treat other people.