Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Sent: Mon, 5 May 2008 05:47:42 -0500
To: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Subject: Morning Manna May 6-BP: Mt. 25:31-46; RBTTY: Lk. 23:26-56; I Kings 21-22
May 6 “The Least of These”
“Then shall they also answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when saw we You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister unto You?’ Then shall He answer them, saying, ‘Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.’ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment—but the righteous into life eternal.”
Matthew 25:44-46
Next time we see that beggar on the street or the homeless bag lady sitting on a park bench, we might do well to stop and take a second look; we might be surprised Whom we see.
“The least of these.”
The Lord Jesus sure didn’t have in mind the “rich-and-famous” or someone who’s “at the top of his game” when He spoke these words. He was talking about the “down-and-outs” in life. . .the person who’s “fallen on hard times”. . .the one who’s lost everything in the gambling hall. . .the drunkard whose whole life revolves around the bottle. . .the one who made a few bad decisions and will spend the next 25 years behind bars regretting it . . .the one whose “night out on the town” ended up ruining his marriage, costing him his job (and dignity) and who’s dwelling at “Wits’ End Corner” (Ps. 107:27), wondering if life’s worth living.
These are “the least of these.”
It’s easy to look down on them, especially when we’ve got a 9-5 job, a nice car to drive, fancy clothes to wear, large house with manicured yard in a nice neighborhood. But, we’d better read today’s Manna along with Jesus’ sobering words in Lk. 16:19-31 lest we fall into the devil’s trap of contented complacency and Christ’s condemnation.
There’s a lot of talk today about Jesus’ return. We love to speculate and debate over where it’s going to be before or after the Tribulation. But, dear Pilgrim, could it be that He’s already here—in the form of “the least of these”?
Could it be the way we treat those, who are the “throwaways” of society, speaks more loudly of “true Christianity” than all of our hymns, doctrinal statements, stained-glass windows and towering steeples?
As Rick Warren said in his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, “When we get to Heaven, God’s going to ask us two questions: What did you do with My Son, Jesus? And, what did you do with what I gave you?”
Tough questions, aren’t they?
Most certainly. And, they’re questions that demand a response. Abstaining is not an option. . .not in light of the seriousness of Jesus’ words in today’s Manna. Oh, dear Pilgrim, the world’s dying “without hope and without God” (Eph. 2:12). Do we care? Do we? Or, perhaps we should ask, “Do we love Jesus? Really, really love Him?” If so, then we MUST love “the least of these”—regardless of who they are or the color of their skin—and express it by helping them in tangible ways.
Thanks,
Mr. Lynn M. Smith
Department Business Administrator
Department of Economics
204C McElhinney Hall
(713) 743-3802 (office)
(713) 743-3798 (fax)
LSmith20@central.uh.edu (email)
http://www.class.uh.edu/econ/ (department website)
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