Where is God's Work Done?
“‘When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 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.’”
Matthew 25:39-40, NIV
Where is God’s work done?
As a young Christian, I thought it was in doing big things for God that I would accomplish a kind of great good for Him through a winsome and attractive ministry or act of service. I saw greatness in the way the world sees greatness: through strength or success, albeit from a religious not monetary point of view.
The parable of the sheep and the goats comes in a collection of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew’s Gospel, which asks the question: what are you doing that God has entrusted to you? What are you doing with your inheritance? Are you ready for the day you meet Jesus face-to-face?
And this parable – the third of the three – reveals the character and shape of that readiness. It is not in great accomplishments. It is not through whether we can organize or lead a great ministry. It is not how much we have fought or defended the Christian faith. It is not in how many Christian-themed sayings we have on our mantel or how many Bible verses we share on social media. It is not through how well we can quote Scripture or how well we know and use the prayer book.
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these ... you did for me.”
The least of these. The last among us. The lowliest. The most in need. Those who wouldn't be able to repay or give back. Those whose opinions don’t matter to the world at large.
God’s work is done in the quiet: in and among the least and the lost where there is no media coverage. It’s done through small acts of caring for those without because we know we, too, are without, yet have been met by the grace and love of God. It’s the same as where God works in us: where we are helpless, weak and broken.
We do God’s work when we learn to forgo outcomes, popularity, successes, reputation and so on, all for simply serving those who are the least among us. That is what we do, and that is what has been done for us.
