Saturday, March 05, 2005
Who Are "The Least?"
This week's Vox Apologia is hosted by Amy's Humble Musings and the topic is The Least of These. First of all let me begin by thanking Amy, it's a big chore.
I think I shall start by looking at the entire scripture from which the subject phrase is drawn.
The second approach I came up with was to examine this passage in light of the parable that immediately precedes it. You know, the parable of the servants and the talents. But I posted on that preceding parable just a few days ago. Comparing the two parables comes down to a simple conclusion, God values both stewardship and charity. There I have finished that approach.
Which leaves us with the third approach, which is to ask the question, "Who are 'the least of these?'" Of course, anybody who has done this passage in a Bible study has the quick answer -- the starving in Africa, the homeless on the streets, the oppressed in (choose your oppressive nation here)....This is a very fair answer. I do think God is speaking of such people when He speaks of "the least of these." But I don't think He stops there.
God equates "the least of these" to Himself. Does that mean that if we are amongst the "haves" of the world, that we are not as close to God as the "have nots?" Are we all called to vows of poverty? Jeez, I hope not.
We are admonished not to seek equality with God.
We are called to spiritual poverty. But if we are all spiritually poor who gets to be the righteous? Why we do! There, is that enough of a circle for you.
Time to bottom line this. We are BOTH, "the least of these," and those who are supposed to provide for them. I love that idea because of how mindful it keeps me of the fact that I have nothing to offer, save for that which God has supplied.
I see far too many people who have a patronizing attitude when it comes to dealing with the poor and hungry and oppressed. Oh sure, they are willing to throw money at them, but they want to keep them separate somehow. How can we keep them separate? -- WE ARE THEM.
I have no illusions about "the nobility of the impoverished," many of them are just mentally ill, stinky people. But on a spiritual level, so am I. So go ahead, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, comfort the oppressed, but please don't do so out of your wealth. Do so out of your poverty. This is not about benevolence. This is not about bestowing out of your plenty. This is about sharing out of your poverty.
I think I shall start by looking at the entire scripture from which the subject phrase is drawn.
Matt 25:31-46As I have thought about this topic, I have come up with three approaches to it. The first would be to relate the story of the time I got into a fight with ushers at the church I was attending because they tried to keep a VERY smelly homeless person out of the worship service. But I think that sentence alone gets the point across pretty well.
31 "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' 44 "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The second approach I came up with was to examine this passage in light of the parable that immediately precedes it. You know, the parable of the servants and the talents. But I posted on that preceding parable just a few days ago. Comparing the two parables comes down to a simple conclusion, God values both stewardship and charity. There I have finished that approach.
Which leaves us with the third approach, which is to ask the question, "Who are 'the least of these?'" Of course, anybody who has done this passage in a Bible study has the quick answer -- the starving in Africa, the homeless on the streets, the oppressed in (choose your oppressive nation here)....This is a very fair answer. I do think God is speaking of such people when He speaks of "the least of these." But I don't think He stops there.
God equates "the least of these" to Himself. Does that mean that if we are amongst the "haves" of the world, that we are not as close to God as the "have nots?" Are we all called to vows of poverty? Jeez, I hope not.
We are admonished not to seek equality with God.
Phil 2:5-8So maybe we are not supposed to be poor, but we are called to "empty ourselves." What's the difference between a vow of poverty and "emptying ourselves?" Well, one happens on a physical level and the other on a spiritual level.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
We are called to spiritual poverty. But if we are all spiritually poor who gets to be the righteous? Why we do! There, is that enough of a circle for you.
Time to bottom line this. We are BOTH, "the least of these," and those who are supposed to provide for them. I love that idea because of how mindful it keeps me of the fact that I have nothing to offer, save for that which God has supplied.
I see far too many people who have a patronizing attitude when it comes to dealing with the poor and hungry and oppressed. Oh sure, they are willing to throw money at them, but they want to keep them separate somehow. How can we keep them separate? -- WE ARE THEM.
I have no illusions about "the nobility of the impoverished," many of them are just mentally ill, stinky people. But on a spiritual level, so am I. So go ahead, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, comfort the oppressed, but please don't do so out of your wealth. Do so out of your poverty. This is not about benevolence. This is not about bestowing out of your plenty. This is about sharing out of your poverty.
