What does Jesus' teaching on treating the 'least of these' reveal about our relationship with God and our understanding of neighborly love?
"The least of these" phrase is found in Matthew 25:40, where Jesus states, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
In other words, Jesus is calling ordinary people to help the vulnerable and marginalized people in society, such as the poor, fatherless, widow, disabled, sick, old, and likewise.
By helping these people, we are doing God's will and serving him.
Theological implications
Even the Bible states that God deeply cares for the afflicted.
Psalm 82:1-4 states, "God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the "gods":
How long will you defend the unjust
And show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
In the above verses, God presides over an assembly of human Judges and asks them to be accountable to God for their partiality against the afflicted people.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus deeply cared for vulnerable people. He healed the blind and a person suffering from leprosy. He condemned no one and died to redeem humanity from the original sin.
The idea of image Dei is that humans are created in God's image, and so each human life is inherently dignified and valuable in God's eyes.
Neighborly Love in Action
Jesus taught that loving your neighbor is second only to loving God.
John 13:34-35 states, "I give you a new commandment. Love each other just as much as I have loved you."
1 Peter 4:8 states, "Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Leviticus 19:18 states, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."
We can live out neighborly love by helping each other through acts of kindness. For example, helping a blind person cross the road, doing charity, lending money for free to the poor, donating food, and more are acts of love. Even volunteering for an NGO or advocating for the marginalized is an act of love.
One of the greatest examples of an act of love was Mother Teresa, who loved humanity deeply and devoted her life to service to God by continuously helping the poor and oppressed.
Challenges and Barriers
One of the most significant obstacles in helping others is that we live in a world whose Prince is Satan.
We are essentially acting under constraints as Satan does not like human prosperity and would even go to the extent of inflicting hardship on those who want to alleviate the hardship of others.
Another obstacle comes from those who perform the will of Satan and act as obstacles to any holy work. Such people are demonic, and their presence is very real.
Lastly, people are prejudiced against one another because of differences in opinion, religion, political affiliations, nation, or simply apathy to the divine cause.
To overcome these barriers, service to God must be done in silence without attracting publicity. Silent doers are wise, and such commitment reaps great results in our practical world.
Another critical point is to foster love and lead by example.
The role of church and community
In our fast-paced world, churches can also foster a culture of love by imbibing teachings such as kindness, love, and compassion through social media. This would thereby increase their membership and bring more people under the light who are already living in darkness.
The churches can even collaborate with NGOs such as the Red Cross to solve pressing problems in our society.
The Red Cross is involved in humanitarian missions worldwide, and with the help of Churches, such missions receive more funding.
Conclusion
Loving our neighbor is an essential calling because if each person loves another, then Satan's hatred and animosity can be overcome. Ultimately, God promises in the Bible that a time will come in the future under God's reign when there will be no more human suffering, pain, or cries. A new world will be formed where Christ will reign for 1000 years, also called the Millennium. Let us all prepare to bring this Kingdom to reality by being Christ-like.