Who Are "The Least of These"?

Read Matthew 25:31-46

      Two very different interpretations of “the least of these my brothers” (25:40) have gained wide acceptance.  One identifies “the least of these” with all who are needy and regarded as lowly and unimportant.  For some who hold to this view, entrance into God’s Kingdom turns on compassion for the poor, disenfranchised, and oppressed – a salvation by works of compassion.  Others maintain a faith in salvation by grace alone, but which shows itself mainly in acts of compassion to the hungry, distressed, and lowly whoever they may be. 

      But remember that Jesus always speaks of his own followers as his “brothers,” even in contrast to natural family members (12:46-50; 28:10).  This doesn’t mean that Christ’s sheep should restrict acts of kindness to fellow believers, but it does mean that anyone’s relationship to Jesus will show in the way they respond to his disciples, as the unconverted Saul of Tarsus so dramatically discovered (“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” Acts 26:15). 

      When you first heard the gospel, did you receive it as God’s message to you?  Are you thankful to those who brought the good news to you (Romans 10:15)?  Have “the least” of Jesus’ brothers become brothers to you as well?  Do you identify with fellow believers you’ve never met whom the world regards as “sheep to be slaughtered” (Romans 8:36) and pray for them?  That’s the way it is with Jesus’ sheep – they know they are of the same flock, and care for each other, and Jesus takes it as caring for him.