A Word from Matthew 25

What are you not going to do for Jesus today?

Don’t get me wrong. The fact that you’re receiving this devotional suggests, at least, that you love Jesus. And so, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a lot that you are going to do for Jesus today! In fact, I’m sure that you are going to love and trust him, that you are going to seek and pray to him, and that you are going to try to honor him in the way you live your life.

But here’s the thing. I can’t help but wonder how many of us are not going to serve Jesus today, because we’re looking for him in the wrong place.

You see, Mother Teresa once said that Jesus usually comes to us in a “distressing disguise.” And she said that because her heart had been touched by today’s word from Matthew 25, in which Jesus says that “whatever you didn’t do for the least of these, you didn’t do for me.” (v. 45)

And who are “the least of these”? Well, when Jesus describes what we didn’t do for him, he says, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” (vs. 42-43)

And if there’s a challenging part of today’s word, it’s when Jesus gives the verdict that when we don’t serve him in these distressing disguises, we’ll be excluded from eternal life. In other words, our destiny depends not just on what we believe in our heads, but on what believe enough to have it show in our compassion.

So, what will you do for Jesus today?

May we see and serve him, even in his distressing disguise. Amen.