THE LEAST OF THESE

I Was Just Thinking About – THE LEAST OF THESE.

 

World Magazine posted an article - October 10, 2016 - about the devastation and hardship caused by Hurricane Matthew. The article headline is: “Storm damage hampers relief efforts in Haiti, Carolinas” by Samantha Gobba. She wrote:

“Hurricane Matthew left the southeast United States soggy and wind-torn over the weekend after devastating southwest Haiti earlier in the week with flooding and 145 mph winds…As floodwaters receded and Haitians could begin to count the bodies, the death toll ...soared to 1,000. Officials began to bury the dead in mass graves in Jeremie, one of the hardest-hit cities. The whole southwest of the country is pretty much destroyed…From towns to mountains, gardens to animals that [were] killed, the people are pretty much stripped away from everything. Everything is gone…Still suffering from the effects of the 2010 earthquake that killed 220,000 people, Haitians also continue to battle cholera…Some worry the flood waters will compound the spread of the disease. Water always is an issue in Haiti…With the storm surge and such, what wells were there have been polluted… Impoverished and fraught with political tension, Haiti recovers slowly from disasters. Seven years after the earthquake…thousands are still living in tents - recovery from Hurricane Matthew will be even more difficult.”

 

While the United States media places primary emphasis upon the foibles of political candidates, there is near-silence regarding the practical needs of helpless and hopeless people. For the Biblical Christian and Church, there needs to be guardedness that neither slide into similar apathy and indifference regarding the human needs of people.

 

There is a dramatic scene described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:31-46, the separating of sheep from the goats and the determinative factor in that separation. Jesus said to the sheep: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you… For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will say… when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

 

If you are one of His sheep, do you care about the impoverished, devastated, helpless and hopeless people – the least of these? Where does Jesus Christ want your/our focus to be?

 

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me.