Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,  and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” 
Luke 14:12-14

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 
Matthew 25: 31-36, 40

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One of my favorite ways to look at Scripture is to ask the question, is this verse a fact (F), a command (C), or a promise (P)? As I read, I’ll put a little letter next to the verse to help me think about those questions: Is the verse just communicating facts, something I should know? Is God giving us a promise we can cling to? Is this a command I need to obey?

Give it a try! Look back at the verses you just read and ask the question—F, C, or P? Now, let that sink in…

This week, we have been focusing our hearts and minds on God’s calling to each of us to care for what Scripture calls “the least of these.” There are many facts that we can know about who “the least of these” in our own community are.  It is a fact that there are many poor, unsheltered, and hurting people living within our own communities. There are many widows, divorcees, kids living in foster care or left on their own, refugees fleeing war and persecution, and families ripped apart by physical and mental health diagnoses. It is a fact that there are people who are marginalized, unseen, hidden, or face oppression. Another fact is that God cares deeply for people just like these, and He is calling us to care for them, too!

When you read Matthew 25:31–40, these verses speak to us about a future reality—fact. But there is a hint of a promise in there, too.  There is the promise that our Father sees the attempts we make to care for—feed, clothe, visit, look after—those who are vulnerable around us. The poor, the hurting, the incarcerated, the foreigner among us—these are the ones that Jesus himself calls us to bless.

So we have the facts, but we also find some commands. This is where it gets even harder. Jesus says, “When you give a banquet (dinner party, holiday feast), invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”—this is a command. But there is also a promise, “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

God cares very deeply for the hurting and marginalized around us, and He tells us that how we treat and care for these hurting individuals affects everything. He promises that as we love and serve those around us, we are indeed storing up treasures in Heaven. So, who are you inviting to sit around your table? Who is the person that God is calling you to welcome in?

Next Steps 

• Spend some time this week with eyes open to those around you who might be hurting and in need of God’s gentle, loving kindness. Ask God how you can reflect Him in their lives. Try inviting them to coffee, sending a note, or making a meal.
• Check out one of our local serving opportunities like Community Resource Days, the Care Center or be a part of welcoming a refugee family into the community through Exodus World Service!