… ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
(Matthew 25:44 NIV)
She saw them.
During a recent community service opportunity, a young woman and her family walked in to receive the service we were providing. The team did what we were there to do and moved on to serve the next individual. But one of our volunteers did not just move on. She stopped serving others to take the time to see this woman and her family. She quietly left to catch up with them because she saw them. She then found an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to them. All because she saw them.
Do we see them? All around us are people needing and wanting to be seen. In a previous post, we asked, Are we taking time to hear others? In this post, we are being encouraged to consider how well we truly see those around us. My fellow volunteer’s decision to stop what she was doing to see the family and enter their world is a beautiful example of what Jesus spoke of when He acknowledged the good deeds of his followers in the verses below from Matthew 25:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Matthew 25:35-36 (ESV)
Jesus’ followers were bewildered at His words, as he spoke as if the good deeds they did were done unto Him. Their response below reveals their confusion:
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ Matthew 25:37-39 (ESV)
They saw the people in need like my fellow volunteer did. Both groups were moved by compassion to do something about what they saw. But what they did not realize and what we can often forget, is that when we see others in need and act upon what we see, we are not only serving them but also Jesus Christ, as reminded by these words of Jesus:
‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40 ESV)
When we take the time to stop and see others, they are physically blessed as their needs are met and spiritually blessed as they see God’s love for them in action. Additionally, we also get to experience the love of Christ flowing through us, which in turn brings Him joy! When He sees those who are in need, lonely and rejected, He delights to see what we do for them on His behalf.
So, let’s consider the following questions as we end this post:
- Do we, the ones who are called to be His hands and feet, slow down enough to see with His eyes those who are in need, lonely and rejected among us?
- Do we take the time to enter their world to see how we can help?
- Do we regard all we possess (time, money, skills, resources, transport, clothing, homes, food, etc.), as God’s blessings to be used to bless others when the opportunity to do so is presented?
- Do we also find ourselves asking, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ (Matthew 25:44)
How we respond to these questions, can help us authentically answer our big question:
Do we see them?
Considerations 