Wednesday, July 13, 2011

WORTHLESS?

"In that you've done it to the least of these, you've done it unto me ..." ~ Matthew 25:45

What did Jesus mean by "the least of these?" "Who did Jesus mean by the least of these?" Are we talking losers here? Worthless individuals. Someone who is simply poor or handicapped? A worthless fool who deserves his consequences?

We can talk about Jesus incognito, and that's an interesting concept, but to make that statement come alive we must be honest enough and courageous enough to define 'least'.

The way I read it, each of us will be judged on how we treat Jesus by treating 'least' people.

If that's true we need to know how God spells 'least'.

Are we who dedicate our ministry to working ground level with losers; the few and fallen ... are we but hopeful fools?

Am I Christian enough to look at a staggering drunk with compassion ... even love?

Are we simply fools, wasting time and money on the worthless.

Little Pepe with no working hands or feet is on one side of worthless ... and then Marcos, an unloved ten-year-old street kid addicted to his spray paint is the other side of worthless.

In a sense both are worthless ... but how does God look at our term "worthless?"

For that matter how many Christians are willing to give to a ministry to the ... worthless?


Scripturally, is there a worthless person in God's sight? For that matter is there a worthy person in God's sight? The answer to both questions is ... no.

We'll continue walking the streets mingling with normal sinners ... along with prime sinners; pimps and prostitutes and addicts to the pill, bottle and needle ... the unlovable, unloved and unlovely.

Our calling is to walk and talk with sinners on the smelly dirty streets of Zona.

Somewhere I hear a divine echo from 2000 years ago ...

"I came to minister to the sick and needy, not to the healthy or righteous." ~ Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31

Today's lessons: 1. Go, learn what this means. 2. Come, join us.