DAY TWENTY-SEVEN | MATTHEW 25:31-40
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Jesus on the Bench
As someone who has spent much of the last fifteen years mentoring young leaders, I often meet people who are waiting for their opportunity to make a big impact. They are looking for a defining moment when they will be noticed or recognized. As I look back, I have to say that I can relate. I remember what it was like, waiting for those moments.
Each time I would think that I was close, the elusive moment would slip away. Once, there was a ministry team that had come to be with us and our tiny church plant. The team was a part of an internationally known ministry that was led by one of my heroes. For months, I had planned an outreach to the poor in our region. I just knew that God would show up in a major way, and that we would finally be recognized as doing a significant kingdom work.
But then just before the time came for this team to come be with us, we found out that my wife was receiving a special recognition from the dean of the college that she was enrolled in, and that there was a reception to honor her and other students on the night that we were to launch our outreach. I couldn’t believe it. While I knew that it was important for me to honor Adriane’s special moment, I almost resented having to miss what I had hoped would be mine.
I was glad that Adriane was being honored for her hard work, and that she was receiving recognition, but I couldn’t believe how inconvenient the timing of her big night was. I will never forget how Jesus met me in that reception that night. He showed me how valuable it was for me to choose my wife over a ministry opportunity and made it clear that I hadn’t missed anything.
That night was a real turning point for me and for our marriage. Following Jesus away from the special moment with the team from the famous ministry was one of the best choices that I ever made. Following Him led me to value my wife in a way that was meaningful to her, and I believe consistent with the commitment that Jesus shows towards His bride.
Years later, I was laying in bed one night, wondering why I was awake. I had been so tired all day, but unable to get to sleep. After laying in bed for a while, I began to pray and look to see if God wanted to show me anything. A picture came into my mind’s eye.
It was a park bench sitting at the edge of a rocky hill overlooking the sea. Looking down, you could see the waters crashing against the rocks, spraying water into the air. The wind was whipping, and the skies seemed gray.
As I looked closer, there was a man on the bench, sitting there with a blanket. He didn’t say anything or move at all. He just sat there on the bench.
As I watched the scene, I heard a phrase, almost as if it was being whispered from behind me: If you want to do something that will really make a difference, be there for someone who is lonely.
Just then, a person walked in from the right hand side of the scene. They walked as if they carried the weight of the world on their shoulders, eyes sad, face forlorn. As they approached the bench, the man turned His head and I recognized that it was Jesus.
He welcomed the lonely one to sit beside Him on the bench without needing to say a word. He was just there. Present. Still. Quiet.
Immediately, my mind went back to the precious moments in my life when following Jesus had led me to that bench. Both to sit down next to Him, leaning my head against Him and crying tears of relief, and the times when following Him led me to be the one representing Him on the bench for someone else.
One of the most humbling nights of my life was spent sitting in a chair, surrounded by a room full of people. A young woman, who I had only met once before approached and asked if she could sit with me, and that is what she did. For the next hour, I sat there, with very little said between us, as this beautiful young woman cried silently sitting next to me in the middle of a crowded room. I watched as God came and did a wondrous work in her heart, as she sat next to Jesus on the bench.
Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.
Whether it is sitting on the bench with a hurting friend, or offering a lonely stranger a warm blanket to keep them warm on a cold winter’s night, there is something so precious about following Jesus to the one. That night that I followed Him away from my big ministry moment so I could go to the reception honoring my wife, I didn’t miss out on anything. I gained the joy of understanding His heart for one person.
Jesus often stops for the one, for one of the least of these. I pray that as you focus your eyes on Him, you would recognize the compassion in His eyes for the hurting and the lonely. I pray that you would be willing to lose out on “big opportunities” to follow Him down the narrow path to loving those who walk with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and just be present with them, being an expression to them of Jesus on the bench.
JOURNALING QUESTIONS // LINK TO PLAYLIST
Examine – How would you describe what this passage reveals about the life of Jesus?
MindShift – Is there anything about what you read in this passage that challenges the way you think about what it means to follow Jesus?
Prayer Focus – Is there any prayer that you can pray to co-operate with Holy Spirit to see your mind renewed to become more like Jesus?
