I believe that most of us, as believers, want to make a difference with our lives. We want to have an impact on the people around us and leave the world a little better when we’re gone.
Yet, for many years, we’ve been sold the lie that impact comes from impressive actions—like giving speeches to sold out crowds, becoming an expert, or making headlines. Impact, we’ve started to believe, only comes from the things we can put on our resumes or that impress old friends when we catch up. And while there is something to be said for accomplishing big things like these, Jesus shows us an even better—and more accessible—way to make an impact in Matthew 25:37-40.
In the parable of the goats and sheep, he says,
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
The kind of impact described here doesn’t rely on doing impressive things. Rather, it involves doing unimpressive—and largely unseen—things.
In this passage, Jesus teaches us two foundational truths about serving and making a difference—and the more we understand them, the more we’ll realize: By doing small kindnesses in hidden places, we can do great things with our lives.
Truth #1: Small kindnesses become great when we do them for nobility.
In verse 40, we read: “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
In a world that likes to size people up based on externals, there are some people—even in the church—that we consider “least.”
Perhaps they’re a little bit awkward or unfashionable. Perhaps they’re housebound and forgotten. Perhaps they wouldn’t be able to return the favor if we did one for them.
Yet, look again at how “the least” of believers are described here. They are part of the King’s own family.
What a perspective-shift this is! Whenever we have the chance to help or show kindness to a fellow Christian, it is an honor. No matter how small they may seem by the world’s standard, we are serving nobility—someone the Father calls “child” and Jesus calls “brother” or “sister.”
What’s more, Jesus says that when we show kindness to His family members, we are really showing kindness to Him, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
- When we show up to help an ailing widow or a struggling mom, we are ministering to Jesus.
- When we wipe a little one’s runny nose or befriend a newcomer at church, we are ministering to Jesus.
- When we provide meals, refill water glasses, visit the lonely or invite the lonely in, we are ministering to Jesus.
He takes all such kindnesses personally.
So, as we look at the needs that surround us, I pray we will see them for what they are: opportunities to serve both people our Savior loves and our Savior Himself.
Truth #2: Small kindnesses become great when they’re motivated by the kindness of Christ.
Earlier in this parable, the Son of Man (Jesus) commended the righteous for ministering to Him in a long list of ways. He says they fed Him when He was hungry and gave Him water for His thirst. They took Him in when He was a stranger, clothed Him when He was naked and visited Him when He was sick and in prison.
Of course, we later learn that they did these things for “the least of these” and ended up blessing the heart of Christ, as a result. But, did you notice the similarities between what these believers did for others and what Jesus did for us?
The Believers (or the righteous as they’re called in this passage)…
- Fed the hungry
- Gave water to the thirsty
- Invited the stranger in
- Clothed the naked
- Visited and cared for the sick and imprisoned.
And at salvation, Jesus…
- Satisfied our hunger-pains with Himself, the Bread of Life
- Quenched our thirst with His Spirit, the Living Water
- Welcomed us when we were strangers—and even enemies—to Him
- Clothed us and covered our shame with His very own righteousness
- Sought us out and cared for us when we were still sick and imprisoned by our sin
Do you see the parallel?
To the world’s eyes, it might not look like these believers were making much of a difference. They weren’t solving world hunger—they were just feeding one hungry person. Yet in their small way, they were doing something huge. They were reflecting the kindness of Jesus to those around them. They were saying, “I was hungry and imprisoned once and Someone helped me…so here, let me help you.”
The truth is, as Believers, we have all been the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. But then Jesus showed up and changed everything for us.
So what kindness have you received from Jesus that you could pass along to someone in your world this week?
Patience?
A helping hand?
Eye contact that makes someone feel seen?
Contrary to what we’ve been told, we don’t need a stage or huge following to make a difference. And we don’t need to be impressive to do something great with our lives. We only need to have received the life-changing kindness of Jesus—His salvation.
Then, we can turn around and reflect that kindness to a hungry, thirsty, sick and imprisoned world.
May our tiny kindnesses touch many hearts, including the heart of Christ, Himself.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2024 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible. Public Domain.
