“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’” Matthew 25:41-45

We use the phrase “Hindsight is 20/20” to describe how reflecting back on something often gives a better perspective than we have in the moment. When we reflect, we can see the things we did right, mistakes we made, and decide what we would have done differently. In this passage, Jesus offers this clear perspective before the final judgment. We get a peek into those who are accepted by God and those who sincerely thought they were doing the right thing but find out they were never actually living as Jesus desires. This is not deception by God, but the clear way God has given in His Word.

Jesus explained this in Luke 6:32-36. He said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Because our lives have been changed by Christ and transformed by the Holy Spirit, we love others more sacrificially, we forgive more freely, and we serve others even when they are viewed as insignificant by society and inconvenient to interact with. This is our new DNA in Christ and the way we live because of Him.

• When you look back on your life, what do you think Jesus would say about how you have lived for Him? Does your life reflect how He has transformed you to love and serve the least of these? Why or why not?
• What does it look like to serve others when it is convenient and comfortable? What does it look like to serve the least of these? Who has exemplified that to you?
• Pray and ask God to help you see life the way He does, valuing what He does and living as He did.