The Least of These

In my devotional reading this morning, Billy Graham shares this story from his son Franklin.

“Years ago our son Franklin spent some days on a boat in the South China Sea searching for boats of people fleeing the oppressive regime in Vietnam.  On board, Ha Jimmy, the first mate, told him that only a week before they had rescued such a boat.  It had been boarded by pirates, the passengers robbed, women raped, others wounded.  The pirate ship was ramming the smaller boat to destroy all evidence when the rescue ship appeared and they fled.

“First the wounded had to be tended to.  Then the rescued needed to be fed, bathed, and allowed to rest.  Later they were told of Jesus and His love.

“One mother on board with several small children saw her baby die.  There was nothing to do but put the tiny body overboard and watch it float away.  A few days later the next child died.  Once more the mother had to watch the little body floating away into the sea.

“Ha Jimmy looked at Franklin, his eyes dark with fatigue, and asked, “Franklin, after all she had been through, if I hadn’t given her Jesus, what had I really done for her?”

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. - Matthew 25:40

The greatest gift that can be given away is God Himself.  Only He, the Creator of us all, can heal us properly, comfort us completely, and guide us to peace, joy, and love.  Jesus was misunderstood by those who purportedly knew God the best, scorned by everyone, ignored, and then betrayed by a close disciple.  Yet He offered Himself to them all knowing that He alone is their only answer to being complete within themselves and to have life.

Billy Graham considers in another writing entitled The Healer of Our Broken Hearts that the “least of these” might be the person who is the problem in our life.  While certainly the least applies to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked and sick, and imprisoned, it might also apply with even more intensity to the person who purposefully opposes us as they need to see unconditional love. 

I find that thought intriguing, but I find the application of it difficult.  While I believe unconditional love is always our aspiration and can only be obtained when God lives through us, I am also conscious that doing so must be done within boundaries.  I do not believe God intends for us to put ourselves into relationships where we can become corrupted.  For example, my neighbor rescued a small dog named Gabby.  Every time almost anyone went to pet Gabby she would lower her head and butt and pee wherever she was.  If you were holding her and someone came up to pet her she would pee on you.  It was obvious she had been mistreated.  Therefore, we didn’t hold her or pet her unless we were outside as we didn’t want to get peed on or have to clean it up.  After a while, she learned to trust people and now rarely does this.  Our boundary was that we couldn’t hold her or pet her unless we wanted to be corrupted by pee. 

The same is true with people.  Until they have learned to trust the love of God and repented, that is, turned in a new direction, it is very important to be careful in how you love them and remain uncorrupted.  It is simply too easy to be pulled down into the gutter. 

All we can offer anyone is Jesus.  Whether they have witnessed horrendous losses as the mother who had to endure the deaths of her children or they are simply incomplete inside and have a need to lift themselves up with no regard for who they hurt, we get the chance to offer Jesus.  And He is more than capable of doing all that must be done for each one.