Author Michele Cushatt talks about true sacrifice in her book Undone — God called her by bringing the mission field to her and her husband in an unglamorous way — by raising three high-needs preschoolers of a mom who could no longer care for them due to addiction. This, instead of becoming permanent traveling missionaries now that they were middle-aged and had an empty nest.
God calls us to show mercy & sacrifice while denying ourselves, oftentimes it is not glamorous. This is what Jesus did by forgiving us and yielding his life on the cross.
Why do we struggle with sacrificing our time to help the ‘least of these’? Is it just a matter of being selfish about our own schedules & priorities? Or do we think that some people have gotten what they ‘deserved’ and aren’t worthy of help? We don’t want to be like Jonah who pouted when God showed mercy on an entire city of sinners. Jesus also placed a lot of emphasis on showing mercy by helping the needy, visiting the sick, and those in prison, Matthew 25:35-40 reads:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:35-40
This is so important that Jesus makes a distinction in Matthew 7:21-23 amongst followers of Christ between those who do things such as ‘prophesy in his name’ and ‘cast out demons’ and ‘perform miracles’ and those who ‘do the will of the Father in heaven’. If you aren’t doing the will of the Father, Jesus will say he never knew you.
Jesus has made it clear that doing the will of the Father is critical to salvation. No matter what talents, abilities and wealth we are given, we are expected to make good use of them through mercy and sacrifice. We don’t want to be like the 3rd servant that was ‘wicked and lazy’ in the Parable of the Talents. We must use them to do the will of the Father. In the two previous examples (The Sheep and the Goats & those calling on the Lord) there is a big difference between the types of service:
- In the first type of service, the Sheep and the Goats, we are called to help those in need. This not only requires a sacrifice of our own time & schedules, but it also forces us to confront our own imperfections and be vulnerable. A lot of times we don’t even want to look a homeless person in the eye, or visit someone who is sick or in prison because deep down, we fear that it could be us in those situations. Jesus knows we are not perfect. However, we do not know that we are not perfect. Helping ‘the least of these’ forces us to confront our imperfections, be vulnerable, and not only ask Jesus to forgive us, but to actually mean it. Jesus wants us to fully rely on Him for salvation — not our own righteousness or works.
- In the second type of service, those who call ‘Lord, Lord’ and prophesy and perform miracles, it may not always glorify God if the person’s heart is in the wrong place — maybe they like the attention or the power. It also doesn’t require any showing of mercy or sacrifice on our part. It’s almost like treating God as a spiritual Santa Claus.
Think of the widow’s offering in Luke 21:2, she gave two small copper coins and gave more than all of the others who gave out of their abundance. She gave the most because she made the biggest sacrifice. When we care for the sick and help the needy, it requires us to show mercy and sacrifice time. While we must rely on God for performing miracles and healing people, we must also sacrifice on our part too. Or as James 2:17 says — faith without action is dead. I think this is how we can make sure we are doing the Father’s will, and not fall victim to hearing the words ‘I never knew you’.