The Good Of The Father (The Least Of These) # 2004

 

'For I hunger and you give Me to eat; I thirst and you gave Me to drink; a stranger was I and you took Me in; naked and you clothed Me; infirm am I and you visit Me; in jail was I and you come to Me;  "Then the just will be answering Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we perceive Thee hungering and nourish Thee, or thirsting and we give Thee drink?  Now when did we perceive Thee a stranger and took Thee in, or naked and we clothed Thee?  Now when did we perceive Thee infirm, or in jail and we came to Thee?  "And, answering, the King shall be declaring to them, 'Verily, am I saying to you, in as much as you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to Me' 

Matthews Account 25: 35 - 40, Concordant New Testament 

I've come to hate hospitals.  I'm ok with the occasional visit to my regular doctor, but to be cooped up in some hospital room for any length of time would drive me nuts.  In the past few years I have had far too many bad experiences in hospitals.  I was there when my mother was hospitalized on Christmas eve before her passing.  I was also there recently when I broke a bone in my foot.  Indeed, hospitals aren't my favorite places to be.  Yet the other night I found myself once again entering another hospital, except this time it was for someone else's piece of mind and not my own well-being.  This time I went to visit and to minister to a good friend who is recovering from his recent knee replacement surgery.  In my mind I am well aware of all of the negative reactions which I have while I've been in a hospital, so I can only imagine what my friend is feeling.  It is interesting that Jesus, in His parable which we find in the book of Matthew, seemingly refers to Himself as He describes how it is that others ministered to Him in His time of need {Matthews Account 25:35-40}.  He tells of those who visited Him in jail, who fed Him when He was hungry, and clothed Him when He was in need.  Like those who were listening to Him that day, I asked the same question, when was it that Jesus needed ministering to?  Yes, Jesus was not above being emotional in His time on earth.  Yet in these times, He would often retreat somewhere to pray to the Father.  Can we see these private moments alone with the Father as Jesus being ministered to?  I would think so.  I believe that in order to truly understand what Jesus is referring to in this passage that one first needs to the truth of our life in Him.  For Jesus has proclaimed that our life is not our own, but that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Not only do we ourselves live our lives in Christ, but all of Gods children live through Him.  Knowing this, it is easier to see what Jesus meant when He proclaimed that "In as much as you did it to one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it to Me."  When I visited my friend in the hospital, I was exhibiting Christ to someone who needed His love in that moment.  

With all humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love 

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 2, Concordant New Testament 

The few times that I have been in a hospital for an extended stay, I remember longing for someone to come to visit me.  In this way, I can understand what my friend has been going through as well.  I'm not sure if others go through this as well, but being in a hospital setting I think encourages feelings of separation from those around us.  But, as I told my friend during my visit, he has never been alone in his life.  I believe that it is these times when sickness or injury afflict us, that it is in these times that the Lord will reveal Himself more prominently to us.  The apostle Paul struggled with what he referred to as a "Splinter in the flesh" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:7}.  He did what his spirit led him to do, he prayed to the Lord that this affliction would be removed from him.  Not just once, but three times.  God's answer to Paul's affliction?  "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:9}.  Paul proceeds to proclaim that he shall delight in his infirmities for "Whenever I am weak, then I am powerful" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:10}.  I'm not certain if my friend knew of this powerful lesson which we learn from the apostle, but I was there to exhibit Christ to him nonetheless.  I've been in his shoes, and I remember how much I wanted someone to come and minister to me in those moments.  However, it is in those moments that I now realize that I wasn't alone at all.  That is the message of the Father which I relayed to my friend.  

~Scott~