By Steven Norris
Matthew 25 is one of the core stories that shapes my understanding of the Gospel message. Jesus says that the way we treat “the least of these” that live among us is indicative of the way that we treat him. He also made it clear that his life was centered around serving others, not in being served.
The Way of Jesus is a manner of life in which our inner spirituality and outward actions form a unified whole. We love God with everything that we are AND we love our neighbor as ourselves. John Shea is a pastor and theologian who has written about this particular passage in Matthew 25. He has identified three characteristics of a Spirit-led ethic that I find particularly helpful as we examine our own service and the motivations behind it.
One indicator of the Spirit’s prompting in our service comes when actions are proactive. The “Golden Rule” is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” not “as they have done to you.” Don’t wait for others to act first. Don’t wait to figure out the perfect plan. An old cliche contains some important truth: “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” How much good do we fail to do because we are too busy making strategic plans, worrying about the outcomes, and hesitating rather just moving when the Spirit prompts?
Another indicator that Shea highlights for discerning the Spirit’s movement is that such acts of service are uncalculating. As human beings, we have a tendency to help those that can help us in return (quid pro quo). Jesus is clear: if we only give to those who will give back, there is no reward or honor in that. If we only love those who will love in return, only do good to those who do good to us, only help those who will help us, where is the grace in that? True servanthood doesn’t calculate the potential response but acts where there is a need.
Finally, Shea states that service animated by the Spirit is unobtrusive, frequently working behind the scenes. Over and over again, Jesus points out that the hypocrites love to blow trumpets, announce their good deeds, and stand on the street corners in order to garner attention and acclaim for their service. They insist on having their marketing signs out front so that everyone will know who it is that should receive the credit. Spirit-led service points only to Christ and His kingdom. It doesn’t worry about accolades or getting a picture on the front page of the paper. Rather, it is concerned about meeting real needs with real solutions. As Shea put it, “When caring just happens and no one is claiming the care, the Spirit is active.”
Shea finishes his reflections on Matthew 25 with this: “So if I could interview the sheep lounging around in their recently inherited kingdom and ask them how they managed to find themselves in these excellent digs, I imagine them saying, ‘We just cared for every person we met, immediately, without calculation, and it was no big deal.’” May we go and serve likewise.