Serving the Least 服侍最小的

[Dexu Xia]

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 25:40

His name is Spencer. But everybody calls him “Spence.” He was a state track champion in high school; then he went on to attend a prestigious university on a full academic scholarship. He lives now in one of America’s largest cities and is highly respected in the field of chemical engineering. But if you were to ask Spence his greatest achievements to date, he wouldn’t mention any of those things. He would excitedly tell you about the trips he makes to Nicaragua every few months to check in on the kids and teachers in the tutoring program he helped establish in one of the poorest areas of the country. And he’d tell you how enriched his life has been by serving them.

“The least of these.” It’s a phrase people use in a variety of ways, yet Jesus used it to describe those who, according to the world’s standards, have little or nothing to offer us in return for our service. They are the men and women and children the world often overlooks—if not forgets completely. Yet it’s exactly those people Jesus elevates to such a beautiful status by saying, “Whatever you did [for them], you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). You don’t have to have a degree from a prestigious university to understand Christ’s meaning: serving “the least” is the same as serving Him. All it really takes is a willing heart.

Who comes to mind when you hear the phrase “the least of these”? What’s something you could do for them?

King Jesus, I’m afraid I make serving You harder than it is. Your words are clear—You call me to the least and the littlest, perhaps in Nicaragua or maybe in my neighborhood. Give me courage to serve.

王要回答说：“我实在告诉你们：这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是做在我身上了。”—马太福音25章40节

他叫史宾赛，但大家都叫他史宾。他高中时，曾是全州的径赛冠军。后来他获得全额奖学金，进入一所名闻遐迩的大学。如今他居住在美国某个大都市，在化学工程的相关领域备受敬重。但如果你问史宾，截至目前为止，他人生中最大的成就是什么，他绝不会提到上述的任何一件事，而会很兴奋地述说他在尼加拉瓜的事工。他在那里最贫穷的区域帮忙设立了学业辅导课程，每隔几个月就会去探视那些老师和孩子们。他也会告诉你，服事这些贫困儿童如何使他的生命更加丰盛。

“弟兄中一个最小的”这句话可以有很多含意，但耶稣用此来形容那些无法回报我们的人。按着世界的标准，他们对于我们的服事只能回报一点或根本无法回馈。这些男人、女人和孩童往往被人忽视，甚至被完全遗忘。然而，耶稣却重视这些人，祂说：“这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是做在我身上了”（马太福音25章40节）。基督的意思是只需服事那“最小的”，就等于服事祂了。要明白这一点，我们不需要有名校的学位，只需要一颗愿意付出的心。

当你听到“弟兄中一个最小的”，你会想到谁？
你可以为他们做些什么？

主耶稣，赦免我将服事想得太艰难了,因祢已清楚指示，要我去服事那最缺乏和最小的人。
他们或许在尼加拉瓜，或许就在我的社区，
求祢赐我勇气去服事他们。