In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus provides a hidden camera view into God’s heart with his comments regarding the final judgment: “When you visited them (prisoners, orphans, and hungry) you visited me—enter into the joy of your reward” (Matthew 25:35-37, NIV). Jesus makes what seemed obvious to him, apparent to his followers by pointing out that it counted to him when they anonymously cared for other human beings and that he noticed it even if they didn’t. From Jesus’ perspective, seemingly unremarkable and very ordinary attempts to love others really do get his attention.
I’m not suggesting that we earn our way into heaven by doing good things. But to say that our good deeds don’t get God’s attention would be to deny a common-sense reading of Jesus’ statement. Those Jesus rewarded weren’t keeping track of their acts of kindness, but apparently Jesus was. They weren’t looking to score points, but he rewarded them anyway.
It’s interesting to note that the religious folks of Jesus’ day who were trying hard to earn extra points actually missed the point. They were doing the right external things, but Jesus doesn’t count the externals, he counts the invisible—the internal motives and intentions of the heart. Those who were loving others out of their love for Jesus got his attention, while those doing all the right things but for all the wrong reasons got problems. This is what Jesus meant when he said; “If because you are my disciple you give a cup of cold water to a little child, you won’t lose your reward” (Matthew 10:42, NIV) The phrase if because is the key. It tell us that nonmanipulative intentionality, the kind that engages but doesn’t control, the kind that serves but doesn’t steer, counts to Jesus
Jesus’ statement in Matthew 25 regarding “the least of them” correlates wonderfully with his analogy of giving a cup of water to a little child, found in Matthew 10:42. Children often don’t realize or even appreciate our acts of kindness, but they still benefit from them. The same is true when we serve the people Jesus misses most. The time we spend and attention we pay may or may not register in their mind as intentional kindness, but it always registers with Jesus, and he rewards us.
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What’s our reward? Frankly I’ve never been able to connect with the “streets paved with gold” or the idea of “another jewel in my crown.” But when I sense that one of my missing [i.e., non-Christian] friends trusts me or they initiate a conversation about life or Jesus, I feel like I just won the lottery. That’s my reward.
For the God who counts the invisible, our kind intentions look just like the five loaves and two fish a little boy gave him two thousand years ago and apparently are all he needs to set up a feast of creative circumstances in a person’s life as he nudges them further along the path toward himself. If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, maybe the highway to heaven is too.
Bottom line: When we’re loving people, nudging them toward Jesus by listening to them or being unusually interested in their story—regardless if they get it or we get it—Jesus gets it!
Jim Henderson leads Off The Map (www.off-the-map.org), which presents one-day interactive events on how to reinvent evangelism for ordinary Christians. The event includes an “Interview withThree Lost People,” in which three nonChristians from the area talk about why they are not interested in becoming Christians but are (often) open to knowing God. For sample interviews and information on the event, visit www.off-the-map.org.
Adapted by permission from a.k.a. Lost: Connecting with the People Jesus Misses Most (Waterbrook Press, 2005).
