“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 (NIV)
THE JOURNEY
I was running late for a meeting, clutching my coffee, rushing down a busy city street. I was in “tunnel vision” mode—head down, earbuds in, mentally rehearsing my presentation.
I almost tripped over him.
He was sitting on a piece of cardboard against a brick wall. His coat was matted with dirt. He had a cardboard sign that said, “HUNGRY.” Most people, including me, were giving him the “invisible treatment”—looking past him, looking at our phones, pretending he wasn’t part of the scenery.
I took two steps past him, relieved to have escaped the awkwardness. But then, a thought stopped me cold: I just told God this morning that I wanted to love Him more. And here He is, sitting on the sidewalk, and I just walked past Him.
I turned around. I felt awkward. I didn’t have cash. But I remembered the bagel in my bag that I had bought for lunch.
I crouched down. “Sir?”
He looked up. His eyes were milky with cataracts, and his face was a map of deep wrinkles. He looked startled that someone had stopped.
“I don’t have cash,” I said, “but I have an everything bagel. Would you like it?”
His face broke into a toothless, radiant smile. “Bless you, son,” he rasped. He took the bagel with shaking hands like it was a gold bar.
I sat down on the curb next to him for just a minute. I asked his name. It was Arthur. We talked about the cold weather.
As I got up to leave, Arthur grabbed my hand. His skin was rough and cold. He looked me dead in the eye, and for a split second, the milky haze seemed to clear. “You saw me,” he whispered. “Most people don’t see me. Thank you for seeing me.”
I walked away with tears stinging my eyes. I realized that in that brief exchange, I hadn’t just fed a homeless man. I had an encounter with the King. I loved God by stopping. And He loved me back by letting me see a glimpse of His dignity in the face of a stranger.
Heart of the Matter
We often complicate “loving God.” We think it means spending hours in a prayer closet or going to seminary. But Jesus simplifies it in Matthew 25. He says, essentially: “Do you want to love Me? Love my kids. Especially the broken ones.”
God often wears a disguise. He hides in the face of the annoying neighbor, the crying toddler, the difficult boss, and the homeless man. He does this to test the authenticity of our love. It is easy to love a glorious, invisible God. It is hard to love a smelly, visible human.
Here is the dynamic: You love God by treating the person in front of you with the dignity they deserve as an image-bearer. You serve them as if they were Jesus Himself. He loves you back by meeting you there. Mother Teresa called this “the gospel on five fingers”: You-Did-It-To-Me. When you serve the least, you get the presence of the Greatest.
Faith in Action
Today, play a game of “Find the King.”
The Challenge: Pick one person today who you usually overlook or find difficult (the janitor, the slow cashier, the quiet coworker). Treat them like royalty.
Look them in the eye.
Ask them a genuine question.
Offer a specific compliment or a small act of service.
As you do it, say internally: “Lord, I am doing this for You.”
Prayer for the Day
Lord, forgive me for walking past You. I am so busy looking for You in the sky that I miss You on the sidewalk. Open my eyes to see the “least of these” not as interruptions, but as opportunities to love You. Give me the grace to serve without judgment. When I wash feet, let me remember I am washing Yours. I love You, and I choose to show it by loving Your people today. Amen.
LOVE Note
“I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This is homeless Jesus.” — Mother Teresa
