Even though Easter was last month, I have still found myself reflecting on the ministry and miracles of Jesus. Before Covid turned all of our plans upside down, I was preparing to speak at the school-wide Easter assembly. Since I obviously wasn’t able to do that, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with you guys!

When you live in a foreign country, it gives you a unique opportunity to think about what is really important in life. While I was preparing my sermon, one phrase that kept coming to mind was, “The least of these.” What? What does that even mean? In the words of Karamo from Queer Eye, let’s unpack that.

One of the things that Jesus is most known for are the miracles He performed during his adult life. He healed the blind man, raised people from the dead, and even turned water into wine. These are crazy things that defy modern science, but the thing that is most important in my mind are not what He did, but who He did them for.

One of my favorite miracles in the Bible has to do with a woman who had a ‘bleeding’ problem. That basically means that this woman had been on her period for twelve years straight. As if that wasn’t bad enough, laws at the time deemed that women were ‘unclean’ during menstruation. They were not allowed to be touched, or to even enter the temple. So not only was this woman going through a severe and unpleasant physical experience, she also was suffering emotionally. Can you imagine going twelve years? Twelve years without hugging your mom? Twelve years of not being able to go into the Temple and pray? Twelve years of being an outcast? Of feeling like God was punishing her? The pain that this woman felt must have been immeasurable, and no doctor could heal her.The passage even says that she had spent all of her money on healthcare. She had heard that Jesus was performing miracles, and that He was coming through her village with His disciples. This is where it gets good, guys.

This woman decided that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ robe, that she would be healed. Keep in mind that she was not allowed to touch anyone, especially a man. I guess in her mind brushing against the hem of His garment would be as close as she could get to Him. So she did. She knew that this was her last hope, but she faithfully waded through the crowd. She brushed up against Jesus. Now, the Bible says that it was pretty crowded that day. There must have been tons of people bumping into everyone. But He noticed. He noticed this woman, who had been an outcast of society, who had never known the love of a man, who was seen as unclean, and stopped. He even asked the disciples, “Who touched me?” She must have been terrified, fearing that she would be reprimanded. Instead, Jesus said, “Daughter, be comforted, your faith has saved you, go in peace.” Not only did He look her in the eye and call her Daughter, but Jesus healed her instantly.

Obviously, what Jesus did was miraculous. But let’s look past that- a common theme in the works of Jesus were that He ministered to those who were seen as the worst of society. Lepers, who had been banished from their town. A blind man, who had to sit on the side of the road and beg for money. A woman, who had an intimate health issue and was forbidden to be touched. He stood up for the marginalized. For the Least of These.

So what does that leave us with today? We don’t banish those with leprosy. We offer services to those who are physically disabled. So who are the Least of These today? I can think of a few:

The immigrant that had to leave everything behind in a war-torn country.

The homosexual who’s family disowned him simply because their church told them to.

The person of color that is scared to go outside in a white neighborhood.

The rape victim who is so ashamed she can’t look herself in the mirror.

The teenager who just saw two pink lines pop up on a pregnancy test, and doesn’t know who the father is.

The transgender that feels that God made a mistake when He made them.

The homeless person who has battled addiction their entire adult life.

What would Jesus do for them? It’s simple. He would love them. He would treat them like they were His children, because they are. He would love without conditions.

What a challenge to those who truly believe in the power of the gospel. Let’s not keep God’s love to ourselves, or only give it to those we think ‘deserve’ it. Let’s stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Build a longer table, not a higher fence.

Let’s love without conditions, and remember who Jesus ministered to.