Christ-Bearers

Matthew 25:40 – “And the king will answer them, “Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me.”

There is so much going on in just this one sentence answer. First, Jesus explicitly identifies himself as present in and equal with “the least of these.” When we see homeless people, we are seeing Christ. When we see people who have a chronic illness, we are seeing Christ. When we see people experiencing dependency on others, (all of us), we are seeing Christ. When we see the oppressed, those in prison unjustly, the hungry, the thirsty, we are seeing Christ. Rather than condemn them by claiming their actions put them there, we should be celebrating them as Christ-bearers.

This is not to put them on a pedestal! Inspiration porn is a real thing and it does real damage to real people. Inspiration porn is stories that are meant to inspire, but in a way that puts pressure on chronically ill or people disabled by societal structures to “overcome,” whether that aligns with the person’s personality or not. It ignores the very real suffering and very real obstacles that physical ailments, the physical environment, and society put in the way of success. It also defines success in a narrow way – financial stability, physical independence, always being cheerful, you can think of other ways. This is completely unrealistic! 

Here is a great talk on inspiration porn: Stella Young, I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much.  

While we should definitely see Jesus in the least of these, we should remember that we are all Christ-bearers. People in need or disabled or chronically ill are not, as Ms. Young says, “exceptional.” We are not here for your inspiration. We are not here to be objectified. We are not “brave.” I can’t tell you how many times people have told me I’m brave when I tell them I have lupus. What am I brave for exactly? Living? 

People in need are not brave or inspirational, they are people in need. Here, Jesus is asking us to see him in these people. To offer them what they need as if they were Jesus, because they are Christ-bearers. To treat them with the dignity and honor we would treat Jesus if he was with us; treat them as people. Individually and corporately as a nation.

That’s what we’ll tackle next: these criteria apply to nations as well as individuals.

For today, let’s think about our own attitudes toward “the least of these” in our society. Do we look to them for inspiration? Do we think of them as brave? Or do we engage them as equals? Do we see them as Christ-bearers along with ourselves?

B