Jesus' Last Public Teaching

Matthew 25 gives us Jesus’ last teaching in His public ministry, and last words somehow seem to carry added weight. Here Jesus describes the judgment of the nations and He speaks of the shepherd (which is Himself, for in the last days Jesus will be given the role of judge), separating the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the unrighteous.

According to this teaching, on what basis will we be judged? Not on the rightness of our testimony or the correctness of our orthodoxy, but solely on the basis of whether or not we have cared for those in need.

I feel sure Jesus must have shocked His listeners as He described the simple acts of kindness either extended to Him, or withheld: food when He was hungry, water when He was thirsty, a bed when He was homeless, clothes when He was naked, a visit when He was sick or imprisoned.

Jesus was not talking about extraordinary outpourings of generosity, but small, seemingly insignificant, hardly memorable, acts of kindness. Who would ever have thought that such simple acts would carry so much weight on the final day? His teaching is clear: don’t belittle the small acts of service to those in need, because He doesn’t.

Friend, here at Fred Jordan Mission we proclaim the gospel to the poor every day, and then we do what some might see as insignificant things, like serving nourishing meals to those who are hungry, and clothing those who are naked.

I don’t know about you, but I want to hear Jesus say, “'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to the least of these, someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'”

Since 1944, the Mission has been sharing the gospel, and feeding hungry souls here on Skid Row, thanks to the help of friends like you. I would like to invite you to become an Impact Partner. This is a special group of friends who give monthly to support the work of the gospel. Your monthly Impact Partner gift, no matter the size, will touch needy souls every day here on Skid Row. Jesus didn’t belittle the small acts of kindness, and we don’t either.

To become a monthly Impact Partner, please go to our website, www.fjm.org/partner. Or write to me for more information, Willie Jordan, PO Box 12345, Covina 91722.

Blessings,

Willie Jordan

(Mrs. Fred Jordan)