Who Are the Least of These?
Matthew 25:40–45 is a powerful reminder of our responsibility to care for the least of these. Unfortunately, this responsibility is often neglected in society today. Here are some examples:
1. **Human trafficking**: Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit people for labor or commercial sex ¹. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are an estimated 21 million victims of forced labor worldwide ¹. Many of these victims are women and children who are forced into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation ¹.
2. **The unborn**: The unborn are some of the most vulnerable members of our society. According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were 862,320 abortions in the United States in 2017 ². This means that approximately 862,320 unborn children were denied the right to life that year alone.
3. **The poor**: Poverty is a major issue in many parts of the world. According to the World Bank, an estimated 9.2% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty in 2017 ³. This means that approximately 689 million people were living on less than $1.90 per day ³. In addition to financial poverty, many people also suffer from food insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, and inadequate housing.
4. **Refugees**: Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, war, or violence. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were 26 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2019 . These refugees often face significant challenges when it comes to accessing basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare.
It is important that we do not neglect our responsibility to care for the least of these. We can all make a difference by supporting organizations that work to combat human trafficking, volunteering at local pregnancy centers or donating to organizations that support pregnant women and new mothers in need, donating money or time to organizations that work to alleviate poverty and hunger around the world, and supporting organizations that provide aid and assistance to refugees.
Matthew 25:40–45(NIV)
40 “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.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
¹: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html
²: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states
³: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-line-faq
: https://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
Further Reading
(1) Fast Facts: Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect — Centers for Disease …. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html.
(2) “Whatever You Do to the Least of These” — Meaning of Jesus’ Words in …. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-jesus-mean-when-he-says-whatever-you-do-for-the-least-of-these.html.
(3) What You Probably Don’t Know about ‘The Least of These’. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/march-web-only/what-you-probably-dont-know-about-least-of-these.html.