The other day, I was reading Matthew 25 where Jesus says He will be found in the most unlikely places; places we often don’t look or expect to find Him. He says that he will be found in the poor, the naked, the vulnerable, the oppressed and the lonely. And then I read this passage from Jean Vanier in his book From Brokenness to Community,

“Those with whom Jesus identifies himself are regarded by society as misfits. And yet, Jesus is that person who is hungry; Jesus is that woman who is confused and naked. Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if we all discovered that? The face of the world would be changed. We would then no longer want to compete in going up the ladder to meet God in the light, in the sun and in beauty, to be honored because of our theological knowledge. Or if we did want knowledge, it would be because we believe that our knowledge and theology are important only so long as they are used to serve and honor the poor.”

There’s a lot that I would like to comment on and pursue in relation to this quote and the passage in Matthew 25. But, what I think both Vanier, and more importantly Jesus, are trying to do is to move us from thinking about these words to putting them into practice; that the face of the world would be changed if we moved from competing to rise up the social ladder to focusing in on serving and honouring those around us.

And how this practically works its way out in your life and mine is challenging. It might look different in yours and in mine. But I think the next step for all of us is the same and it’s just this – For us to take time and ask God’s Spirit what we should do? How should we serve and honour those around us? To ask Him to give us eyes to see others as God does. Because when we start seeing people with God’s eyes, it changes everything, because it changes how we see everyone and everything.