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Christ in the Least: Matthew 25:40 and St. John Chrysostom on Serving the Poor
The speaker argues that many misread Christ's words in Matthew 25:40. Christ says, "Whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me," not "like Me." In the passage Christ describes the last judgment, listing the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. The righteous ask when they saw Him in such need, and He answers that whatever they did for the least of these, they did for Him.
The speaker cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that honoring the body of Christ means caring for the poor outside the church, not only venerating Him in silk vestments while walking past Him cold and naked on the street. Concrete examples are given: a man outside a supermarket dismissed as a junkie, an elderly neighbor who receives no visitors, a new colleague eating alone, a relative who has not been called.
In each case Christ says, "That is Me." The speaker emphasizes that love does not have to be grand. Small acts: stopping to say hello, looking someone in the eye, asking their name, buying a coffee or sandwich, knocking on a neighbor's door, sitting beside a colleague, picking up the phone can make a person feel seen. The speaker states that making someone feel seen is not merely kindness; it is serving Christ directly.
The discussion turns on the practical implication of this teaching: the distinction between seeing service as imitation and seeing it as direct encounter with Christ. The speaker urges viewers to identify one person to reach out to this week.
Key moments
- Most people read Christ's saying wrongly; they think helping the poor is like helping Jesus, but Christ says "you did it to me."
- In Matthew 25, Christ describes the last judgment listing the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned; the righteous ask when they saw him, and he answers "whatever you did to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."
- St. John Chrysostom says: do you want to honor the body of Christ? Then do not honor him in church dressed in silk and walk past him outside cold and naked.
- The man outside the supermarket dismissed as a junkie, the old neighbor alone, the new colleague eating alone, the relative not called, Christ says that is me.
- Showing love does not have to be big: stop and say hello, look in the eye, ask their name, buy a coffee or sandwich, knock on a neighbor's door, sit next to a colleague, pick up the phone and call.
- The greatest thing you can give someone is to make them feel seen; when you do that, you are not just being kind, you are serving Christ himself.
- The speaker asks: who is the one person you can show this love to this week?