Kissing Frogs

Introduction

You are probably familiar with the fairytale about the prince who was turned into a frog by a wicked witch. He was told that only the kiss of a princess would turn him back into a prince. But it was a hopeless situation, because now he was so ugly that no princess would ever kiss him. But one day the impossible happened. A princess did kiss him. Immediately he turned back into a handsome prince. They were married, and lived happily ever after.

I bring up this fairy tale because there is a sense in which the job of the church is kissing frogs. Let me explain what I mean....

I will base my remarks on Jesus' story of the sheep and the goats, which is found in Matthew 25:31-46. Here is the text from the NIV version:

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers 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, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

This story is located in a section of the book that deals with the second coming of Christ. Jesus tells his disciples about his second coming (24:1-34), warns them to be prepared for it (24:36- 25:13) by responding in faith to the grace given them (25:14-30). The focus in the story of the sheep and the goats is what faith looks like when it is put to use. Here we find the evidence of faith that will be used at the second coming to distinguish the believers (sheep) from the unbelievers (goats).

What does faith look like when put to use? The focus of this passage is on service to others. But Jesus isn't talking about just any kind of service. So we need to understand its specific characteristics.

First Point: Whom we should serve

In the first place I would like to point out whom we should serve. According to this passage we should serve even "the least." Jesus says to the sheep,

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (v. 40)

In Scripture this phrase refers to those people who are not considered important by the society in which they live. It's as if every society has a point system by which it evaluates everyone's importance. If, for example, you have a certain appearance--like a pretty or handsome face or a nice figure or physique--or if you have a certain kind of education or job, or if you have outstanding abilities or lots of money, you have a lot of societal points. Society values you. So "the least" are the people who are looked down upon because they don't measure up to the standards of society. The unlovely. The unimportant. Frogs.

Sometimes the phrase "the least" refers to small children because they are not yet caught up in the competition for societal points. They are often considered unimportant because they don't have points yet. So if you do them a favor, they're not going to be able to return the favor, nor are they impressed by how many societal points you have.

Paul calls this point system "a worldly point of view" (2 Corinthians 5:17). It grows out of "confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:4). The word "flesh" here refers to the glory involved in being the image of God and living in his world, but cut off from a living relationship with him. So the glory of the flesh is a fading glory.

Before he met Jesus face to face, Paul was caught up in this worldly perspective. His sense of worth and importance was based on how many societal points he had. And Paul had a lot! He says this about it:

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Philippians 3:4b-6)

Paul says he used to judge everyone--including Jesus--from this point of view (2 Corinthians 5:16). But now, having met Jesus, his point of view has changed. Now he sees that believers are a new creation and--whether or not they have societal points--their worth is bound up in their relationship with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

So we should not just love and serve those who have societal points. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that even the worst of sinners love those who love them. It doesn't take anything special to do good to those who can return the favor, or whose points can somehow rub off on you. No, when you become a believer in Christ and put your faith to work, you begin to love even the least.

This means, for example,

1. serving those who can't return the favor
2. hanging out with and serving those who are not considered important or famous in your circles
3. serving when it's not to your "advantage" in terms of the societal point system
4. serving those who rub you the wrong way
5. serving those you ordinarily love on those occasions when they seem not to be loving and serving you
6. serving others when no one is going to notice (because in some circles you get societal points for serving the least if someone notices what you have done).

Faith in Christ makes a difference. At the second coming, the evidence of our faith in Christ--or the lack of it--will be revealed. The key question will be: did you serve even the least, or were you so caught up in your societal point system that serving the least was not a priority? Christ calls us to serve even the least.

Second Point: What should we do to serve?

He also tells us what that service should look like. From the perspective of the societal point system--the worldly point of view--this service doesn't usually look very impressive. It's not necessarily the kind of activity that would make the headlines because it involves serving people that don't often make the headlines. And on top of that, it involves very simple things: like giving food, water and clothing to those in need.

In his "sermon on the mount," Jesus said the following about his second coming,

Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.' (Matthew 7:22-23).

The evidence of faith the Lord looks for is not doing great "point-worthy" things, but serving even the least in our daily activities. The passage doesn't say anything about doing great feats like crossing oceans in order to serve the needy. Although some may indeed end up crossing oceans, the point here is that the Lord puts people in our path every day--including our family. If we don't serve the least in these mundane situations, how can we expect to serve in any other situation?

Notice how the "sheep" are surprised when Jesus says they met his needs. Serving Jesus, the great King now standing before them in all his glory, would have been a great thing. Surely they would have remembered it. But they don't recall doing anything so grand. Jesus' answer: "When you served the least of these brothers of mine--considered nobodies from the world's perspective--you were serving me."

Notice also how the "goats" are surprised when Jesus says they didn't meet his needs. Not serving Jesus, the great King now standing before them in all his glory, would no doubt be a great offense. If they had ever failed to serve such a powerful king, surely they would remember it. But they don't recall ever doing anything so grave. And maybe they would add that they had never killed anyone or stolen any money, either. No great offenses. What's the big deal? Jesus' answer: "You were too concerned about your points even to notice the least of these my brothers. Whenever you failed to serve them, you also failed to serve me."

The point is not that we shouldn't attempt "great things" for the Lord. The point is that if we can't serve the least that the Lord puts in our path in the daily activities of life, then the "great things" will not be characterized by this kind of service either.

If, for example, we are too concerned about the offense to serve the person who has offended us, and if that is the attitude that characterizes us, then nothing we do--no matter how impressive from some other point of view--will be counted as "serving the least." It is our daily interactions that reveal the evidence of faith being put to work--or the lack thereof.

One of my favorite hymns sums it up this way:

I would not have the restless will that hurries to and fro, seeking for some great thing to do or secret thing to know; I would be treated as a child and guided where I go.... Content to fill a little space if thou be glorified. (Anna L. Waring, 1850)

Third Point: How we are to serve.

Jesus also tells us how we are to serve. We should serve even the least the same way we would treat Jesus if he were physically here with us. He says,

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (v. 40)

Just think of how you would treat Jesus if he were here physically among us as he once was. The passage isn't talking about the worship we owe Jesus because he is Lord and God, but about meeting his human needs. If Jesus were thirsty, what believer wouldn't run to get him something to drink? If we serve the least we are serving Jesus. So we should serve them with the same energy and enthusiasm with which we would serve Jesus.

Once I was playing soccer with two church teams and the score was 10 to 1. The main problem for the losing team was their goalie. He kept letting the ball get by. His own teammates began making mean comments about him. The comments kept getting louder and louder until even he heard what they were saying. Now I ask you, if Jesus had been playing goalie and didn't know how to play well--if he had let goals go by left and right--do you think his teammates would have made the same kinds of comments? I think not. So think of the concern you would have for Jesus human needs and concerns. How would you treat him? That's how we should treat even the least.

Fourth Point: Why we should serve.

You might say that it would be easy to serve Jesus because we know how much he loves us. But the people we rub shoulders with every day are a lot harder to love and serve. This text tells us not only whom we should serve, what service looks like and how we should do it, but also gets behind the behavior to the motive. Why should we serve the least? Not because they are loveable or lovely--not because they have societal points--but because they are loved. Jesus calls them his siblings: brothers and sisters.

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (v. 40)

He gave his life--suffered hell--to save them from certain destruction and to make them like himself.

The focus of this passage is on believers in Christ--his siblings. This doesn't mean we shouldn't serve unbelievers. In fact, if we do, they may become believers. But the focus here is on believers.

Think of that person who rubs you the wrong way--someone for whom Christ died. Some day you will both be sitting at Jesus feet, or standing before his throne. Why wait until then to love and serve this one for whom Christ died? We should serve the least because they are loved by Christ.

Fifth Point: Why we don't serve.

Maybe the fact that they are loved just doesn't seem to motivate you as much as you would like. One reason could be that you yourself have begun to view Jesus as the great Point Giver. He seems distant. His love and power seem far away. Why hasn't he given me this or that? Why has he allowed this to happen? Why do I have so many problems? Why doesn't he give me points so I can feel good about myself and be able to love others? Of course we would never verbalize it in quite this way, but we often slip into the trap of viewing Jesus as the great Point Giver and supporter of frustrated egos.

That's the way it was when Jesus came to earth. The Jews wondered why Jesus didn't rescue them from the Romans. Judas wondered why Jesus wasn't more concerned about the financial side of bringing in the kingdom. The twelve disciples wondered when Jesus was going to put them on 12 thrones to reign over Israel.

This is exactly what Isaiah has predicted about the Messiah. Listen to his words:

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hid their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:2b-3)

In other words, from the perspective of the world Jesus was the very least of all. He had no societal points. Yes, he had the potential to score lots of points. With all the miracles he did, he could have become famous. But that's not why he came. He came offering no points, nor did he even care about points. And because he seemed to promise so much, but delivered so little in terms of the points they wanted, they ended up putting him to death.

Little did they realize how enslaved they were to their societal point system. Little did they understand the true nature of Jesus' mission: to deliver them from that slavery. Nor could they see that his death was voluntary and purposeful--designed to pay the price for their insistence on looking for life in points instead of in God. They could imagine many different kinds of salvation, but never one that was "pointless."

Insistence on points keeps us from seeing Jesus and his glory. The only remedy is repentance.... Not primarily for specific sins, but more for the sin of looking for life in points. Repentance.... And faith.... In Jesus who is the Great Prince.

Point Six: Jesus is the Great Prince

The fairy tale with which I began faintly and imperfectly reflects the true story of the Great Prince Jesus. He is the one who--though considered the least of all--came to kiss us frogs and make us into a beautiful princess.

The "froginess" of being pointless is nothing compared to the "froginess" of looking for life in one's societal point system. This is sin and it is true ugliness. The amazing thing is that, Christ, while we his people were yet sinners, died for us ugly frogs. He gave us the kiss of life.

When in spite of this we insist on Jesus giving us points--when we think of his blessing in terms of points--then, having misplaced the locus of ugliness, we love little because we have been forgiven little. We need to remember the heights from which we have fallen and our first love that we have forsaken (Revelation 2:4).

Jesus came, not to give us points, but to make us like himself with a beauty that goes beyond societal points. What does that beauty look like? It looks like Jesus who was willing to kiss frogs. So the task of the church is kissing frogs.

Conclusion

Even within the church and even in the ministry it is not difficult to fall into the trap of believing our societal or ecclesiastical point system. We get so focused on being the best church, or having the most vibrant ministry, or being the most respected leader, or whatever your particular point system happens to be, that we become blind to the ugliness of clinging to points. It's a rejection of Jesus and what he has done for us.

Have you kissed a frog lately? When the love of Jesus sets you free from needing points, and when his love reveals to you the ugliness of clinging to points, then you will want to kiss a frog and you will be like Jesus when you do.

Gary T. Waldecker