The Least of These

There is a sculpture by Christian artist Timothy P. Schmalz, titled “Homeless Jesus” that depicts the Savior beneath a blanket lying on a park bench.

He is huddled under the folds of a heavy blanket as if he were very cold. His face and hands are hidden. The only evidence of the Biblical Jesus is the statue’s pierced feet.

The sculpture has sparked controversy from the Vatican to North Carolina and beyond. The Pope accepted the sculpture and blessed it. St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York both refused the sculpture. A North Carolina church refused the sculpture because they said that the Savior was not homeless. But in fact, the Savior himself in Matthew 8:20, said:

…The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

This bronze Jesus finally found a resting place at a Jesuit theology school in Toronto and in other places since. If you look closely, you can see the marks of the nails in his feet. Personally, I think that the sculpture should be re-titled: “The Least of These.” In my mind, this sculpture is very powerful and is immediately evocative of the scripture in Matthew 25:35-40:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.(bold Italics added)

The scriptures are replete with the challenge to serve others and to give to those in need. Every person is a child of our Father-in-Heaven. He loves us all, from Adolph Hitler to Mother Teresa. He gives us the opportunity to serve those lying on a virtual park bench – those in want of succor, comfort, love, and compassion, as well as temporal needs. Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen, in their book, The Belonging: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family Heart, offer great insight into the Lord’s view of giving and service to others:

"Because I have been given much," we sing, "I too must give." [Hymns no. 219] As we reach our hands toward theirs, sometimes their reaching touches ours—and we somehow sense the Lord's grace coming back to us, multiplied, through them. So we sing again, "Each life that touches ours for good reflects thine own great mercy, Lord." [Hymns no 293] As we receive God's love, we extend it to others in a circle that brings it back to us and brings us back to him. In this kind of life, a full life of gracious connections with other people, we live the spirit of charity.

In Mosiah 4:16-19, we learn that the Lord instructs us not to stand in judgment of those in need but simply to give. The consequences of such judgment are also clearly stated:

And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, with his always profound insights, tells us:

We poorly serve the cause of the Lord, at times, with programmatic superficiality and by our lack of empathy for those who drift in despair.

Truly, we live and walk on "a streetful of splendid strangers," whom we are to love and serve even if they are uninterested in us (CR1983 Apr:11)

In Acts 3:6, Peter heals a man without any judgment of the man’s situation, and although he had no money, he gave him a greater gift than money could have ever provided:

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Chieko N. Okazaki, in her book, Disciples, explains the eternal blessings that come when we aid “one of the least of these:”

Think of the joy we will experience when we hear Christ the Lord speak for us on that great day when he is our advocate with the Father. I cannot help thinking that he experiences equally great joy when he hears us—weak, limited, and imperfect as we are—speak for the "least of these, my brethren [and my sisters]."

It is Christ who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. He is both means and motive for our service. We long to serve others because of the love he has blessed us with. May we be linked in heaven as we are on earth by the outpouring of love from our Savior.

I close with an e-mail from my wonderful granddaughter, Sister Chloe Anderson, who is currently serving a mission in Brazil, in the Ribeirao Preto Mission. (You can read her mission blog at http://sisterchloekathleenanderson.blogspot.com/ ) She describes a “least of these” experience:

I had one of my most powerful spiritual experiences this week as we were visiting people in a neighborhood really far from our house and at the end of our area. We were walking with a sister in the ward that was with us when we came across a woman that was crying uncontrollably, begging us to save her. I took both her hands in mine but she continued wailing and crying and shaking.

I grabbed her hands and told her: "Sister, look into my eyes and I promise everything will be all right." She looked at me and slowly calmed down and we told her that as representatives of Jesus Christ. We were there to help her and that the Lord would bless her in her suffering.

I said a prayer with her hands clasped in mine. I prayed with more intent and concern for this woman than I ever have in my life. I looked down at her feet and saw the skin opening, revealing the sensitive flesh underneath. I felt such a sadness and pain that I knelt down at her feet, removed my own shoes that I’ve used every day for the last 11 months, and carefully put them on the feet of my new friend.

I walked around the whole rest of the day with the worn out flip-flops that she had been using and later that night we found the shack of old clothes and umbrellas that she was living in and left her shoes there at the opening.

I know for certain that she walked with God that day, as did I. I am my sister’s keeper, but i am also my sister’s sister. In that tender moment when it wasn’t expected of me, no one was around, and no one had asked for it, I felt the presence of my lord and Savior Jesus Christ so strongly that as we were leaving her in what appeared to be an only slightly better circumstance, I felt the Savior comforting her and testifying to me of the divinity of this work and the importance of simple Christ-like acts of charity.

Sister Anderson’s shoes were worn with service, but they must have felt heavenly to the woman. “the least of these” indeed.