Who are the "least of these" in the Bible? The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats examines

The “least of these” is a phrase that originates from Matthew 25:31–46, where the narrative concludes with Jesus condemning those who saw people in need and yet did not help. In this parable, when Jesus returns in His glory, He will sit on His throne and separate people “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). His judgment depends on how we treat a variety of needy situations. To the sheep, Jesus says:

Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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, 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. (Matt. 25:34-36)

In this context, Jesus is speaking about all His “brothers and sisters"--whom those on His right served. Jesus said, the sheep were not merely serving other people, they were serving Him: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

Jesus connected service to the needy with eternal rewards and punishments. Though salvation is by faith alone apart from good deeds (Ephesians 2:8–9), the redeemed will be “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14)--including extending charity to people in difficult situations. Those whose lives are marked by apathy toward the needy show they have not been transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ. To the goats, those on His left, He says:

Depart from me...for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 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...Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Matt. 25:41-43, 45)

Individually and corporately, we are called to help those in need. We are “bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 25:29), and we cannot ignore the plight of human beings suffering hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, sickness, or imprisonment. We work in order to meet our own needs and the needs of those dependent on us; but we also work in order to have something to give to those in need (Hebrews 13:1-3). We join with others to find ways to come alongside those who lack the basic necessities of life that we may take for granted. If Jesus’ words in this passage are taken seriously, more may hang on our charity than we realize.

Jesus does not say exactly how the sheep served people in need. It may have been through gifts and charitable work. But perhaps some of it was through random acts of kindness.

God has always shown a special concern for the poor and needy (Psalm 35:10). It should come as no surprise that He expects His followers to do the same, especially toward those of the family of God (Galatians 6:10). What is surprising about the “least of these” is that our service is ultimately not to the poor, but to Christ Himself.