Barack Obama, Jesus and ‘The Least of These’ — What Holly Thinks

Senator Barack Obama answers questions at the Saddleback Civil Forum.

What is America’s greatest moral failure?

That was one of the questions pastor Rick Warren posed to presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the Saddleback Civil Forum on Saturday night. In response to the question, Obama said – citing a well-known Bible verse – that America’s greatest moral failure has been that we don’t abide by Jesus’ words: “whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” Obama went on to identify the “the least of Jesus’ brothers” as the victims of poverty, racism and sexism.

Obama’s answer received hearty applause from the audience, many of whom were members of Warren’s megachurch in Lake Forest, Calif. Yet his use of the verse was taken out of its biblical context.

The verse, Matthew 25:40, is part of a larger sermon Jesus gave on the end times called the “Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24-25). Matthew 24:1-35 records the signs of Jesus’ return, Matthew 24:36-25:30 warns of the need for watchfulness and readiness for His return, and Matthew 25:31-46 speaks of the rewards and judgments He will hand out at His coming. The verse Obama cited is part of this last section, where Jesus is speaking of the reward that will be given to those who show kind treatment to His persecuted followers during the last-days tribulation — a tribulation he describes earlier in His sermon (Matthew 24:15-22).

In other words, “the least of Jesus’ brothers” are people who will be persecuted for their faith in Christ. They’re not the victims of poverty, racism and sexism, as Obama stated.

Obama isn’t the only professing Christian who is guilty of taking Jesus’ words in Matthew out of context. Prison Fellowship – Chuck Colson’s ministry to prisoners – uses the same verse as part of its theme Scripture passage:

“‘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; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ … ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40).

Though Prison Fellowship is a remarkable ministry, Jesus’ reference to prisoners was not to those who are incarcerated for murder, theft or other legitimate crimes. It was a reference to people who will be imprisoned simply for their faith in Christ.

Please don’t misunderstand me. My point is not that Christians shouldn’t reach out in love to sinners, the needy and outcasts. There are many other Bible passages that tell us to do so, and Jesus modeled this for us in His own earthly life. My point is simply that when people misquote this passage — no matter how well-intentioned they may be — they lose two important truths Jesus taught: (1) believers will suffer persecution during the end times, and (2) we must be sure to reach out to those who do suffer persecution.

But, sadly, the end times is a neglected topic in many churches today, which explains how Obama is able to address a largely Christian audience, and nation, and misapply a biblical verse — and no one seems to notice.

— Holly Pivec
8/17/08