THE REWARD OF SELFLESS SERVICE: A REFLECTION ON MATT 25:40

EZEKOKA PETER ONYEKACHI

THE REWARD OF SELFLESS SERVICE: A REFLECTION ON MATT 25:40

In a world berated by selfishness and pea-cock lifestyle, where people exult themselves as gods, and lord it over those they think are of lower grades, a society troubled by fear to help one another due to certain abuses (witchcraft bewitchment, theft avenue, implicit inquiry of the wealthy) that have been witnessed by people, an era where individualism seems to be taking the upper hand over collective interest, an age where service appears to be relegated and those who serve are under-rated, there comes the necessity of a discourse on selflessness and service, and the rewards there-from; a greater emphasis on the virtue of selflessness, and when combined with service, selfless service. I call Selflessness a capital virtue (just as capital sins are so called because of the numerous sins that flow from them) because it gives way for many other virtues: humility, sobriety, temperance, prudence, etc. It also drives away many vices: envy/jealousy, slander/calumny, pride, etc. Our services make meaning only when they are selfless. The virtue of selfless service is indeed a remedy to the selfish inclination of man; it is an antidote to the current humanity that strives after self-enrichment, individualism, and an inordinate tussle for kingliness.

Matthew 25:40 states: And the king will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these brothers of mine, you did for me (translation by the New International Version of the Holy Bible, 1973). This verse surely has a context under which it can be holistically understood. It falls under the eschatological sermon (cf. Matt 24:1-25:46) of Jesus the Christ as recorded by Matthew. This eschatological sermon has its highpoint in the enthronement of the son of man as the master of judgement, judging the sheep and the goats (cf. Matt 25:31-46). Hence, the passage presents the son of man in the apocalyptic context of the judgment of the world. Christ is the universal judge; and in verses 40 and 45 we see the place of service to the needy in the divine judgment and our eternal livelihood with God. It is in this sense that one can grab the intent of our topic on the reward of selfless service. The coming of the son of man would bring about a separation of the sheep from the goats, whereby the sheep represent those on the right (the righteous) who obey the commands of God and are to inherit the kingdom, and the goat are those on the left who disobey the commands of God and are to be sent to eternal punishment. There is in this separation a form of dialogue with both parties concerning their placements either on the right or on the left. In it, the king enumerates the conditions of his judgments, and the people express their bewilderments over the moments they did all of those. It is at these moments that the king utters those words which express that charity done to our fellow humans is charity done to God: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these brothers of mine, you did for me (v. 40), and in v. 45: I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. So, the king by virtue of the selfless lives and services the people rendered had to reward or punish them according to their deeds.

We notice that in v. 45, the word brother is dropped. It is on this ground that scholars debate on whether the word ‘brother’ refers only to Christians or to any one in need. We must comment that in this sense, adelphos (brother) refers to any human being as the object of ethical duty, not just as a member of the Christian community. It is in this broader sense of adelphos that we see the limitlessness of the selfless service that we are called to render. It is not only to one’s religious inclination/belongedness, or to one’s friends, or to one’s ethnicity or nation, but to all peoples. There should be no discrimination in this; otherwise, the service turns into a selfish one, rooted in self aggrandizement. In selfishness is no reward, but punishment. So, we may be thinking that we are serving the people, while we are incurring punishment on ourselves because we are not serving with the proper intention, model and goal. It is in selflessness and universality of our selfless service that we can locate the proper intention, model and goal of Christian service. The king’s reply in v. 40 which is the knot upon which the pendulum of our write-up oscillates is a great answer which identifies service to the needy with love of Christ; for whatever good or bad you do to your fellow, you do to Christ. If you say you love me, keep my commands (John 14:15). And the implicit command he gives through this passage is to attend to (serve) the needy in a selfless manner. This is the practical manifestation of our love of God and neighbour, which assures us of eternal life. It is in this line that Fulton Sheen in the address delivered on February 4, 1945 defines heaven as “a place where charity is externalized. In heaven, there will be no faith, for then we will see God, in heaven there will be no hope, for then we will posses God; but in heaven there will be charity, for love endures forever.” (Sheen F., You, St. Paul’s Press, India, 1998, p.71).

Love, expressed in our selfless service is the criteria here for heaven.  It is Christ’s command that we love one another; and no one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends (cf. John 15:12-13). The pericope exposes the ways through which we can bit by bit lay down our lives for our friends: 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 (cf. Matt 25:35-36). These are the corporal works of mercy. It is in these corporal works that the spiritual works (admonish sinners, instruct the uninformed, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, be patient with those in error, forgive offenses, pray for the living and the dead) find their enrichment and proper meaning; for how can one practice the spiritual works without an in-depth exercise of the corporal works. Both go hand in hand, and must be employed in the rendering of our selfless service. Barclay William helps us further to grasp some lessons from the passage with reference to the help we render. It must be help in simple things and one must not be so rich; a case of giving help to people we meet every day. It must be a service which is incalculable, and must flow from ourselves just as those who helped never knew that they did all those for Christ. When we render assistance to people, it is Jesus himself we do them for. If you want to delight God’s heart, then help his children (cf. Barclay W., The Daily Study Bible on the Gospel of Matthew, pp. 325-326).

The eternal livelihood with God as evidenced in the verses 34 and 46b give us a clear eschatological reward of selfless service, as juxtaposed with Verses 41 and 46a. The implication is that selfless service is decisive in our eternity with God. But there is also the reward for selfless service here on earth. Selfless service can turn enmity into friendship; can soften the heart of one’s oppressor; can help to destroy the plans of one’s assailants; can be a practical manner of teaching. But, remember, all this must flow from the love of Christ and tend towards the conversion of persons to embrace the life of selflessness in service. How do you think Christ would have instructed the disciples that the greatest among them must be their servant if there is not really any reward that await for the selfless servant (cf. Matt 20:26)? More so, the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). So, we must be like our master and not inflate or puff up ourselves, but to deflate so that the air becomes a source of life for others we meet. St. Paul further enjoins us to serve one another through love (cf. Gal. 5:14).

As a Christian, how many times have you given food to that hungry person that lives near you; given a cup of water to the thirsty person passing you; rejected or acted mechanically to someone just because he is a stranger to you; given out your clothes to those who cannot afford them; visited the sick and the dying in the hospitals; gone to the prison to see those whose freedom has been limited for either what they have done or the corrupt system of our governance? These are ways we practice our Christian ideals. Never believe that your selfless services can bring you insults and degradation. Never subscribe to the rumour that your selfless arms to the poor will reduce or dry your purse. Never accept the insinuation that your donation for the good of the Church or state can create problems for you. Go with the conviction that ihe ọma gi agaghi egbu gi. Charity opens doors of favours, makes us light and happy, and creates the spirit of togetherness. Start today to be selfless for in it is many benefits. You can even render help to the government through the formation of non-governmental unions that care for the oppressed and the needy. You can visit the motherless babies’ home. We must believe that in selfless service is our pride. It is in the selfless assistance that we render to persons that we become truly Christians, who will be worthy to hear those words of the king: come, you are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from time immemorial (Matt. 25:34). They are blessed because they have aligned themselves to the commands of God and have co-operated with the operative grace of God.