Acts of Kindness

Acts of Kindness

Matthew 25:34-40

            “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”  This is attributed to Aesop, teller of the famous fables.  It’s the moral of the story about the lion and the mouse.  The lion spares the mouse’s life.  Later, when the lion is caught in a net, the mouse gnaws a hole big enough for the lion to escape.  The story also proves that kind acts don’t depend on size or strength, but can be performed by anyone.

            In my ethics class we discuss the difference between manners and morals.  One student said that people with manners can be immoral, and people who are moral may not necessarily have the best manners.  Great answer!

            The Bible is clear that acts of kindness involve morals and manners.  Paul (Galatians 5:22-23) includes kindness in his list of fruit of the Spirit.  It’s right there with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.  When we perform acts of kindness we’re following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

            The most telling Bible words about kindness come from Jesus (no surprise there).  In his description of the final judgment, Jesus gathers on his right hand those who have served him well.  He welcomes them into God’s kingdom for the acts of kindness they have performed for him.  The vast majority of those in the right-hand group will never have seen Jesus face-to-face.  How can they have served him, they ask?  Jesus answers, “Because you did it to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.”

            Remember these words.  Tape them to refrigerators, bathroom mirrors—any place you look each day.  We are called to serve Jesus by serving those around us—that’s the key to the kingdom.

            Remember also the words of James M. Barrie.  The creator of Peter Pan said, “Always be a little kinder than necessary.”  God doesn’t call us to kindness as an insurance policy to get into the kingdom.  God calls us to be kinder than necessary because that’s what God does.  God pours blessings out on us—so many we don’t see some of them until we look back.  When we slow down and turn around we can see God’s activity in our lives.

            God also expects us to be kinder than necessary because that’s the example Jesus set.  Jesus looked at the people waiting to hear him and had compassion on them.  They were “like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36.)  It may be difficult for us to see ourselves standing in Jesus’ place, but isn’t that what we are called to do?  We must show the same compassion Jesus showed because there are still sheep looking for a shepherd.  As a shepherd is kind to the sheep, so must we be kind to those around us.

            “How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it,” George Elliston says.  Our kindness can’t just be a once-in-a-while action.  It’s a way of life.  We practice kindness day by day until it becomes a habit.  We perform kind acts because we are kind—kind as Jesus was kind; kind as the Holy Spirit leads us to be kind.

            Is it easy?  Not at all.  We see from Jesus’ disciples how difficult it is to be kind.  Not until Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit arrived did they begin to pour lovingkindness into the world.  It was the Spirit of God working through them that made kindness possible.

            Is it necessary?  Of course!  Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 make it clear.  The kingdom belongs to those who give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, to those who welcome strangers and clothe the naked, to those who visit the sick and prisoners.  No amount of personal piety will unlock the kingdom.  Only our service will get us in.