To whom does the “the least of these my brothers” refer?

Explanation:

Jesus explains that when the King comes, he will reward those who fed him, gave him drink, and cared for him. When the people ask when they cared for Jesus, he explains that whatever they did for the least of these my brothers, they did it for him. So who are the least of these my brothers? We can deduce that the least of these my brothers refers to all those who follow Jesus, because Matthew often uses the term brother to refer to the followers of Jesus (Matthew 23:35, Matthew 5:47; Matthew 7:3–5; Matthew 18:15; Matthew 28:10).⁶ The clearest example that brothers refers to Jesus' followers comes from Matthew 12:48–50.⁷ There a man tells Jesus that his mother and brothers are waiting to speak with him. Jesus responds by stretching out his hand toward his disciples and explaining that these are his mother and brothers. Jesus then explains that whoever does the will of his Father in heaven is his brother, sister, or mother. Thus, when Jesus mentions in Matthew 25:40 the least of these my brothers, he has in mind his followers.

Counterargument:

While it is true that Jesus refers to his followers as his brothers, in certain passages, this does not mean that brothers refers to his followers in every passage. Rather, we must decide from the context what Jesus means when he refers to the least of his brethren. According to the parable, when Jesus explains to the people that they will inherit the kingdom because they cared for Jesus, they are surprised. How do we explain the fact that they are surprised? If we take it that the least of these brethren that Jesus has in mind are simply the needy people of this world, this explains the people’s surprise.⁸ In other words, anyone who cares for the needy with an authentic heart, cares for Jesus, because Jesus has a heart for the needy. Thus, it comes as a surprise that by caring for the needy, these people were aligning themselves with Christ.

Response to counterargument:

There are two problems with this view. For one, if we accept that brothers refers to fellow disciples, it is not difficult to account for the fact that the people who inherit the kingdom are surprised. That is because the surprise is not over the fact that they inherit the kingdom, for as disciples of Christ they look forward to that great and glorious day. Rather, they are surprised to learn that they inherit the kingdom for caring for Jesus. How have we cared for you, O King? they wonder, reflecting on the fact that they never served Jesus directly. Jesus explains that they served him when they cared for the least of these his brethren, that is, their fellow disciples. By caring for their fellow disciples, they care for Jesus, and this connection is surprising. So there is no problem accounting for the surprise element of the parable when we take it that brothers refers to fellow disciples.

The second problem with this counterargument is that it is not clear that Christ will usher into the kingdom all of those who have helped the needy. Such an assertion requires argumentation and biblical support that is hitherto lacking.

Explanation:

To help us understand who Jesus refers to when he says, the least of these my brothers, it’s important to note the term the least. Matthew uses a similar term, namely small, in other passages to refer to those who are humble and lowly followers of Christ (Matthew 18:6, Matthew 18:10, Matthew 18:14). Most striking is Matthew 10:42. There Jesus explains that whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water, because he is a disciple, will not lose his reward. The parallels between giving one of Jesus’ humble disciples a drink of water and caring for the least of these my brothers in Matthew 25:40 are hard to overlook.

Given the similarities between the terms small and least, and the fact that these little ones of Matthew 10:42 refers specifically to Jesus' disciples, we can take it that the least of these my brothers also refers to Jesus’ disciples.

Counterargument:

There are two problems with this argument. For one, the terms least and little, while similar, are not the same. With this in mind, it might be that Jesus wants us to associate the term little with disciples and least with people other than disciples. Thus, we cannot take it that the least of these my brothers refers to the disciples.

Second, Jesus also uses the term little to refer to children (Matthew 18:5–6). Since Jesus uses the term little to characterize both disciples and children, we cannot conclude that because little and least are similar they both refer to disciples, because little sometimes refers to children. Thus, by the logic used above we might conclude that because Jesus refers to children with little, which is similar to least, the least of these my brothers refers to children.

Response to counterargument:

There are two ways to resolve this counterargument. First, the similarities of Matthew 10:42 and Matthew 25:40 are not only in the terms little and least but also the content. In Matthew 10:42 Jesus explains that those who give his disciples a drink will be rewarded, and in Matthew 25:40 he says that those who care for the least of his brothers will inherit the kingdom. Thus, the terminology and the content suggest that Jesus has the same humble disciples of Matthew 10:42 in mind in Matthew 25:40.

Second, while it is true that Jesus uses the term little in the context of children, he uses it to refer to either children who believe in him or his disciples (who also believe in him). Specifically, Jesus says that whoever causes one of these little ones (referring to children or disciples) who believe in me. In other words, Jesus uses little to refer not simply to children (or disciples) but to children who believe in him, which categorizes them as disciples.

Possible weaknesses:

When we consider Matthew 25:40 in isolation it seems that Jesus likely has all believers in mind. The difficulty is that when we consider Matthew 25:40 within the broader context of Matthew 25:40, we notice that these brothers faced hunger, thirst, nakedness, and imprisonment. Do these details suggest that Jesus has a particular group of brothers in mind? This view does not take such details into account, and inadvertently assumes that such details apply to all believers. Unfortunately for this view, there is reason to think that these details do apply to a specific group, as will become clear below.

Explanation:

We learned from earlier in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus sends out his disciples to spread the news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 10:7). When Jesus sends them, he tells them not to bring money or bags, for the labourer deserves his wage (Matthew 10:9). Instead of bringing money and food the disciples should find those who are worthy and stay with them (Matthew 10:11). Thus, the disciples, when they departed as missionaries, were dependent on strangers for food, and drink, and if they tore a garment, clothing. The apostle Paul mentions similar challenges to missionary work, explaining that he was often hungry and thirsty (1 Corinthians 4:11), and sometimes imprisoned and beaten for the gospel (2 Corinthians 6:4–5).⁹ Given the challenges of missionary work, and their dependence on the kindness of strangers, Jesus concludes his instructions to his disciples in Matthew 10:1–42 by saying that whoever gives them a cup of water because they belong to Christ will not lose their reward.

When we reach Matthew 25:40, Jesus is again explaining the need to provide for missionaries, except in this context he is speaking not to the missionaries themselves but to the people.¹⁰ That is, in Matthew 10:1–42, Jesus explains to the disciples what to expect, while in Matthew 25:1–46, he explains to the people that those who provide for Jesus’ missionaries are providing for Jesus himself.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that all of Jesus' disciples are identified with Jesus and will undergo persecution. For example, in Matthew 5:1–48, Jesus addresses the crowd, explaining that all who are reviled and persecuted on Jesus’ account are blessed (Matthew 5:11). Also, in Matthew 23:34, Jesus says that he will send prophets and wise men to the scribes and Pharisees, and the scribes and Pharisees will kill them.¹¹ Thus, there is a connection between being a disciple of Jesus and being treated harshly.

Response to counterargument:

There are two problems with this argument. First, no one denies that Jesus’ followers will face persecution. Indeed, Jesus’ followers should expect to suffer as Jesus suffered (1 Peter 4:1). Still, Matthew 25:35–36 refers to more than persecution; that is, it refers to hunger, thirst, nakedness, sickness, and imprisonment. In other words, Jesus lists the difficulties that an itinerant preacher will face and explains that whoever accepts his missionaries will receive the kingdom of heaven.

Second, even if Matthew 25:35–36 was confined to persecution alone, and did not mention other difficulties such as hunger, thirst, and nakedness, Matthew 23:34 is not a good counter-example. For Matthew 23:34 has to do with Jesus sending prophets and wise men to the scribes and Pharisees, and what are itinerant preachers but prophets and wise men who are sent by Jesus to the lost. Finally, when it comes to Matthew 5:11, and the fact that those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake are blessed, it is not inconceivable that Jesus has missionaries in mind.

Explanation:

To understand who the least of these my brothers refers to, it’s important to recognize that in the context, Jesus identifies himself with whoever this group refers to. Jesus says that as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40).¹² Jesus does something similar when he identifies with the missionaries he sends in Matthew 10:1–42. There he explains that whoever receives his missionaries receives him (Matthew 10:40). In other words, to receive his missionaries is to receive him, and to clothe and feed his missionaries is to clothe and feed him.

Counterargument:

While it is true that Jesus identifies with his missionaries in Matthew 10:40, we know from elsewhere in Scripture that he identifies with all those who place their faith in him. For example, in Galatians 3:26–28, Paul says that all who have been baptized with Christ are sons of God, so there is no slave or free, male or female, for we are all one in Christ. Also, in Romans 8:9, Paul explains that the Spirit of Christ lives in believers. Thus, whenever someone feeds, clothes, or cares for anyone who is a follower of Christ it is as if that person feeds, clothes, and cares for Christ because Christ’s Spirit lives in him.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that Christ only identifies with missionaries, but that there is a strong connection between three elements of Matthew 10:40–42 and the least of these my brothers in Matthew 25:40. First, there is Jesus’ identifying himself with the missionaries sent (Matthew 10:40) and the least of these brothers (Matthew 25:40). Second, both the missionaries sent and the least of these brothers are cared for with provisions (Matthew 10:42; Matthew 25:35–36). Third, Jesus calls the missionaries his little ones (Matthew 10:42) and refers to his brothers as the least (Matthew 25:40). Given all these connections, there is good reason to think that Jesus has missionaries in mind in both passages.

Possible weaknesses:

The only problem with this view is that we know the church ought to care for each other as members of the body of Christ. We also know that church members, and not just missionaries, are sometimes hungry, thirsty, and imprisoned. Further, we know that Christ identifies with all believers because his Spirit lives in all believers. Thus, it just seems true that when fellow Christians care for one another’s needs, whether missionaries or not, it is as though they care for Christ and will receive the kingdom. In other words, itinerant missionaries are certainly included as the least of these my brothers, but so are the rest of Jesus' followers.