The Patriot Post® · Christianity Today's Russell Moore and Matthew 25
Matthew 25:40 has become a favorite Bible verse for Christians and nominal believers who want to justify their support for certain policies such as Biden-Harris’s facilitated border invasion. The passage is as follows: “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
They interpret this as a call to help every needy person with whom a Christian crosses paths. However, that exegesis has historically been interpreted quite differently.
Last week, Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey commented on this particular passage on X, saying: “‘The least of these’ is referring to persecuted Christians, not the poor. So, I’m voting for the set of policies that will best protect the truly least of these: Jack Phillips, Joan Bell, David Daleiden & other believers who have had their lives ruined by progressive activists. No chance I could vote for the party that routinely targets Christians for harassment, discrimination & lawfare.”
“The least of these” is referring to persecuted Christians, not the poor. So, I’m voting for the set of policies that will best protect the truly least of these: Jack Phillips, Joan Bell, David Daleiden & other believers who have had their lives ruined by progressive activists.…
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) October 12, 2024
Seems like a pretty innocuous post. Christians should be standing up for and supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ who are unjustly being persecuted. One side of the political aisle is openly persecuting Christians with lawfare and anti-Christian rhetoric. Also, recall that millions, particularly in blue states, were not permitted to attend church during COVID for fear of spreading the virus, while rioters were allowed to run amok.
Stuckey’s remark blew up on social media, with left-leaning Christians vehemently disagreeing with her. The post even caught the attention of Russell Moore, the former president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and current editor-in-chief of Christianity Today. Largely in reaction to Donald Trump, Moore now leans progressive in his political views. He even participated in atheist filmmaker Rob Reiner’s anti-Christian documentary on “Christian Nationalism” and co-created a Bible study dubbed “[The After Party]”(https://patriotpost.us/articles/103896-whos-funding-david-french-and-russell-moore-2024-01-26) funded by the radical Rockefeller Group.
When this Bible study was released, I wrote, “Sadly, it reads more like a wolf among sheep, particularly in light of [Moore’s] participation in the Reiner documentary, which seems to employ the same strategy that is being used from the political pulpits: label conservatives deplorable or extremists and then watch as the nation further implodes.”
Moore embodied that fear with how he handled his disagreement in exegesis. He wrote an article in Christianity Today addressing it. The result was not a very Christian response. It was petty and vicious. He didn’t bother to address Stuckey directly. As he put it in his piece: “A friend told me last week that some social media controversy dusted up for a bit over just this question. He needn’t tell me who posted it, because it doesn’t matter in this ephemeral medium — the players always change and the game remains the same.”
He went on to state his case and try to frame Stuckey’s interpretation as extreme and invalid — that caring for the poor is a mandate throughout the Bible. Perhaps the worst part of his piece was this:
If one is embarrassed by the miracles or morality of Jesus, one can always demythologize him with all the fervor of a 19th-century German scholar. If one is embarrassed by the compassion or empathy of Jesus, one can demythologize him there too, with all the frenzy of a 20th-century German soldier. None of that will change, not one iota, that Jesus is ultimately seated on the throne. Before him, “Has God really said?” is a terrible question to ask. So is “Who is my neighbor?”
That’s an interesting way of calling someone a Nazi. Moore should know that if he has to resort to such slanderous words, he’s already lost the argument. For disagreeing on exegesis, Stuckey is a Nazi?
While caring for the poor is explicitly stated throughout the Bible, in this particular passage, Jesus’s words have been interpreted by scholars as Christ addressing fellow Christians who are being persecuted. Stuckey has the receipts:
Augustine: “When He said, "You did it to these,” He did not say, “my brothers,” but He added this when He said, ‘You did it unto me.’ Why, but because they were His members, because He was their head?“
Calvin: "Christ does not here speak of all wretched persons without distinction, but of those who are being tried by the cross, are reckoned as His own people.”
Fast forward a few centuries…
“In the context of Jesus’ teachings, especially in the context of Matthew (as opposed to Luke), this parable addresses not serving all the poor but receiving the gospel’s messengers.” —Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt. 25:31-46.
“The reference to "my brothers” cannot be a reference to all of suffering humanity. “Brother” is never used this way in the New Testament. The word always refers to a physical/blood brother or to the spiritual family of God… Matthew 25 equates caring for Jesus’s spiritual family with caring for Jesus.“ —Kevin DeYoung, professor at Reformed Theological Seminary
"In this text, "brothers” is not a generic description of people created in the image of God. Jesus reserves the term “brothers” for those who are his disciples — those who believe and obey his word.“ —Denny Burk, professor at Boyce College
The Bible also has plenty to say about how Christians should handle disagreements with other Christians. If Russell Moore is incensed enough with Stuckey’s exegesis to call her a Nazi, then he must be concluding that his sister in Christ has fallen into sin. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus directly tells us how to handle such a matter. Step one: Point out their fault in private. If that doesn’t work, move on to step two: Address the sin with a couple of other Christian witnesses. Then, if that doesn’t work, step three: Take the issue to the church. If that still isn’t a catalyst for redemption and restoration, treat them as non-Christians.
Calling a fellow Christian a Nazi brings no glory to God and only infamy. It truly is a shame to see it.