In Matthew 11, John the Baptist is in prison, about to be beheaded. He sends messengers to ask Jesus a very important question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3).

In a very compelling answer, Jesus points to the miracles He performed: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”

In a sense, Jesus was saying, “Yes, I am He. I am the One. The scriptures said I would do these things. Go tell John that you’ve seen me fulfill these prophecies.”

What amazes me about this list is the last miracle. It stands out to me more than any other. You see, today mankind cannot do the first five miracles. Even with our latest medical advances, technology and breakthroughs, we cannot restore sight to the blind.

There are millions who are confined to wheelchairs without our ability to help them walk again. Leprosy still exists today, but perhaps more importantly, we have yet to cure the leprosy of our age, AIDS. While some advances have helped those with poor hearing differentiate some sounds, for millions, the world is a silent place. And despite our best efforts, we cannot raise the dead.

But then there’s the last miracle: “And the good news is preached to the poor.” Wait a minute; we can do that! In fact, we are doing that! I think this is one way we can all be Christlike.

At Compassion, we have one thing in common: We are all miracle workers because we are all part of this ministry that, around the globe, is preaching the good news to the poor.

You. A miracle worker. Who would’ve known, huh?

“Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’” –Matthew 11:4–5, NIV

Prayer: Lord, thank You for giving us this one miracle we can perform — to preach the gospel to the poor! May we always cherish this opportunity to be Christlike. Thank You for allowing us to be part of a ministry that is one — on purpose, with a unified heart for children trapped in poverty.

Read all the One in Spirit devotionals. 

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I’m not sure how that started. Perhaps it’s because we were so poor and often didn’t have anything else to put between our two slices of Wonder Bread. It’s not very nourishing. But at the time, it was a wonderful snack.

And now, having grown up and had all sorts of meat-filled hoagies, clubs, burgers and Reubens — mayonnaise sandwiches don’t sound very appealing.

The early part of my spiritual journey was just like that mayonnaise sandwich. I had the bread, but not much to put in the middle.

My early walk with Christ was encapsulated in the only two things I really knew about Jesus:

1. He was born of a virgin, in a manger, under a bright star. Wise men came to see Him and brought Him gifts.
2. He was crucified for my sins. But after three days, He rose from the grave…proving His power over death, and thus granting us everlasting life.

But I knew very little about the middle of the sandwich. What happened between birth and death? What did Jesus do with His time here on earth?

We can grow so complacent in our spiritual journeys that we forget about the middle of the story. And frankly, part of that may be the fault of the Church.

Pastors — not all of them, but many — find it easy to talk about the bread. Sermons about how Jesus was born…and how He died for our sins are abundant. It’s an easy topic to give the body. But what about the middle?

Last year, a Barna poll found that more than 50 percent of church-goers in the US said they had not heard a single sermon about ministering to the poor over the past 12 months. Over 50 percent!

But so much of what Jesus did was ministering to those who were hungry, thirsty, hurting, sick, lame, blind…poor. Jesus spent the better part of His ministry addressing those needs. And He told us to do likewise.

Why isn’t the Church teaching about the middle?

Seems to me that ministering to the poor ought to be the most preached topic in the Church today…not one of the least.

If we truly want to be Christ-like, and we should, then let’s start teaching Christ’s message to the Church. Let’s start doing what Jesus did — and what He told us to do…serve the poor.

Anything less…is just a mayonnaise sandwich.

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