Thursday, October 13
You did…you didn’t
Scripture: Ezekiel 19-20, Psalm 119:1-88, Matthew 25
Matthew 25:34–36 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 “ ‘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 took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’
Matthew 25:41–43 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’
Observation
In this famous story, Jesus pictures the final judgment as a separation of those who did and those who didn’t. What was it they did or didn’t do? Care for the least of these: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in strangers, clothe the naked, care for sick, visit the imprisoned.
Of course, the punchline is that we did or didn’t do these things to Jesus. “I was hungry, I was thirsty.” And everyone asked, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty and helped you or not?” Jesus answered, “Whatever you did for the least of these…you did for me.”
Mother Teresa famously said that she saw Jesus in the faces of the poor.
Obviously, our treatment of others, particularly “the least of these”, is very important. It is how we treat Jesus.
Application
I’m journaling on this today because as I read this story, I feel very disconnected from the poor. I live in a bubble of prosperity. Where do I see the hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, sick or imprisoned?
I give in our 1 for 1 campaign. I sponsor kids in Africa and Central America, and give to Christian organizations serving the poor. But all that is done at arms length, from a distance.
I recently heard about a young man who is homeless, sleeping in his car. I suggested ways to help him…ways that did not directly involve me.
So I was struck by Jesus separating people simply by saying, “You did—you helped,” and “You didn’t.” I don’t want to be in the “You didn’t” crowd.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to opportunities to help the least of these, and open my heart to truly care and do it.