“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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 invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
Matthew 25:34-36
Have you ever thought deeply about the people Jesus is aligning himself with in the parable of the sheep and the goats? Let’s work through it together.
Vs 35 and 42:
“Hungry” and “Thirsty”—These are those in need of daily, urgent, physical needs. What the Lord does not say speaks as loudly as what he does. He does not say “I was a hungry or thirsty Jew.” This is all the hungry. Whether they be Jew, or Gentile, even Roman.
“Stranger”—These are people who are unknown, untrusted, and therefore possible threats. This is the one who may invoke fear. This could be simply a stranger to us. But it also could be a stranger to community and country.
Vs 36:
“Needed clothes”—This is the person in need. Remember in Christ’s time clothing was very important. The average person had few extra clothes, if any, and it was indeed a sacrifice to give up your second cloak. (See Luke 3:11.)
“Sick”—In the time of Christ, without modern medicine, caring for the sick was an act of both care and extreme courage. Therefore, the sick were often those who suffered in isolation. In addition to this, there existed a theologically incorrect view that sickness always revealed the disapproval of God upon a person. Thus, dealing with a physical ailment not only brought physical hardship, but also and often social rejection and abandonment. Visiting a sick person brought the very real threat of infection and the threat of social stigma.
“In prison”—In the first century, prisoners were often debtors, political rebels, or criminals. They carried social shame, and associating with them could damage one’s reputation. Visiting a prisoner could expose someone to suspicion by authorities or ridicule by neighbors. It was not a “safe” or socially approved act. This last one is an especially poignant check in my spirit. How often do we consciously or subconsciously consider those who break laws as somehow exempt from our God-given mandate to show love—even to our enemies?
Yet Christ identifies himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the destitute, the sick AND the law breaker.
And I know the “yeah buts” rise up almost immediately. “Yeah but we can’t help everyone,” “Yeah but some people might be dangerous,” “Yeah but they chose to break the law.” These responses are natural to us, but they do not change the words of Jesus. He gives His commands and reveals the character and obedience He expects without caveats. He never asks us to meet every need, but He does ask us to respond to needs of those He places in front of us. He never asks us to surrender wisdom, but He calls us to refuse the fear that masquerades as wisdom. He never asks us to erase justice, but he does call us to remember that even when justice is being carried out, mercy must still be present. So too we as Christians must remember that we ourselves were once prisoners condemned to death, saved only by the mercy and grace of Christ. The question of Matthew 25 is never whether those in need are “worthy,” but whether we are willing to obey. The foundational element of this is seeing people as He sees them. That is what Matthew 25:31-46 is all about.
In all these things I am reminded of a life altering moment. Dawn and I had just begun driving home from a youth ministry shopping trip in Philadelphia. Our car was full, our schedule was packed and our time was stretched thin. As we were about to pull onto the throughway, we saw a woman standing in the road median holding a cardboard sign asking for help. I cannot remember what the sign said, I just know that the Spirit made it clear that I was to go to her, to help—somehow.
But, ministry matters pressed, stress dictated the opposite of the Spirit, and I drove on. Moments after we turned onto the throughway, the Spirit spoke again. Now most of the time He leads by impression, directing in alignment with God’s Word. This time He spoke one clear sentence, “You just drove by me.” I gasped out loud at the gut-punch of conviction. And I heard Dawn beside me gasp at the same moment. I asked her. “What’s the matter.” She responded, “God just said to me, ‘You just drove by me.’” We pulled over and turned around heading back to where we had seen the woman, but in those few moments she had gone.
Our Jesus loves both the found and the lost so deeply that He intimately identifies with each of them. What we do or do not do for the least of these, we do or do not do for Him.
“Father, help us to love with your love. Thank you for filling we who are your children with your Holy Spirit. Help us to allow your Spirit then to lead us in Holiness, in Righteousness, in grace, in compassion, in generosity and in sacrifice. We ask this for the glory of your name. We ask this in the name above every name. In Jesus Name. Amen.”
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Brian