Dearest e-votees-
This week's text is the familiar one of the sheep and the goats.
The thrust of this text is that when we go out into the world and serve those in need we experience and serve Jesus. When we neglect opportunities to serve those in need we miss experiencing and serving Jesus.
Peace,
Karl
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[Jesus is speaking:] 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that 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 food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46, NRSV
We live in a world that is full of need. There are people lacking the basic necessities of life: food, potable water, clothing and housing.
We live in a world that is full of separation and broken relationships: estrangement, imprisonment, divorce, abandonment, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We live in a world where we see people full of need (at times in the mirror) and we see the separation between ourselves and others.
Jesus seems to assert that there is no neutral interaction. Either we are engaging those in need (and helping meet their needs) or we are not. Either we are working to breach the gap between ourselves and others or we are not.
What is so very stunning in this gospel text is that both the sheep (the attentive caring ones) and the goats (the inattentive dismissive ones) have the very same response: "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison?" The point is that we won't recognize Jesus and because of that respond. The point is that when we respond we will encounter Jesus (whether we recognize him or not).
I don't believe the point of this text is to terrify us that we might be a goat rather than a sheep. The point is to remind us that when we care for any and all we tend to the Lord of any and all. Jesus can be encountered most profoundly through others. ("where two or three are gathered in my name...") ("truly I tell you, just as you did to one of the least of these...") ("do not forsake meeting together as some are in the habit of doing...") God is expressed in the community of the Trinity. God comes to us most clearly in the context of community. When we forsake caring for community we risk neglecting God to our own detriment. Eternal life starts now and it is best discovered in the face of another.
God, help us step into caring for the needs and relational health of others. Help us to let others care for our needs and reach out to us with a hand of fellowship as well. As you do these things in us we will surely experience you. Amen.
This week's text is the familiar one of the sheep and the goats.
The thrust of this text is that when we go out into the world and serve those in need we experience and serve Jesus. When we neglect opportunities to serve those in need we miss experiencing and serving Jesus.
Peace,
Karl
------------
[Jesus is speaking:] 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that 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 food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
We live in a world that is full of need. There are people lacking the basic necessities of life: food, potable water, clothing and housing.
We live in a world that is full of separation and broken relationships: estrangement, imprisonment, divorce, abandonment, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We live in a world where we see people full of need (at times in the mirror) and we see the separation between ourselves and others.
Jesus seems to assert that there is no neutral interaction. Either we are engaging those in need (and helping meet their needs) or we are not. Either we are working to breach the gap between ourselves and others or we are not.
What is so very stunning in this gospel text is that both the sheep (the attentive caring ones) and the goats (the inattentive dismissive ones) have the very same response: "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison?" The point is that we won't recognize Jesus and because of that respond. The point is that when we respond we will encounter Jesus (whether we recognize him or not).
I don't believe the point of this text is to terrify us that we might be a goat rather than a sheep. The point is to remind us that when we care for any and all we tend to the Lord of any and all. Jesus can be encountered most profoundly through others. ("where two or three are gathered in my name...") ("truly I tell you, just as you did to one of the least of these...") ("do not forsake meeting together as some are in the habit of doing...") God is expressed in the community of the Trinity. God comes to us most clearly in the context of community. When we forsake caring for community we risk neglecting God to our own detriment. Eternal life starts now and it is best discovered in the face of another.
God, help us step into caring for the needs and relational health of others. Help us to let others care for our needs and reach out to us with a hand of fellowship as well. As you do these things in us we will surely experience you. Amen.
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