The Gospel According to Matthew
Matthew 25: 31-46
Question of the Day: Do you know your neighbors? (The people right around your house?)
In today's lesson Jesus is still talking with His disciples. Here he is talking not about how you will know when He comes, or what you should be doing while you are waiting but what will happen when He comes.
I have to admit this passage has been weighing on me! It is at first blush such a straight forward passage that we all know so well.
I would say that the point is that we are to treat all those around us as if they were our Lord. Simple straight forward... We are done let's move on... NOPE! Not even close.
READ: Matthew 25:31-46
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “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. 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 invited me in, 36 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.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his 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 did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
What a difficult read. I can remember as a child hearing this worried me. Was I really doing this? In my young literal mind, I knew I wasn't visiting prison. I wasn't feeding anyone, I was being fed, so was I going to be going to hell?
So Jesus tells them they must feed hunger, quench thirst, welcome strangers, cloth the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison.
Take care of physical needs, food water.
Take care of the need for connection, welcoming strangers and visiting those in prison who are alone.
Cloth those who need it.
Obviously, we know that we are also asked to spread the good news but here, that isn't present. Why?
The good news is what? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shale not parish but have eternal life.
We can tell people all day long that Jesus has saved them, but WE CAN'T SAVE THEM!
We can't give them eternal life but we CAN help them LIVE! We can LOVE! If we try to "SAVE" them by only preaching, or preaching first, they only have words! If we feed them, love them, visit them, cloth them, they experience life! We are to be His hands. We have the opportunity to help them get a glimpse of what it means to be saved, rescued, accepted, wrapped up, LOVED. This IS OUR CALLING!
JESUS SAVES FOR HEAVEN!
WE ARE TO SAVE FOR EARTH!
JESUS SAVES ETERNAL!
WE ARE TO SAVE TEMPORARY!
Let me be clear. We cannot SAVE anyone's soul, but if someone is naked, hungry, alone, thirsty, we CAN save them from being naked, from hunger, from loneliness, etc. THIS is our WORK!
What keeps us from helping?
Is it easier to preach and teach rather than help?
Recently I have heard a lot about helping Christian?
Does this passage support that?
Do we help just those we love, or those who want to know Jesus, or do?
Who do we help?
Finding the life application is easy, isn't it? We must with free abandon, care for man kind.
How do I do that today? Tomorrow?
I want to challenge this class to STEP it UP!!!!
We have been asked as a church to help out with providing the laundry baskets and the contents. LET's make it happen!!
I would like for us to next week overwhelm Regina with what is needed. Can we do that?
If you can't be here, send it with someone.
Who am I?
I am afraid, that too often I land on the left side of God! Because Jesus has SAVED me, I am required to save others. Not their soul but their temporary body. I am to love!!!! ALL!!!
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