Matthew 25:31-40 New International Version
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.’
Reflection
Christmas is always a message of hope! Here we are; more than after 2,000 years after Jesus is born, and still the story of a mother and a father welcoming their son into the world brings us hope.
Our world is still messy and fragile, our lives still have problems and we all have to make room in our lives for grief and sorrow – even at Christmas.
And yet, there is hope - that somehow, somewhere people hearing about angels and shepherds, stars and magi, and a newborn babe take hope.
We take hope, because that baby grew up to share with us – you and me - the Good News that God is with us, through it all. Whatever happens, in our world and in our lives, God’s promise stands.
And Jesus tells us what the world is like for him, what the Kin-dom of God looks like to him. For me those stories Jesus tells, it’s like Jesus sees into the heart of the matter, it‘s like Jesus sees into our hearts.
What I find most interesting, about the Matthew 25 passage we read, is not the judgment part where we all get separated into sheep and goats but the response of the righteous.
Jesus says: ‘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.’
And the righteous, turn around and say: “When did that happen?” They look at each other and say “ Did you do something for Jesus?” And then Jesus continues, telling them what life in the Kin-dom looks like “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Those righteous, they were just living out their lives, just following their hearts and yet they were doing Kingdom stuff. It looks like the Kin-dom when we take care of and for each other, reaching out when we can, and doing it not because the person or people look worthy of our concern but because we can and our hearts are moved and softened and can bear holding what is and what can be in tension.
We can call our words, our kindness, our prayers, our actions the hope of our world, the light in the darkness, the Way by which we live, the Kingdom and Kin-dom of God made true and visible to all.
Today, on the eve of Jesus being born once again into the world, may we be renewed in Spirit and may Immanuel, God with us, continue to be with us and guide us on our way.
May it be so. Amen
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.’
Reflection
Christmas is always a message of hope! Here we are; more than after 2,000 years after Jesus is born, and still the story of a mother and a father welcoming their son into the world brings us hope.
Our world is still messy and fragile, our lives still have problems and we all have to make room in our lives for grief and sorrow – even at Christmas.
And yet, there is hope - that somehow, somewhere people hearing about angels and shepherds, stars and magi, and a newborn babe take hope.
We take hope, because that baby grew up to share with us – you and me - the Good News that God is with us, through it all. Whatever happens, in our world and in our lives, God’s promise stands.
And Jesus tells us what the world is like for him, what the Kin-dom of God looks like to him. For me those stories Jesus tells, it’s like Jesus sees into the heart of the matter, it‘s like Jesus sees into our hearts.
What I find most interesting, about the Matthew 25 passage we read, is not the judgment part where we all get separated into sheep and goats but the response of the righteous.
Jesus says: ‘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.’
And the righteous, turn around and say: “When did that happen?” They look at each other and say “ Did you do something for Jesus?” And then Jesus continues, telling them what life in the Kin-dom looks like “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Those righteous, they were just living out their lives, just following their hearts and yet they were doing Kingdom stuff. It looks like the Kin-dom when we take care of and for each other, reaching out when we can, and doing it not because the person or people look worthy of our concern but because we can and our hearts are moved and softened and can bear holding what is and what can be in tension.
We can call our words, our kindness, our prayers, our actions the hope of our world, the light in the darkness, the Way by which we live, the Kingdom and Kin-dom of God made true and visible to all.
Today, on the eve of Jesus being born once again into the world, may we be renewed in Spirit and may Immanuel, God with us, continue to be with us and guide us on our way.
May it be so. Amen
