Christ the King
Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
The separation of sheep and goats
"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. 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, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 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; 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, 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.' 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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 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.' 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; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 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.' 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?' 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.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Reflection
All those needy people! Not just Christians it seems but all of them. The strangers, thirsty, sick, prisoners, hungry or naked, it seems all people in need. And I'm one of them as well as all those around me, near or far. All people fall in need. This image points me back to the summary of commandments where we are to love God and one another. We are to live and act out the love God freely gave.
The Father sent the Son to save all people from their sin. Jesus took on our sin and died on the cross for our sin and rose in victory over that sin, that death, and the devil. He did this for all people and all walks of faith and life. And then we were filled with the Holy Spirit, taught and given the gifts needed to carry on this love in a world which is not perfect and filled with sin. We are to live and love others as Jesus lived and loved and died for us. Those actions need to be evident in our lives, not just in word but more importantly in deed.
You can't just stand on the corner and thump your Bible. You can't just ring and sing. You can't just sit and hear. At some point, if you really got the message from the Bible, or heard the Word in the song, or was visited by the Spirit in the pew; you will get up and GO. Go and put feet and hands and heart into the grace you have been given by God. You will GO and act out your faith. And that's where great joy takes place. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Lord, your resources are rich and plenteous. As I hear and understand your Word, may my feet and hands and heart itch for action. The action to show the love you have shown to me... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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