Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! Verses 16-20
I love that first verse. That is what we should all be doing. We should shout out for all to hear, "Come and hear!! Hear what God has done for my soul!!" Our testimony is what encourages others, especially believers who might be experiencing a down time (which is all of us, at one time or another, right?).
And that is one reason why I began this journal.
Matthew 25:31-40
This passage is part of a larger passage that makes up one of Jesus's final speeches/sermons. The entire sermon is on being watchful. This passage took a lot of people by surprise.
Here are some questions posed by the author.
1. What words or phrases stand out to you?
The first is "blazing in beauty." This is a depiction of Christ's second coming. It is going to be a glorious sight to behold. Yet it will be most fearful at the same time.
The second is "he will sort the people out." When I read that, my emphasis is on the word, "HE." Only Jesus is qualified to sort the people out. If you remember, there was a parable that Jesus told about a man who planted a field. His enemies snuck in and planted weeds ("tares") in his field. Weeds that looked almost identical to his wheat. Jesus basically told in this parable that it is not our job to try to weed out the authentic Christians from those who are not authentic. That will be his job when the final harvest arrives. Well, that final harvest is what is being depicted in Matthew 25. Jesus is the one who separates. Jesus is the one who "sorts out" the believers from the non-believers. That is not our job.
Then, finally, after the list of things that the "sheep" are being rewarded for, these words..."Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me."
Jesus emphasizes here, the importance of caring for those who are needy; "overlooked or ignored," as Peterson translates. Over and over again, God reminds us how important "widows and orphans" are to him. People who don't have anyone in their lives to care for them. These are the people we, as Christians, are to be looking after.
How can we do this? There are multitudes of ways. Some spontaneous, others planned. I've bought street people sandwiches before. I've given folks money (sometimes against my better judgment, but how they used that money is between them and God). I give regularly (some would call it "tithing") to my church, which, in turn, uses funds contributed for many worthy causes, not the least of which is contributing to missionary funds which aid in the spreading of the gospel to remote parts of the earth. We also contribute regularly to Compassion Inernational, which feeds, clothes and educates a child with my small monthly contribution. Compassion is only one of several organizations that do this. We also contribute regularly to South American Mission (S.A.M.), to support a personal friend of ours who is a missionary in Peru.
I don't tell you all these things to "do my alms before men." That was not a boasting session. Rather, it was to illustrate how easy it is to feed the hungry, give the thirsty a drink, give homes to the homeless, give clothes to the shivering, heal the sick, and visit those in prison. We could do more, so much more. But we are, admittedly, rather lazy sometimes.
Ok. On with the questions.
2. Who are the overlooked and ignored in your life?
I've mostly already answered this, but I will also include family members who sometimes get ignored by the rest of the family. One thing that is very interesting...we have helped my wife's sister several times over the past years. She has had a rough go of life, but it is largely her own fault. Still, we have felt led to help her when she has truly been in need. Every time we do so, money shows up out of nowhere! At least twice, we have gotten totally unexpected $500 checks right after we sent her some money! How weird is that?? God is good, isn't he? Weird, sometimes, but good!!
3. Imagine yourself overlooked and ignored. What do you now have in common with Jesus?
Tough question. But Jesus, himself, really didn't have much. In spite of what the "health, wealth, and prosperity" crowd would have you believe. Jesus, himself, said that he had no place to lay his head. He was certainly looked down upon and scorned by the "higher-ups." The religious leaders hated him. And they tended to look down on the poor in the same way. In many churches today, only the rich are desired. Those who will fill the offering plates with lots of money. Those who will line the pockets of the "Reverend Ikes" of the world, so they can drive lots of Beemers. Well, guess what. Jesus doesn't want those people. Remember, he said he didn't come to heal those who were already well. He came for the sick, the sinners. The poor and rejected. You and me.
4. In what way is God asking you to give someone food, drink, a room, clothes; to stop and visit someone; to go to a person locked away physically, emotionally, or mentally?
I've pretty much already answered that for myself. But that doesn't mean I am doing enough and can sit back and rest. Every time the phone rings and another fund-raising organization is on the other end of the line, I have to stop and consider; pray whether I am supposed to help this group. I can't help them all. But I can help some. I gravitate towards groups like the Special Olympics, Autism Speaks (I confess a special attachment to that group, of course), and other groups that focus on children. But I must always be on the alert for any opportunity to help someone in whatever way I can. I don't throw money at every person holding sign on a street corner (I hear they make a lot doing that, by the way...). Each opportunity must be considered individually, and prayed over. What does God want me to do?
I pray for my brothers and sisters who will read this. I pray for people who think that they can't do anything to help anybody. Help them find a way, even the smallest way to live out what you have told us in these verses in Matthew 25. Help me to continue to find more ways to do it.
Grace and peace, friends!