The next time you come across someone in need.
The next time you stumble into someone in a struggle.
The next time, a friend asks a favor.
Think about this:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious thone...Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come you who 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 drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me." Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you as you did to one of the least of these my brothers, you did to me." Matthew 25:31-40
I've always been simultaneously reassured and unsettled by this passage. It's encouraging in that it gives us a broader context for understanding acts of service and compassion; what we do for the downtrodden is done as unto Jesus.
ReplyDeleteYet at the same time it's challenging to realize that Jesus is speaking specifically about acts of service performed for other believers. What are we to do with this? Is it possible--or optimal, or incorrect--to conclude that while service to all is commendable, taking care of your brothers and sisters in Christ is somehow an elevated duty?
Great question. I completely understand and wrestle at times with this tension as well. My thoughts go to Jesus' examples in the gospels. It seems he neglected no one (Rich, poor, religious, possessed, Jews, Romans, Samaritans, other Gentiles...) yet spent most of His time serving, teaching, discipling the twelve?
ReplyDeleteJames writes -
[27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. - Jam 1:27 ESV
and yet Paul writes -
[9] And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. - Gal 6:9-10 ESV
Hmmm. Perhaps it is a healthy tension because in God's economy, just as a physical body takes care of its own needs, the church body takes care of itself so that it can be a healthy ambassador for Christ to the world?
Thoughts?