Living Like Jesus

I’m convinced that if all of us who take the name of Christian seriously were to focus on the words of Jesus, there would be a lot more harmony in our country.   These words from the Gospel of Matthew speak to me  of how Jesus wants me to live my life.

“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.”   Matthew 25:31-46 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The parable is often referred to as “The Last Judgement.”   I admit to liking the first part better than the last of this parable.   I recall too many times when I have passed by or forgotten about a person in need.     I think what Jesus was trying to get across to us is that they way we treat each other is of utmost importance to God.   Whether  it is the neighbor who is sick, the young family in poverty or the  immigrant  in our midst, God wants our response to be one of loving care.   We may disagree about many things in our country.  But as Christians we have these words of Jesus to guide our discussions, to illuminate our thoughts and to enlarge our vision of who we can be as a nation and as a neighbor.