Devotion • July 26
Today’s Scripture Reading
Matthew 25:31–46
“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.” (NRSV)
Reflection
Each of the Gospels builds to a climax. I would say that Matthew’s Gospel with its hard-hitting, unbending mandates and direct, unrelenting stare at the human condition lands here. Jesus, the one with whom the Gospel writer has journeyed for chapters, comes to his disciples with the nonnegotiables of following him.
He says, you have to feed me, quench my thirst, manifest hospitality, give me clothing, heal me, and when I am in prison, take care of me. And we can almost hear the disbelief of Jesus’ hearers. Really, you, the One from God, are hungry, thirsty, shut out, a prisoner, on edge? Really. And they may have dismissed this because they can’t imagine it.
And, of course, Jesus then shifts their gaze to those who are right in front of them: the family member with whom they haven’t spoken for years; the one who lives in the prison of mental illness and the ones in the Cook County Jail, waiting for a hearing; the sister with an eating disorder; the brother too. And what Jesus is saying without any fancy parlance is lift your head, open your eyes, look around, because I am in your midst in the ones you walk past every day.
This is the essence.
Yes, we spend a heck of a lot of time working on right practice, doing things decently and in order in meetings; reviewing bulletins for typos and misspellings; setting appointments; recruiting and retaining officers, members, planning, but at the core, it is Jesus’ face in those we encounter that he asks us to see. And that face is in the pew next to you. The tired member on the call whose face lights up when you say “Good morning.” That face is in the line that stands waiting for a shower. That face is in the not-so-great moment with a stubborn family member. That face is in front of you right now. And that is the very face of Jesus. Yes, Jesus.
Prayer
Help us see you, Lord Jesus, in all we encounter. Hold our gaze; find us in ways that we may see you, truly see you. Amen.
Written by Lucy Forster-Smith, Senior Associate Pastor
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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