Scripture Verses
Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Devotion
This lengthy passage we are meditating on today is all in red letters in my NIV – so immediately I know it is really important. When I was just starting to learn about how to read my Bible, my Sunday school teacher told my class that Jesus’ own words appear in red letters in many Bibles, so if we see red, we should pay special attention to the words: Jesus always says the things that He wants us to know.
Here He is continuing to explain the future events that will take place when He returns at “the End of the Age.” I believe He was trying to make the explanation as clear as possible to His listeners (and future readers). Using the metaphor of Himself as a shepherd, he plans to separate “the sheep and the goats.” Those on His right hand, “the righteous ones” who have fed the hungry, gave drinks to the thirsty, invited in the stranger, clothed those without clothing, looked after the sick, and visited those in prison, He will bless with an “inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” What a blessing – eternal life! Those on His left hand, however, who have neglected these acts of kindness, mercy and love to “the least of these, my brothers,” He will send them to eternal punishment.
Only Jesus can make us righteous to His Father, and He is constantly leading us to become more like Himself. I want to be on His right hand beginning now and continuing throughout eternity. Some days it will cost me – the sacrifice to “the least of these” – but after all, it is Jesus who has already made the sacrifice for the eternal inheritance to become my own.
Are we seeking out opportunities to serve “the least of these” Christ regularly allows to cross our paths? How can we neglect being the hands and feet of Christ when He has so clearly given us a mission, and has so clearly given the consequences of our obedience or disobedience?
Prayer
Dear Jesus, director our paths in service and love. Forgive us for ignoring those You love, even the least of Your brothers. Bless us and make us righteous in Your sight.
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