Lord, When Did We See You?
Matthew 25:31-46 (MSG)
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
“The those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”
Reflection
There is a real danger for those of us living in the digital age to develop “compassion fatigue” - to become numb and desensitized to the experiences of others. And it is no wonder, considering how we are inundated with information about so many of humanity’s woes. We are expected to care and know all about the attack on Israel and the Palestinian crisis, the rights of the unborn and their progenitors, the plight of migrants and refugees, the politics of America, impending government shutdowns, the presidential election, the Ukrainian war, climate change, business corruption, recreational marijuana use, and the upcoming holidays... and that doesn’t even cover one day’s worth of news! Just reading that list is tiring... so how in the world do we
keep our hearts soft and our compassion from failing?
There’s no easy answer, but we must take our cue from our Savior, the Lord Jesus. He also lived at a time when there was much political unrest, wars, and corruption. Yet story after story, where can He be found? Ministering to those on the ground and in need. There is no more poignant story of His serving others than that of Him washing the feet of His disciples. He literally humbled Himself, donned a towel, reached down, and poured out His love at their feet. Washed away the shameful dirt, the grime and gravel picked up on their journeys, massaged the painful spots of pressure, and wiped away the tear-shaped droplets with His own garment.
Can you imagine? An Almighty God who so values each person that He humbles Himself to serve us? And then He hands us His towel and asks us to do the same for others.
Instead of always taking the offensive, instead of defending our own sides and our own opinions, our own futures and reputations... what would happen if we were purposed to view all of life through the lens of eternity? Everything else would fade into the background, and every hurting, beautiful soul with the image of God stamped on them would remain.
“Learn to bow. Learn to kneel. Let your tenderness encircle everyone you meet. ‘As I have done so you must do,’ keeps echoing in my heart. ‘There are so many feet to wash,’ I keep saying. ‘No,’ I hear God’s voice resounding through the years. ‘There are only my feet. What you do for them you do for Me.’” – Macrina Wiederkehr
Action Steps
1. Think back to the last time you went out of your comfort zone to serve someone who was hurting. Has it been a while?
2. Spend some time with the Holy Spirit right now in quietness. Ask Him to show you where you’ve developed heart calluses, and invite His compassion back into that area.
3. What “towel” has God placed in your hands that He is asking you to serve others with? What do you have that can help the “hungry, thirsty, homeless, shivering, sick, or imprisoned” (verse 44)? Ask God to reveal to you who He needs you to help... and then make active plans to actually do it!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are a God of love, and that we have Your example of serving others to always look to. Help me to see the hurting around me, and give me a heart of compassion that is moved to purposefully help. Reveal to me the beauty of Your image that is stamped on those around me, and help me remember that I am actually serving You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
“The those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”
Reflection
There is a real danger for those of us living in the digital age to develop “compassion fatigue” - to become numb and desensitized to the experiences of others. And it is no wonder, considering how we are inundated with information about so many of humanity’s woes. We are expected to care and know all about the attack on Israel and the Palestinian crisis, the rights of the unborn and their progenitors, the plight of migrants and refugees, the politics of America, impending government shutdowns, the presidential election, the Ukrainian war, climate change, business corruption, recreational marijuana use, and the upcoming holidays... and that doesn’t even cover one day’s worth of news! Just reading that list is tiring... so how in the world do we
keep our hearts soft and our compassion from failing?
There’s no easy answer, but we must take our cue from our Savior, the Lord Jesus. He also lived at a time when there was much political unrest, wars, and corruption. Yet story after story, where can He be found? Ministering to those on the ground and in need. There is no more poignant story of His serving others than that of Him washing the feet of His disciples. He literally humbled Himself, donned a towel, reached down, and poured out His love at their feet. Washed away the shameful dirt, the grime and gravel picked up on their journeys, massaged the painful spots of pressure, and wiped away the tear-shaped droplets with His own garment.
Can you imagine? An Almighty God who so values each person that He humbles Himself to serve us? And then He hands us His towel and asks us to do the same for others.
Instead of always taking the offensive, instead of defending our own sides and our own opinions, our own futures and reputations... what would happen if we were purposed to view all of life through the lens of eternity? Everything else would fade into the background, and every hurting, beautiful soul with the image of God stamped on them would remain.
“Learn to bow. Learn to kneel. Let your tenderness encircle everyone you meet. ‘As I have done so you must do,’ keeps echoing in my heart. ‘There are so many feet to wash,’ I keep saying. ‘No,’ I hear God’s voice resounding through the years. ‘There are only my feet. What you do for them you do for Me.’” – Macrina Wiederkehr
Action Steps
1. Think back to the last time you went out of your comfort zone to serve someone who was hurting. Has it been a while?
2. Spend some time with the Holy Spirit right now in quietness. Ask Him to show you where you’ve developed heart calluses, and invite His compassion back into that area.
3. What “towel” has God placed in your hands that He is asking you to serve others with? What do you have that can help the “hungry, thirsty, homeless, shivering, sick, or imprisoned” (verse 44)? Ask God to reveal to you who He needs you to help... and then make active plans to actually do it!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are a God of love, and that we have Your example of serving others to always look to. Help me to see the hurting around me, and give me a heart of compassion that is moved to purposefully help. Reveal to me the beauty of Your image that is stamped on those around me, and help me remember that I am actually serving You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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