When did I see you hungry, Lord, and feed you? Or thirsty, and give you a drink? Or naked? Come on, I would have remembered that. I never helped you when you were sick, or visited you in prison.
Yes, you did. When you did it unto the least of these, you were actually doing that for me. No, not just for me, you did it to me. You are my sheep.
But you goats over here... when I was hungry, you would not even share your left overs with me. I was thirsty, and you would not give me one swig from your nalgene bottle. I was not clothed properly, and you gawked at me. I was sick, without insurance, and you didn't offer me any help. I was down and out, in a prison created by my unfortunate circumstances, and you made no attempt to break me free from these chains.
But Jesus, that can't be true. I would know you if I saw you. You're not like those people. I would do anything for you. I worship you every Sunday. I read the Bible. I pray every day. Jesus, if I saw you in need, I would offer you help.
When you didn't do it unto the least of these, you didn't do it unto me. It;s like you looked straight into my eyes, and turned, and walked away.
When is the last time I fed a hungry person? How many extra coats sit unused in my closet? How long ago did I reach out to a person in prison?
Am I a goat?
I don't want to be too hard on myself. I do a lot of good things for people. But I feel like I am seeing this passage for the first time; like I finally get it. That guy on the street is Jesus. If I am going to walk in a deep intimate relationship with Jesus, it's going to need to be seen in how I treat people around me, because those poeple are Jesus. Lord, soften my heart the needy people around me. Open my eyes to see you in their faces.
Posted on
Sat, March 6, 2010
by Chris Spitters