31“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. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then 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; 35for 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, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then 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? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And 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.’ 41Then 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; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I 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.’ 44Then 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?’ 45Then 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.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
It’s another Yowza! text, isn’t it? Matthew has a lot of those, and these last few months, we seem to have hit them all. We’ve heard repeatedly about eternal punishment, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thus… Yowza!
As our students have wrestled together with how we make sense of these texts, a theme has emerged this semester: we don’t like them! How do we reconcile Matthew’s seemingly harsh judgment with a God of mercy, grace, and compassion? If we’re serious about the whole saved by grace business, how do we understand these texts that seem to suggest otherwise?
Annnndddd, how do we understand this text in light of our Thanksgiving feast this week? (Come join us! Wednesday, November 16 at 6:30 at St Thomas. All welcome!) What might this text have to teach us about gratitude?
When we read these texts as judgment, I wonder if we miss the whole point. It’s easy to key in on the separation of the sheep and goats, and on the eternal punishment/life. But I wonder…. what if, instead, we read them as a glorious invitation to abundant life?
That’s right! Abundant, overflowing, joy-filled, overwhelming, completely alive, fully connected abundant life. That’s what this text is about. For that’s what we find in learning to see and encounter Christ in our neighbor.
Mary Oliver, a poet, once asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I love that question. One wild and precious life.
We have one wild and precious life. One span of years with which to make a difference. One lifetime in which we can love our neighbor. One invitation to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world. One life to spend for the sake of the world.
What an invitation! And it’s the invitation of our text.
So, what will you do with your one wild and precious life? Will you learn to see Christ – to really see Christ – and to respond with love? Will you recognize him in the aching eyes of a hungry beggar? Will you reach out to him as she wonders the street in search for shelter? Will you set aside a warm place in your house and your heart to welcome him in the weary traveler?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Questions:
1. What do you want to do with your life, and how does this relate to the call to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, give clothes to the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned?
2. In whom have you seen this text lived well?
3. How might this text relate to Thanksgiving and to gratitude?
This week’s Bible Blog is written by Pastor Mindy Roll, the ELCA Lutheran Campus Pastor at Texas A&M and Blinn. For more information on the ELCA ministry here, see www.treehouseministries.com.
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