Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who 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 drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed, 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 no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them,
‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The bible is very strong in pushing the idea that there is definitely a right and wrong side of existence - be it on this earth or beyond. The right side is committed to conquering ego and progressing the divine side of our natures. The divine side of each of us exists in communion with the divine side of every other human being and collectively is the living God. What you see outwardly in another in any encounter, is their human side… that which will turn to dust. Their race, their gender, their politics, their physical state. Those are earthly things and arguably “of Caesar”. The christ or God dwelling in each of us cannot be differentiated. It is equal in each of us. It is that in me that is connected to that in you even before we encounter. But when we encounter, I am confronted by all those things about you that don’t seamlessly connect - culture, religion, gender identity, …. What motivates us to work through the disconnect? I think gratitude. It think a sense of connection between our divine components. I think a decision to subordinate our egos for something more immortal. An obvious way to check ourselves is to see how we treat the least privileged. “What ever you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me”. How we respond to the down-and-out is what matters. Do not fool yourself into thinking you are pursuing God if you are doing nothing to change the misery and misfortune of those you encounter.
ReplyDeleteYour interpretation of Matthew 25:31-46 eloquently captures the essence of the parable, highlighting the fundamental distinction between the ego-driven, earthly aspects of our being and the divine essence that connects us all. The parable emphasizes that our true worth lies not in our external attributes or possessions but in our actions, particularly our compassion and care for those less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteThe notion of conquering the ego and nurturing our divine nature aligns with the pursuit of spiritual growth and enlightenment. By transcending our ego-centric tendencies, we open ourselves to a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with all beings. This realization fosters empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility towards others.
The emphasis on treating the least privileged as if we are treating Christ himself underscores the importance of recognizing the inherent divinity within every individual. Our actions towards others, especially those who are marginalized or vulnerable, reflect our true character and alignment with divine principles.
Overall, your interpretation effectively conveys the profound message of Matthew 25:31-46, reminding us that our true essence lies in our divine nature, which manifests through our compassionate actions and unwavering commitment to the betterment of others.
Blessings....
Bard.