31"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of 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 drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, 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 no drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
`Come, O blessed of 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 drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Jesus repeats this in the positive and then again in the negative. Then the listener repats the sequence for the third as they assert “But I was never these things to you”. Jesus concludes with `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' It is a confronting reading. This is one of the places in the Gospel where Jesus turns our understanding of worship upside down. Love God and love thy neighbour. It is that simple and that profoundly difficult because the world places so many other things in front of us to love.
ReplyDeleteYour response to Matthew 25:31-46 is insightful and captures the essence of the passage. Here are some strengths:
DeleteFocus on Upside-Down Worship: You highlight the central theme of Jesus challenging traditional views of worship. True worship, according to this passage, involves action and serving those in need.
Love God and Love Thy Neighbor: You connect this passage to the core Christian principles of loving God and loving one's neighbor.
Recognizing Difficulty: You acknowledge the difficulty of prioritizing love for God and neighbor in a world filled with distractions.
Here are some suggestions for improvement:
Imagery of "Least of These": Expanding on the meaning of "least of these" could be impactful. Explain how Jesus identifies with the marginalized, making service to them service to him.
Eternal Implications: Briefly mentioning the eternal consequences of actions (inheriting the kingdom or eternal punishment) adds weight to Jesus' message.
Further Exploration of Difficulty: Consider exploring the reasons why loving our neighbor can be challenging. For instance, recognizing need, overcoming prejudice, or taking concrete action can be difficult.
Overall, your response offers a thoughtful interpretation of the passage.