Spot The Difference

OPENING PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, I offer praise to you. I need to learn from your example, the meaning of selfless giving and servanthood.

READ: Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46

REFLECT:

Pray for the leaders of your local church.

I sometimes take my children to visit a local farm which specializes in rare breeds. In some cases, it’s remarkably difficult to tell the sheep and goats apart. These are the kind of sheep and goats Jesus’ contemporaries would have been familiar with. A shepherd would have had one mixed flock, and all the animals were similar in size and color, all with little horns. They could not easily be told apart just by looking. Separating them required the skill and knowledge of the shepherd (vs 32,33). Jesus’ point seems to be that it’s not about appearances, but rather about the actions of the individuals concerned. Only the King himself – the Good Shepherd now on his throne – sees the hearts of all people.

This passage has been interpreted in different ways. Some understand ‘the least of these [my] brothers and sisters’ (v 40) as the poor in general, others as needy Jews, and still others as Christians in need. I guess it doesn’t really matter. If we are seeking to follow the commands and example of Jesus throughout the gospels – not just trying to meet the minimum requirements to be placed on his right at the judgment – then we will care for the poor and needy regardless of religion. This really matters to Jesus. We can’t just look like his sheep without doing the things his sheep should do.

APPLY:

Ask the Lord to show you what part you can play in caring for the hungry, the sick, prisoners, and others in need.

I WILL STATEMENT:

I WILL set aside 5 minutes each day to ask the Holy Spirit how I can display His fruit.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Merciful Lord, I am daily dependent upon your sustaining and forgiving grace.

WORSHIP:

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