Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)
[31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. [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, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers 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, ‘I tell you the truth, 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.”
This passage reminds me that our King does not view sin and wickedness with the acceptance or resignation that I sometimes find in myself. I am used to sin. I have seen it and experienced it my whole life, but for time without beginning, God has known holiness and purity as a normal state of being. What seems harsh judgment to me is really only what we should expect from one who hates sin with all of its destruction and death. One of my prayers is that I will gain such a heavenly perspective on the awful, horrible, and destructive nature of sin that I won't be offended when our King judges mankind and separates the wicked from the righteous. And I long to live my life in this world in such abandon to His love that sin loses its appeal to me and my life increasingly reflects the holiness and love of God that brings such hope and life into our dialy experience.
ReplyDeleteVerse 34 takes us full circle back to Chapter 5. You who are bless ed..... The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek,those who thirst after righteousness,the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted for righteousness' sake. Thankyou Jesus for revealing our Father's heart.
ReplyDeleteBrian