Circuit Thoughts

Matthew 25:31-46 has an interesting parable. I hope you read it. It is the parable of the sheep and the goats. Verses 31-40 are powerful. When the sheep are praised for all their good works, they ask “When did we do this?” That is a telling statement of the life these folks lead.

The fact of the matter is this: Matthew 25:31-46 ties in directly with Matthew 22:34-40. You see, Jesus doesn’t teach in a vacuum. In Matthew 22 Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment. He points out “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.” Then He goes on to point out a second law that is right up there with the first: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In fact, Jesus also pointed out that if you follow these laws then you fulfill all the law and the prophets.

Now, back to the sheep. They ask, “When did we see you hungry or thirsty… ?“ What we have here are a people who fulfilled both commandments and did it as a natural part of their existence.

Look. To love God, you must love your neighbor. Your neighbor is anyone who is made in the image of God. So, to put it simply, one law cannot be fulfilled without the other. There is no other way to live in Christ. The sheep folk lived within both commandments. They made helping their neighbor, and loving God a natural part of their lives. This is not impossible.

The first step is that we must realize every person we meet is made in the image of God. Yes, that is what I said. You and I, and everyone else, is made in the image of God. (Look it up Genesis 1:26-27). In essence, each of us reflects our creator. If we cannot love the reflection, then we cannot possibly love the creator.

This means Matthew 25 is an illustration of Matthew 22.

Now, how do we stay on the sheep side of the parable? Well, it will require a bit of a mindset change. The Christian religion was never meant to be a self-serving belief system. In fact, the example we were given is an example of sacrifice, not gain. We are called to lose, not called to gather up. So, we are not supposed to limit ourselves to just loving those who will love us, nor those who will return love. We are called to love everyone.

This means, the people who have hated you, you love them. The one who is hungry and needs to be fed, it doesn’t matter why they are hungry. Feed them. Those who are homeless, need shelter. It doesn’t matter why they are homeless, shelter them. It doesn’t matter why they have no clothes, clothe them. Give them something to drink.

Following Christ isn’t done by sitting on the sidelines. It’s done by loving. You say you love God, then show it by loving your neighbor. Then, make it such a habit that when Jesus tells you what you have done you can ask, “When did we do that?”.

Just a thought.

Shalom my friends. See you in church.