Ephesisans 1: "17 I pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the glorious Father. I keep asking him to give you the wisdom and understanding that come from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know God better.
18 I also pray that your mind might see more clearly. Then you will know the hope God has chosen you to receive. You will know that the things God's people will receive are rich and glorious. 19 And you will know his great power. It can't be compared with anything else. It is at work for us who believe. It is like the mighty strength 20 God showed when he raised Christ from the dead."
Matthew 25:31-46: "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.…just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.
Jesus did not tell this parable to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, or the imprisoned. Had he been speaking to them, he might have told a different story. Jesus told this story to the disciples, and the meaning can hardly be more clear: the disciples are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and visit those in prison.
But what if it’s their own fault that some of these people are in bad straits? What if they deserve to be where they are? And what if they misuse what we give them? Jesus doesn’t address those questions, because the story isn’t about the needy, but about the disciples. The disciples have no business sorting the deserving from the undeserving—if there’s sorting to be done, God will do it. Jesus here identifies himself with all the needy, both the deserving and the undeserving. The disciples need ask themselves one question only: did you give or did you not?
His Deed/The Day: There is the nicest lady who works at the neighborhood Goodwill dropoff. Sometimes, I'll do a purge and shove it in a bag and there she is — all cigarette-stained smiles and all, there and happy to help bring it inside. The other day, I purged my underwear and sock drawer, and our craft art drawers. She smiled her big yellow smile, (maybe it's not ciggies, perhaps just bad teeth?) and accepted the bag. I felt bad about that later. Who gives old underpants away, especially thongs? That was bad form, I should have tossed them! So on this day I took a bag to Goodwill and left her a note on top. It's closed Sundays, so hopefully it's there Monday morning for her to see. I thanked her for all the good things she does for Goodwill, and for her pretty smile.
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