Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuh as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

- Matthew 25:31-46

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, "Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory."  Today's reading is described by my study bible as the majestic climax of Christ's discourse to His disciples on the destruction of Jerusalem and the end time, including His Second Coming and Judgment.   This is not simply a parable, but a prophecy of the universal judgment Christ assures us will come.  My study bible says that since the Cross is now near to Him, Jesus raises the hearer to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat and the whole world before Him.  The standard of judgment, it says, is uncalculated mercy toward others.  Here Jesus emphasizes the works that are produced by faith; saving faith produces righteous works.  The things we do reflect our true inner state.  When Christ refers to the least in the parable, He refers to all the poor and the needy.  The needs described in this parable include both physical and spiritual needs.  Therefore, the hungry or thirsty are not only those who need food and drink, but also those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel.

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  Christ uses sheep to illustrate the righteous, because they follow His voice and are gentle and productive.  Goats indicate the unrighteous, a they do not follow the shepherd and they walk along cliffs, which symbolize sin.

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: . . . "   Inherit is a term that is used with regard to sons and daughters, as opposed to stranger or servants.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).

" . . . for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuh as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"   To see Christ in everyone, according to my study bible, is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (22:39). 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."   My study bible says that the fact that the fire was prepared for the devil shows that God did not create hell for man.  Rather, people choose this torment by their coldness of heart.

Jesus speaks about what we've done, and what we've left undone.  In the case of the sheep, the deeds here are those things that they have done.  There is a positive movement in the actions that reflect faith.  It is a reflection of Jesus' teaching of the golden rule:  "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (7:12).  This is a positive statement of good actions.  In the Jewish spiritual tradition, there is a teaching of this rule in a negative or prohibitive form:  "What you yourself hate, do not do to anyone" (Tobit 4:15).  This is also, of course, an essential teaching for all of us.  But in Jesus' telling of this parable, it is the failure to act positively on our faith that puts us in the wrong.  It is the neglect of the good that is shown here.  In the story of the Good Samaritan, there is another illustration that positive action renders us true "neighbors."  While there is plenty of prohibitive teaching in Jesus' sermons and commandments, the emphasis here asks us to go beyond refraining from doing what is harmful, and to deliberately seek to do good, to exercise compassion and active love as a product of our faith.  It is important to keep in mind that Jesus' parable in today's reading comes within the context, and as a great summation of the end times, His Second Coming, and the Judgment.  It is given to us as His disciples, preparing us for the real test of this time, and in the context of the rest of His discourse, encouraging us to positive and courageous action in expression of our faith.  Let us note this is not simply making a laundry list of good deeds to do.  Rather, it is an encouragement to live the love that comes from seeking God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself.  It is about living the love we're given in our hearts through our faith, with positive actions that express this grace of love.  The real question is how we express who we are in our faith.  The fruits of the Spirit, which are all aspects of love, are just like what we make of our talents (see the parable in yesterday's reading above).  Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all gifts of the Spirit as named by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23.  Love is described by St. Paul as also doing and not doing several things, namely:  "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).   This is not an abstract concept or philosophy, nor a set of rules divorced from the depths of identity.  It is in this respect that the things we do bear out these realities of the spirit and soul, who we are in union with God through faith.  He encourages to fully express that identity, the talents we're given, in the explicit ways in which we're called to do so, in the fullness of God's love at work in us.  This kind of faith also includes discernment and watchfulness.  We are to be known by the fruits we bear, the light we shine.  There is no divide between faith and works; they are to be part of the whole of the love of God and neighbor, and none of the fullness of our lives is left out of that equation.  Let us also keep in mind Jesus' earlier parable in this discourse, teaching us that we are servants in care of our fellow servants.  His final and new command is that we are to love one another, as He has loved us.