Day 39

Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31–26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13

AS WE CONTINUE our journey through Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus concluded His lengthy discussion on the end times by describing the final judgment:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

What was the difference between the sheep and goats in Jesus’ parable? The way that they cared for other people.

To the sheep, Jesus will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me” (Matthew 25:34-36).

The sheep responded by telling Jesus that they couldn’t ever remember seeing Him in any of those circumstances. In response, He disclosed something very important: “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40).

The exact opposite was true for the goats. They ignored Jesus by refusing to be present to the needs of others —and so they were sent away.

From Jesus’ teaching on the end times —and on God’s Kingdom —we learn that our ability to see and participate is directly connected to whether we are paying attention and maintaining the posture of servanthood that is borne out of a relationship with Jesus. Our actions will align themselves with that relationship. We will become vigilant because God’s Kingdom matters more to us than any distraction. We will steward what we’ve been given because we understand that everything we have is wholly dependent on God’s grace. And we will work on behalf of the Master by seeing the world through His eyes and caring for those who need a touch from Jesus. When we do these things on behalf of the least of these, we are doing it to Jesus.

PRAYER:

Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. Don’t let me be disgraced, O LORD, for I call out to you for help.