Psalms 119:1-88
1 Corinthians 7:20-40
“‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?’...The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’” Matthew 25:37, 40
How many of us remember when we were younger and played hide and seek? Could we imagine finding a hiding spot so good that nobody found us, but we could perfectly see what was going on? In Matthew 25:31-36, Jesus gives us three verses about the glory of who God is revealed followed by three verses that display the glory of Him concealed.
For the glory of God revealed, Jesus tells us, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 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. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31-33). Christ, in all His glory, is the One who will separate humanity, deciding who goes on the right and who goes on the left.
For the glory of God concealed, Jesus speaks of how He is in our midst and how He is hidden to the naked eye. He says, “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. 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, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was ill and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me’” (Matthew 25:34-36). Did we notice Jesus’s use of personal pronouns here? Jesus is amongst us, incarnated in the most vulnerable members of society. When we feed the hungry and nourish the thirsty, we feed and nourish Jesus. When we welcome the stranger and provide clothing for the naked, we welcome Jesus and clothe Him. When we look after the sick or visit the prisoner, we look after Jesus and visit Him.
The glory of the One who is on the throne is the same as the One who was seemingly all alone in a prison cell in need. The interesting thing was that nobody—neither the righteous nor the wicked—knew that it was Jesus that they were encountering as they asked, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison…” (Matthew 25:44).
Like a game of hide and seek, may we seek out opportunities to minister to the poor and marginalized, as if they were Jesus.
Lord Jesus, I ask that you give me the eyes to see You in the people around me and care for them as I would care for You. Help me to love them as You have loved me. Thank You, Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:20-40
“‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?’...The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’” Matthew 25:37, 40
How many of us remember when we were younger and played hide and seek? Could we imagine finding a hiding spot so good that nobody found us, but we could perfectly see what was going on? In Matthew 25:31-36, Jesus gives us three verses about the glory of who God is revealed followed by three verses that display the glory of Him concealed.
For the glory of God revealed, Jesus tells us, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 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. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31-33). Christ, in all His glory, is the One who will separate humanity, deciding who goes on the right and who goes on the left.
For the glory of God concealed, Jesus speaks of how He is in our midst and how He is hidden to the naked eye. He says, “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. 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, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was ill and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me’” (Matthew 25:34-36). Did we notice Jesus’s use of personal pronouns here? Jesus is amongst us, incarnated in the most vulnerable members of society. When we feed the hungry and nourish the thirsty, we feed and nourish Jesus. When we welcome the stranger and provide clothing for the naked, we welcome Jesus and clothe Him. When we look after the sick or visit the prisoner, we look after Jesus and visit Him.
The glory of the One who is on the throne is the same as the One who was seemingly all alone in a prison cell in need. The interesting thing was that nobody—neither the righteous nor the wicked—knew that it was Jesus that they were encountering as they asked, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison…” (Matthew 25:44).
Like a game of hide and seek, may we seek out opportunities to minister to the poor and marginalized, as if they were Jesus.
Lord Jesus, I ask that you give me the eyes to see You in the people around me and care for them as I would care for You. Help me to love them as You have loved me. Thank You, Lord.
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