For the Least of Theseનમૂનો

Day One: Which One Are You?

My friend was meeting with a Jewish Rabbi who asked him, “this story of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, tell me, which one are you?” Are you on the right or on the left?

My friend exclaimed, but I’m a Christian.

The Rabbi said, “that’s great, but are you a sheep or a goat?” My friend was thrown so went a little deeper and tried to explain his commitment to church attendance and volunteering, and even about tithing and contributing. Again, his Rabbi politely asked, “which one are you?”

I think Christians in the west have enjoyed several decades of Christianity being more about church attendance than about being an apprentice of Jesus Christ. If I really stop and think about it, when I first became a Christian my focus was all about becoming like Jesus. But after years of working as a pastor in a church, I really think it became more about how to run a church. Even though everything about my job was about helping others become a daily follower of Jesus, I guess I was trying to say the means justified the end. Especially when the end goal became bigger churches and more campuses.

If I create programs and events that help thousands of church members be a sheep and not a goat, what does that make me? Am I a sheep because I help lots of others become a sheep? Can I claim to be a sheep through the vicarious activity of others? Or is it actually me that needs to give a drink to the thirsty, feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned? It is all too easy to think that I am a sheep just because others in my pastorate are sheep.

Jesus said, “when you do (good) to the least of these, you are doing it to Me.” This means this work is the work of God. We can’t side step this any other way. I’m sure you’re a good person. I think I am too. But I cannot ignore the fact that Jesus is saying when I do these simple things to the least of these (poor, vulnerable and marginalised) people, I am doing it for Jesus Himself. To ignore these people, and their needs, is to ignore God. That is so confronting.

As we read Matthew 25 together on the next page, let’s just simply ask, “am I doing these things for these types of people?”

Q. Does the way I live most days resemble a sheep or a goat from Matthew 25?