Daily Journey Through the Great Fast With the Early ChurchНамуна

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus speaks of those who will “inherit the kingdom”, which is heaven. To those that ask “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?’” - they are those He calls “righteous” - the righteous are the believers, those that believe in Him and do good deeds. To those that did not do these good deeds, He says to them, “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.’” - these are the ones who did not do the good deeds “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - there is no mention of the quantity of the deeds but that the deeds were done because they believed in Him and loved Him. St. Augustine said that Jesus Christ Himself is truly the one who is found in all of the aforementioned conditions, just as He is the One who is the Savior of each of these conditions as well.

Matthew 16:27 says “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” When Jesus Christ comes back in the Second Coming or we stand before Him after our departure from this world, what reward will we receive? Will we be like the wise servant of the five or two talents and hear Him say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” [Matthew 25:21, 23]. Or will we be like the foolish servant who, when given the one talent, did nothing with it but hid it? What do we do with our faith? Do we keep it to ourselves? Do we not share it with others? If not with words do we share our faith, do we share our faith by our actions in good deeds? If not, most dreadfully and fearfully we shall hear, “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. So 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.’” [Matthew 25:26-30].

Let us work diligently in this life so we may win the race and obtain the imperishable crowns of life (1 Corinthians 9:24) and at the time of our judgment hear those most beautiful, sweet, joyous words, “Well done, good and faithful servant...Enter into the joy of your lord.”

“He Himself was hungry; who is the “bread of life,” which if a man eats of it, he will never hunger again (John 6.35).

He Himself was thirsty, crying out “I thirst!” (John 19.28); who gives the “living water,” which, if a man drinks of it, he will never thirst again (John 4:13, 6:35, 7:37).

He Himself was a stranger with “no place to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58), who “came to His own home, and His own people received Him not” (John 1:11); who brings all men home to the heavenly house of the Father (John 14:1-2).

He Himself was naked, in the manger in Bethlehem, in the streams of the Jordan, and on the cross of Golgotha; who clothes all men with Himself (Galatians 3:27), and with the “robes of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10, Revelation 6:11).

He Himself was sick, “wounded for our transgressions” and “bruised for our iniquities,” left alone hanging on the cross (Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 26:56); who Himself heals all the wounds of men, for “with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

He Himself was in prison, arrested as a criminal and thrown into jail, forsaken by His disciples (Matthew 26:56); who Himself proclaims “liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18), setting men free from everything that binds them, and forgiving their crimes.

Since Christ has identified Himself wholly with every man, in every one of his sad and most sorrowful states, the person who “does it to the least of his brethren” does it to Christ Himself - not “as if” to Christ, but to Christ in reality, for Christ is most truly within every man, and every man is the bearer of Christ, the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).” [St. Augustine of Hippo, 4th century theologian]