Seeing the face and tears of Jesus
Matthew 25:37-40 (The Message)
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
Today, I am veering away from the traditional Stations of the Cross for two reasons. One, I am not Catholic and do not know all the traditional stories told within that denomination. Two, I think we often put too much emphasis on Jesus’ death and resurrection, and not enough on his life and message. And so, I want to take some time during these days leading up to Easter to also reflect on the message Jesus came to bring.
The above verses convey much to us about this message. These verses show the heart of Jesus. What Jesus cares about most is feeding the hungry, quenching thirst, healing the sick, visiting prisoners, seeking out the stranger, and drawing into our circles the overlooked and ignored. He cares about what we do with our lives now and how we bring about the kingdom of God on earth each day.
Jesus makes another amazing statement in this passage. He says that whenever you did these things, you were doing it to him. Essentially he is saying, “I am the hungry. I am the thirsty. I am the prisoner. I am the stranger.”
Jesus is echoing what he has said in John 14:30, “At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you.” In other words, we are all connected. And we all have a spark of God inside of us. The “other” is not “other”. What happens to another is happening to me. What happens to another, is happening to God. So when we ignore and mistreat others, we are ignoring and mistreating God.
God, may I be a voice for those who have no voice. May I speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves. May I recognize You in each person I meet. May I see their deep beauty and work to relieve their pain. May I see Your face in the faces around me. For when I wipe their tears, I am wiping the tears of Jesus.
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