Tuesday, April 23

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Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 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.

“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 sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

A number of years ago my wife and I spent 6 months in Bolivia serving as teachers in a small evangelical university in Santa Cruz. At the time we were there Bolivia was the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, behind only Haiti. As you might guess those 6 months were filled with all kinds of experiences that both challenged and enriched each of us in many ways.

During one point in our time there we traveled to La Paz, one of the highest cities in the world in terms of elevation. La Paz is located about 12,000 feet above sea level so the air is very thin and at night it gets very cold. One night we had dinner out with some missionary friends and walked back to their apartment sometime after 10 pm. As we crossed the last street before arriving at their apartment building I heard a soft whimpering sound. At first I though it might be one of the stray dogs that roam the streets of a city like La Paz. It was dark and the sound came from outside the glow of the nearest streetlight so it took a moment for me to see where it was coming from. But as I peered into the darkness I could see a young boy crouching along a wall just about 15 feet from where we were walking. I couldn’t see him very well but, the best I could tell, he was just sitting there alone and crying softly into the night.

It was cold and late and we were kind of hurrying back to our friend’s apartment. I had no idea who this little boy was, where he lived, where his parents and family were, or why he was sitting on this particular street corner by himself. I had no idea what he needed or why he was crying. It crossed my mind for a moment that maybe I should stop and try to help him. But I didn’t speak Spanish very well and, plus, the boy might be from a Cechua family and I definitely could speak that language. I was a foreigner in a strange city so what could I do? So I just kept walking to our friend’s apartment.

That was in 1985 and I still remember that little Bolivian boy crying in the night. And when I remember him, I also remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25;

“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 sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Three times the “righteous” ask a question about seeing:

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The question is what do we see when we see the suffering around us? The question is who do we see in the suffering around us?

When I saw that little boy so long ago I saw a child who was in discomfort, but I did not see Jesus. I saw an anonymous child who was someone else’s responsibility, but I did not see him, at least in some small way, as my responsibility. I saw a problem for which I had no immediate answer so I stopped looking. Had I seen a little more clearly; had I looked a little more closely; I might have seen an opportunity to offer some small comfort; perhaps a word however poorly spoken; a hug however awkward; a warm blanket or sweater…something. But I walked on because I did not see with the compassion of Christ.

Now, obviously, there is a limit to what any one person can do; and there was a limit to what I could have done for that little boy that night. And sometimes the needs of the world seem so enormous that we are overwhelmed and almost paralyzed. After all, what difference can we really make?

But the more I think about Jesus’ parable, and the more deeply I understand what he is saying, the more I think that’s the wrong question. The question is not whether or not I can eliminate all the suffering in the world. Simply put, I can’t. That’s not my job. The real question is how can I learn to see people like Jesus sees people? 

And how can I learn to see Jesus in those who suffer?

Lord Jesus, forgive us, forgive me, for times when I fail to see as you want me to see. Forgive me for seeing those who suffer as problems, as obstacles, as interruptions, and teach me to see them as you see them. Teach me to see you in them.

Amen.

Pastor Brian Coffey