Matthew 25:35-36 ‘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, 36 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.’
One of the questions that people often struggle with when money is tight is this: What do I need? We are not talking about wanting here, we are talking about needing, a very large difference between the two.
No one needs a Lamborghini to drive around town. No one needs a 5 carrot diamond studded necklace. No one needs a 10,000 square foot home for a family of 3, or a mountain retreat or a beach house. Humans have needs that are fairly simple. But most of us want more than we need.
Jesus is in the middle of explaining the priorities of His Kingdom. One of these priorities is the stewardship of our care for other people. And as I look at His list of these types of kindness acts, they are all very basic. There are no thrill purchases here, no over the top, gotta have it impulse shopping.
Our text today comes from a section focused on a day in the future when all the world’s inhabitants will be judged before the LORD. And the judge has a very simple checklist. He is reading off his checklist one by one.
Food, drink, shelter, clothing, care and a visit. Let’s look at these.
The first two, food and drink, are often associated with these types of charity acts. And they are the most basic needs people have. Without food and drink, we die fairly rapidly, although for some of us, we could cut back on the food and still do quite well! (SMILE)
Then next has to do with shelter from the elements, housing. In Biblical times, people traveling would need to be invited into a house for the night in order to be protected from the weather. There were no Motel 6’s back then. So inviting a stranger, a visitor, a traveler into you home was a normal part of everyday life. It was commonplace.
These first three are the most basic needs. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens started and sustained by Christian ministries have been the mainstay of this type of care in many of our communities. Many people give their time and resources to continue this ministry in communities across this country and around the world.
The next need is clothing. This is about more than simply surviving. This is giving a step up, an upgrade in appearance, an opportunity to make a better impression. Clothing raises the dignity of individuals. Did anyone say Gucci bag?
Caring for those who are sick is about sacrifice of self for another. Caring for the sick in those days before an understanding of microbiology and disease processes was risky. They didn’t have Universal Precautions. So caring for a sick person meant risking your own health.
And the final item on the Judge’s checklist is visiting those in prison. I think this is about redemption and second chances. The person has been found guilty of a crime and thrown in prison. For many that would have been a death sentence. There were no “three squares and a cot” prisons back then. Each prisoner had to provide for their own needs, food and drink. Prisoners relied on the kindness of family and friends for their survival.
As I look at this list, these are the very things that the Church has adopted as frontline activities in mission endeavors around the world. Christians have been at the forefront of meeting these needs for millennia. They have seen this list and endeavored to be Jesus’ hands and feet. Around the world there are hospitals, schools, agricultural education programs, clean water initiatives that are there because Christians took the words of this text seriously and did something with their time and treasure.
What an impact the Gospel has had on humanity!