Aunt Deb's Attic

September 3 ~ Matthew 25:41-45
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

• I am fat, and you look at me with disgust.
• I am dirty and disheveled, and you cut me a wide berth.
• I am a member of the LGBTQ community, and you discriminate against me and speak of me with disgust.
• I am of a different race, ethnicity, or nationality…and you make ugly comments about me and treat me differently.
• I practice a different religious faith…and you condemn me and tell me that I’m going to hell.
• I belong to another political party than yours…and you “talk trash” about me and my candidates and causes.
• I am on public assistance to try to feed and care for my family, and you treat me like a Second Class citizen and declare me “lazy” and “backward.”
• I am an unwed mother, and you judge me.
• I had an abortion, and you shun me.
• I had an affair, and you tell everyone you know and talk about all of the “sordid details” as you think you know them.
• I got a divorce, and you treat me differently because of it.
• I am a recovering alcoholic or drug addict, and you act like I have a contagious disease.
• I have a criminal record, and you treat me as if you’re afraid of me.
• I served in the military and suffer from PTSD, and you make me feel like I really am crazy.

This list could continue…but I’ll stop here for now.  Still, I want you to read this list and think about the people you encounter each and every day.  Some of them fit one or more of these statements.  Is this really how you treat them? Now substitute the image of their faces for that of Jesus.  Still want to treat them the same way?

Are we so far removed from what God’s word says about Jesus’ teachings that we think this is acceptable behavior?  Did we skip this passage from Matthew 25?  Because it doesn’t just say, “When you feed the hungry and clothe the naked, you do this to Me.”  It also says, “When you DON’T do these things, you do them to Me.”  And the underlying message is that “When you mistreat others – or judge them, you are essentially judging Me.” 

Does your faith really allow you to judge and abuse Jesus?  What message does this send to others…particularly to unbelievers?  Who in their right mind would want to be part of a faith that “green lights” disrespect and mistreatment of its God?  But this is exactly what we do when we participate in any of the actions I’ve listed - and countless others.  Whenever we operate in anything but love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion, we have failed Jesus…and denied our relationship with Him.  This breaks His heart…and it should break ours.

You and I have work to do…and we need to get started today.  Where do you need to make changes and start treating people like you would treat Jesus?  Will this be the day that you humble yourself before Him, beg His forgiveness, and start to model His teachings toward others?  Don’t you think it should be?

©2015 Debbie Robus