‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’
I love and fear this section, perhaps in equal measure. It’s striking because this section is repeated by the good folks and by the not-so-good folks. Jesus responds nearly the same to both. Whenever you saw someone hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked or in prison you helped them, so you helped me. Or, whenever you saw someone hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked or in prison you did not help them, so you did not help me.
Lord when was it that I saw you hungry? This sentence is repeated a hundred times a day to me, and I’m given a hundred times a day to choose to help Jesus, or not. Being an imperfect, and distractable human, I do not respond by serving Christ all of the time. I’m too busy, I don’t have cash, I don’t have time. I don’t think Jesus cares about my busyness, or limited cash, or time. When I walk past the hungry, or don’t welcome the stranger, I am walking past Jesus, and not welcoming Jesus. Dozens of times a day.
When I do help feed, welcome or visit those who need it, I am immediately reminded that I’m helping Christ himself. It is so clear in their eyes that I’m in a holy space, doing holy work. Unfortunately, that same awareness of Jesus is absent when I walk past. I don’t see Jesus’ eyes when I don’t look in my neighbor’s hungry eyes. I don’t see Jesus cold, when I walk past neighbors who are cold. I sometimes don’t even see my neighbor, when I walk past.
I pray that in balance, I see Jesus more often than I don’t.
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