Judgment of Transformation

Today’s scripture: Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts (David Zier):

When I hear people share their image of God, many have heard about the image of God who is “judge and jury.”  “God watches my every step, and judges my every move, and is going to get me every time I make a mistake.” Many times this is based on how we were told to live; a kind of perfect life that really is not humanly attainable. Many communities define what that may look like, who is acceptable or not, and how to remain acceptable.

What Jesus tells us in this parable about judgment and what kind of life we live may be very different than what we may have been previously taught. Jesus says the following:

 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘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?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

In this parable Jesus tells us what kind of life we are supposed to live and aspire to. But Jesus knows that life is a journey and that we are supposed to be growing our souls on that journey. When Jesus encountered the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, one who wanted to live in God so completely, Jesus tells him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21; NRSV). The word perfect here is translated from the Greek word telios. The meaning of this word is “growth to maturity,” or “growth to completion.” In other words, Jesus knew that it was a journey and that for each of us it will look a little different.

What I hear Jesus saying in this parable is not about works, but about faith. What kind of faith are we cultivating when we say we are a follower of Jesus? When we say we “believe” in Jesus, what kind of belief is that?

In this parable, I believe Jesus is telling me that this is a transforming belief. I look at what we are doing at LifeJourney Church, building a church of inclusion, for ALL people. I can also think of many other things:

  • through DaySpring Center, feeding homeless families with children;
  • what we do in Sudan, providing an education for girls in Naruse and Nimule who would otherwise have a different life;
  • what we do with Lucky Dog Rescue, helping to find good homes for rescued dogs;
  • what the Thursday night Oasis brings to prisoners, celebrating birthdays;
  • what we do at Friendship Healthcare, adopting residents at a nursing home;
  • building homes for the Navajo people who live in make-shift houses made of cardboard boxes and scraps;
  • and standing up for justice and the civil rights of all people, and for marriage equality, at the State House of Indiana.

When I read this parable, these are the things I hear Jesus saying: the actions of transformation, “transforming lives” that help others live in “transformation.”

Thought for the Day: How have you been transformed because of Jesus?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.