Today’s scripture: Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Brent Walsh):
“Thanks a lot, buddy!” I snarled with a scowl. I was driving my semi in Ohio when I came up behind a shiny Lincoln Continental going 55 mph on the interstate. I braked hard, put on my turn signal, and waited for the truck beside me to pass. The car behind me also had to slam on his brakes and wait for traffic to clear. As soon as I started to move into the left lane, Mr. Benevolence whipped out from behind me in his fancy BMW and sped up, causing me to swerve abruptly back into the right lane. I gave him a nice helping of air horn to demonstrate my appreciation for his urgent schedule. I topped it off with an exaggerated hand display that said, “What did you do that for?” When he pulled next to my window I changed my sign language to something a bit more rude, as if my feelings needed an exclamation point!
To be fair, the man in the car had been trying to get around me quickly, so as not to belabor the offense — that is, until I decided to unleash my angry opinions. He suddenly changed his mind about getting out of my way. He slowed back down and essentially boxed me in behind grandpa. I don’t know what I expected him to do, but he seemed to relish the power he had over this huge 18-wheeler. For the next two miles we all stared at the scenery, but the only one who actually enjoyed it was grandpa! The BMW driver and I were too busy thinking of creative hand gestures to throw at the other.
So what was accomplished by this power struggle between strangers? We would never see each other again, so why was it so important that we each have the last word (or gesture)? On the scale of relationships, our fellow drivers are probably the lowest of the low. But what if you arrived at the Pearly Gates and Jesus said, “Oh… it’s YOU! Yeah, I remember you, buddy! You were the one who gave me the finger in rush hour traffic!”
Our passage today says, “”They 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.’” You see, we all know that we’re supposed to live up to a certain standard in our relationships, but it seems that when we interact with people through our vehicle windows, the standard means nothing. We display our indignation with boldness, and we act as if our rage is justified! We might even brag to our spouse about how we “really showed them!”
What if we imagined Jesus sitting in the passenger seat? What kind of sign language would we use to get our message across then?
Thought for the day: Think of all the “anonymous” encounters you have — in traffic, online, out in a crowd — and then think, What if each one of those people were Jesus I’m interacting with? Because today’s scripture says that it actually is.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.