What the Gospel Requires

Matthew 25:34-40

"Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 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 my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’"

In Matthew’s Gospel, these words are a part of the final teaching of Jesus before his betrayal, arrest, conviction and crucifixion. The discourse is sometimes referred to as a parable but it is more accurately an apocalyptic admonition. Jesus makes it clear that we will be held to account according to how we respond to the needs of others.

In the text above, “the righteous” are absolutely perplexed – they are shocked – they do not remember doing anything extraordinary. On a day by day basis, they just did what they believed was the right thing to do. When they saw someone in need, they did what was within their power to meet that need. They showed hospitality to strangers. They offered food to those who were hungry and something refreshing to drink to those who were thirsty. They visited and cared for those who were infirmed and imprisoned. They did not do these things by compulsion but rather out of gratitude for their own abundance.

This is the Gospel imperative. This is what it means to “love our neighbor.”

There can be no confusion about what Jesus requires of us.

However, there seems to be tremendous disagreement about how we meet these expectations.