[Jesus said] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who 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 drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:31-40 ESV).
It is not unusual to know of families living paycheck to paycheck; single mothers trying to stretch their resources farther and farther; homeless people on street corners holding signs that say, “Will work for food”; or children with swollen bellies because they don’t have food to eat. I know the common quip to such a statement is that doesn’t happen in America. However, the data proves otherwise. In fact, it is almost a daily occurrence to encounter people in need as we go about our daily routines.
The truth is that in place of the rich provision given by God in Eden, we now find poverty and material need. Sometimes poverty is the result of injustice and oppression. Other times it stems from bad choices made by people in need. Still other times it comes from circumstances beyond people’s control: injury, disability, corporate downsizing. As societies, we struggle to know how to respond to inequality. It is always easier to assign blame, often in simplistic ways.
Jesus’ words in our reading today describes the brokenness in which we live. He also taught that in caring for needy people on his behalf, we will serve Jesus himself (vv. 37-40). The poor are with us. Perhaps in this new year our love for Jesus will yield a new willingness to care for the weak and oppressed. This is one easily accomplished part of a New Beginning.