In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus makes some startling statements about the activities of people who belong to the sheep nations and the people who belong to the goat nations. Jesus says that at the Last Judgement, the Son of Man (another name for the Messiah, the Son of God) how those who are naked, starving, oppressed or imprisoned—the least of these whom He calls His brethren—are being treated is what counts. Jesus says that the Son of Man will judge out of His identification with people who are in need or oppressed as if what has happened to them has happened to Him.
This level of caring and identification reminds me of what God says to Moses when Moses encounters the Lord at the burning bush as told in the third chapter Exodus. In that passage, after introducing Himself to Moses, the Lord explains, “I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings . . . ” (Exodus 3:7) The verbs in Hebrew in this statement indicate that God is very attentive to the conditions that his people underwent as slaves in Egypt. Not only does He see what is happening, not only is He attentive to their cries of pain and grief, but in addition He KNOWS their sufferings. The Hebrew verb that is translated into English as “knows” in this case is the same word that is used concerning the way a husband and wife know one another. It means more than just understanding something or someone—it means the kind of identification because of loving someone and caring deeply about them.
In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus is talking about the same level of love and care that God expresses to Moses in the third chapter of Exodus, but there is a difference because of the incarnation. I believe that when the Living God, the Almighty Creator of the Universe, the infinite, all-knowing divinity, the true and only God, became incarnate as the human being Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ (the Messiah), God came to know and understand human beings in a unique way. There is a difference between the understanding intrinsic in knowing something—even as the omniscient and omnipresent God knows—and understanding and identification because of first hand experience. Because of God’s incarnation we don’t have to imagine that the Divine who is invisible and may seem remote can understand what we as human beings go through here on Earth. Jesus was here and experienced what human life is like in the flesh.
This is a mystery and may be difficult to understand or to get our minds around. Nevertheless, since this is a point of faith, we can come to believe it with the help of the Holy Spirit. When I was a child and I heard the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, I can remember being shocked to hear what Jesus said. Thinking about the reaction of the people of the goat nations when He tells them that when they ignore those who are in need or suffering, I imagine that they seem to think it is unfair that Jesus says how they have treated the people they ignore is the same as allowing the Son of Man to suffer as well. At the same time, I think that the people of the sheep nations who take care of those who are in need or suffer might be awed to know that when they take care of those who are in need or suffering, it is the same as if they are taking care of the Lord.
Since the beginning of Lent we have explored who Jesus says He is and who we believe He is. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, and we come to know God in Christ not just by reading the Bible, hearing sermons and reading or listening to Bible studies. We get to know the Lord because of experiences we have with Him as we grow in loving relationship to Him. These may include how something in a sermon or Bible study speaks directly to us concerning something that is going on in our lives. We also may come to know the Lord in prayer and meditation so that something we may have questioned becomes completely clear. Or we may be suffering or in need in some way, and receive the help that we need to deliver us, or so that we are provided what we need. Even when that help comes from people we know — or from strangers, we can be sure that the Lord who loves us in behind the blessings we receive.
God loves you and knows everything about you. He knows what you need and is able to do so much more than you can even think to ask Him. If you don’t believe that, all you need to do is give Him a chance to show you.
Whether you believe it or not, our spiritual journeys are the most important part of our lives. God reveals Himself to us in exactly the way we need to know Him. When we have doubts and lift them up to God, the Holy Spirit finds ways to answer those doubts and to help us to be sure that God loves us. And when we come to know God in Christ Jesus and receive Him as our Savior, we leave the existence that we have known and enter into the abundant life that Jesus promises all who come to know God in Him.
As ever, my prayer for you, Beloved, is that if you know the Lord, that you will continue to open your heart, mind and soul to Him so that he is able to draw you closer to His heart and so that you can enjoy the abundant life in the fullness of joy and love that he offers both now and for eternity.
And, Beloved, if you don’t know God in Christ yet . . . or if you don’t believe at all that God exists, I pray that you will open your heart and mind even a little bit so that you will give God a chance to begin to show you not only that He exists, but that He loves you more than you can imagine.
May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours, today, this week and always.
This level of caring and identification reminds me of what God says to Moses when Moses encounters the Lord at the burning bush as told in the third chapter Exodus. In that passage, after introducing Himself to Moses, the Lord explains, “I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings . . . ” (Exodus 3:7) The verbs in Hebrew in this statement indicate that God is very attentive to the conditions that his people underwent as slaves in Egypt. Not only does He see what is happening, not only is He attentive to their cries of pain and grief, but in addition He KNOWS their sufferings. The Hebrew verb that is translated into English as “knows” in this case is the same word that is used concerning the way a husband and wife know one another. It means more than just understanding something or someone—it means the kind of identification because of loving someone and caring deeply about them.
In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus is talking about the same level of love and care that God expresses to Moses in the third chapter of Exodus, but there is a difference because of the incarnation. I believe that when the Living God, the Almighty Creator of the Universe, the infinite, all-knowing divinity, the true and only God, became incarnate as the human being Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ (the Messiah), God came to know and understand human beings in a unique way. There is a difference between the understanding intrinsic in knowing something—even as the omniscient and omnipresent God knows—and understanding and identification because of first hand experience. Because of God’s incarnation we don’t have to imagine that the Divine who is invisible and may seem remote can understand what we as human beings go through here on Earth. Jesus was here and experienced what human life is like in the flesh.
This is a mystery and may be difficult to understand or to get our minds around. Nevertheless, since this is a point of faith, we can come to believe it with the help of the Holy Spirit. When I was a child and I heard the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, I can remember being shocked to hear what Jesus said. Thinking about the reaction of the people of the goat nations when He tells them that when they ignore those who are in need or suffering, I imagine that they seem to think it is unfair that Jesus says how they have treated the people they ignore is the same as allowing the Son of Man to suffer as well. At the same time, I think that the people of the sheep nations who take care of those who are in need or suffer might be awed to know that when they take care of those who are in need or suffering, it is the same as if they are taking care of the Lord.
Since the beginning of Lent we have explored who Jesus says He is and who we believe He is. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, and we come to know God in Christ not just by reading the Bible, hearing sermons and reading or listening to Bible studies. We get to know the Lord because of experiences we have with Him as we grow in loving relationship to Him. These may include how something in a sermon or Bible study speaks directly to us concerning something that is going on in our lives. We also may come to know the Lord in prayer and meditation so that something we may have questioned becomes completely clear. Or we may be suffering or in need in some way, and receive the help that we need to deliver us, or so that we are provided what we need. Even when that help comes from people we know — or from strangers, we can be sure that the Lord who loves us in behind the blessings we receive.
God loves you and knows everything about you. He knows what you need and is able to do so much more than you can even think to ask Him. If you don’t believe that, all you need to do is give Him a chance to show you.
Whether you believe it or not, our spiritual journeys are the most important part of our lives. God reveals Himself to us in exactly the way we need to know Him. When we have doubts and lift them up to God, the Holy Spirit finds ways to answer those doubts and to help us to be sure that God loves us. And when we come to know God in Christ Jesus and receive Him as our Savior, we leave the existence that we have known and enter into the abundant life that Jesus promises all who come to know God in Him.
As ever, my prayer for you, Beloved, is that if you know the Lord, that you will continue to open your heart, mind and soul to Him so that he is able to draw you closer to His heart and so that you can enjoy the abundant life in the fullness of joy and love that he offers both now and for eternity.
And, Beloved, if you don’t know God in Christ yet . . . or if you don’t believe at all that God exists, I pray that you will open your heart and mind even a little bit so that you will give God a chance to begin to show you not only that He exists, but that He loves you more than you can imagine.
May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours, today, this week and always.
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