“For I was hungry and you gave Me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me,
naked and you did not clothe Me,
sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'”
– Jesus, to the disciples (Matthew 25:42-43)
When foretelling of the events of Judgment Day, Jesus describes a scene in which people are placed either to the right or the left of His throne. Those to the right are commended for providing care for their King in His time of need. The ones on the left are reprimanded for neglecting Him, for refusing to provide care for “the least of these,” – the King’s followers.
Most people equate “sins” with “bad actions,” deeds that are unpleasing to God and morally wrong. Interestingly enough, in this passage, not a single sinful deed is given as a reason for punishment. Jesus does not speak of sins committed. Here the sins are good actions omitted. What the condemned people didn’t do establishes their guilty sentence.
These sins of omission cover three basic human needs: sustenance, shelter, and support. The people being punished neglected the King by denying Him food and water, closing the door in His face, leaving Him cold and naked, and forgetting His trials in prison. Jesus does not speak of any specific action taken against the King – only that of neglect and indifference.
As Christians, we can take comfort in knowing that God notices the small acts of kindness we perform for others in His name. But that comfort should be balanced by the awareness that God also notices when we refuse to perform those good works. Even the small and seemingly insignificant actions (or non-actions) will lead to big consequences on the Last Day. We are called to manifest the faith that exists in our hearts by rolling up our sleeves and getting involved in providing care for others.
It is our service to others, especially to Christ’s disciples, that ultimately counts as being service to the King Himself. We are called to embody the glory of God within a community of believers, a community that the New Testament describes as a family. In the passage at hand, those who have neglected to care for those in Christ’s family have demonstrated they were never part of that family at all.
