06/18/2026
The word “Christian” is all over in the national consciousness today. We see it all over on social media, politics, and news, even in Hollywood. We hear, “I believe this or that because I am a Christian.” And, honestly, it is an easy to say, and for some it adds credence to what is being said, even if what is being said is false and exactly opposite of what being a follower of Jesus means. My brother always said it was like having “fancy frosting on a burnt cake.”
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus seems to anticipate this, and he is speaking directly to those following him. He is telling us that just claiming the title of Christian is not enough, that we need to have a change in our lives, in our minds and hearts and that change needs to be reflected in actions. Jesus tells us that he will know his own by how they conduct themselves in the world:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food,” not only a few cans in the collection basket at the grocery store. You did not support systems, programs or laws that took food from the hungry or punished the poor for being poor.
“I was thirsty and you gave me drink,” not just a bottle of Evian, I was thirsty for compassion and you gave me to drink from the cup of human kindness. You did not pass laws to make giving water to the thirsty illegal and a jailable offense.
“a stranger and you welcomed me,” I was not just that new person who shows up to church, or the new neighbor. I was that man who is struggling to put his life back together after addiction or that family who fled war and famine, who struggles to learn the language and to make sense of a new world. You did not arrest me when trying to comply with the processes to make my new life legally or create inhuman “prisons” for “illegals” and those who are “legals” and citizens who are the wrong color or from the wrong part of the world.
“naked and you clothed me,” I needed not only clothes for the body I needed clothes for the spirit, a sharing the gospel of extravagant grace.
“ill and you cared for me,” not only anointing me when I was sick of body, but also sick in spirit. You gave me the oil of hope and peace. You did not make the cost for that care so outrageously expensive that it is out of reach for most. Or target children with life threatening illnesses who are not citizens and from the wrong countries.
“in prison and you visited me.” In the brick and mortar jail cell, and the one in a prison of addiction, or sorrow, or fear.
By serving our fellow man, we serve him that died for us. As Jesus said;
“I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” What are we doing to our brothers today in the name of making “America Great Again”?
Mark 12:31 Jesus tells us to “love our neighbor as ourselves”. Neighbor is not a geographical term, it is a moral one.
If we are going to take the up the cross of Christ, if we are going to be Christian, this is work set out for us. We must move pass our fears, prejudices, ignorance, greed and hate. It is easier for us to look the other way, to focus on ourselves, to just throw some coins in the bucket, but seeing the divine beyond, to really reach out to the other, to make the thems part of the Us’, is much harder. But it is the call.
In Genesis we are told that God called out to Cain, “Where is your brother?”
Cain replied “am I my brother’s keeper?”
And Jesus calls back to him and to us, “Yes, yes you are.”
