Jesus the King

Kia ora whānau,

This week we focused on the gospel reading, Matthew 25:31-46. In this passage Jesus talked about himself as the Son of Man, the King, and judge of the nations. Jesus asserts himself as God and yet talks of people not recognizing him as one who was needy and vulnerable. The people are judged and divided by whether or not they cared for the least in society. The care they showed or didn’t show was in the practical ways they gave food to the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, gave clothes to naked, welcomed the stranger, cared for the sick, and visited the imprisoned. It wasn’t an emotion or a theoretical caring but the reality of sacrificial generosity to those in hardship.

It can be easy to grow callous to those in desperate situations. And, yet, Jesus makes it personal. By saying that he was the one in need, he calls out his humanity and kinship with all who suffer. Suffering is a human condition we’d like to ignore, but Jesus highlights it and uses our reaction to suffering as a measurement by which we are judged.

Trying to respond to all kinds of suffering around us can be overwhelming, but there is an element in what Jesus said that calls us to look at the individual before us. Rather than getting caught up in the flood of need, we can attend to the one who stands or sits right in front of us today. We can look into their eyes and recognize that they are a son or daughter of the King. Their value is because of who God is rather than their position of need. Coming to terms with our own desperate need moves us toward vulnerability and deeper dependency on God's resources. In turn, we can respond with courageous compassion because Jesus modeled it for us and gives us strength to do it. We can move toward people because this is the story worth living.

In Christ,

Wendy