“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 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.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
In chapters 23-25 of Matthew’s Gospel, we read about what it means to love Jesus, follow Jesus and be ready for Jesus’ return. But we also read about what it looks like to be fake and not follow Jesus and not be ready for His return. The above verses are a summary of all three chapters regarding what failing to walk with Jesus looks like and what are the consequences of such failings. Jesus demands that our walk with Him be a walk that looks like Him. During Jesus time on the earth we read and observe His sacrifice for others and His being a servant to others. He was such a servant that He gave His life for all who would believe in Him. He demands the same from us. In the above passage we read what happens when we don’t walk with Him. These verses follow the positive example of walking with and for Jesus and the positive consequences. Jesus then tells His disciples of the negative consequences. The key theme of this walk with Him and like Him is that we care for others. This does not make our faith a faith based upon works. It rather makes our faith a faith expressed in works. We still believe by faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. That faith is then expressed by seeing those in need and meeting their needs. This is why ignoring needs or shunning away from needs or the criticism of needs does not demonstrate a walk like Jesus. For those who do not walk like Him, Jesus says, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” We cannot understate our expression of love to those in need. For to do so is to fail to walk with Him and like Him.
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