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November 14

The Stranger

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.  ––Matthew 25:35-36

The Bible has a lot to say about strangers. Many biblical scholars believe Jesus used the word to refer to non-Jews—anyone “outside” the tribes of Israel. In Hebrew, the word in this context is translated “foreigner or alien.” Lots of folks use this verse to try to argue for and against helping illegal immigrants. While border issues are an important topic, I think an over-focus on them as it relates to Matthew 25 misses Jesus’ key point:

We feed, clothe, help, and extend empathy first, and ask questions later.

Like everything in God’s Word, context is critical. Jesus admonishes us to help feed and clothe those who have little and those who are sick and in prison. This mandate comes at the end of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: There will be a separation—a sorting—of the sheep (God’s children) on the right, and the goats (those who reject Christ) on the left. And once again (similar to what Jesus says about helping the poor in James 1 as a definition—or marker—of “genuine religion”), our attitude toward the “least of these” is a marker of our position as either a sheep (redeemed) or goat (unredeemed).

What’s the upshot of all this for God’s man? Jesus places a HUGE emphasis on helping the orphan, widow, and stranger (those different from us) as an outward, visible sign of our faith. Does it mean we are a goat doomed to hellfire if we don’t help the poor? No, we are saved by grace. However, if it’s important to Jesus, it demands priority for us.

A friend of mine always has a couple cases of bottled water in his trunk along with protein bars. Every time he goes to a big box hardware store he passes them out to the day laborers there hoping to pick up some work. Does he ask to see immigration cards prior to giving them water? No. Jesus wouldn’t either.

Father, actions speak louder than words—let me help those who need it as an act of obedience to Jesus’ mandate.

______________________________________________

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1616/kjv/wlc/0-1/

 

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