When Did We See You
“Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”
— Matthew 25:37-40 (NIV)
The strangest part of this scene is that the righteous argue. They do not remember doing any of it. Whatever they did was ordinary enough at the time to leave no mark on their memory. Jesus does not correct them by listing their achievements. He tells them where He was standing while they did it.
Mother Teresa is remembered today, and she wrote for decades about feeling nothing while she worked. If a person waits to feel warm before helping someone, the help may never happen. Nobody in this scene remembered feeling anything either. They only heard afterwards that they had fed Him.
One Person, Today, By Name
- 1Pick one person who has less than you and do one concrete thing for them today.
- 2Do not tell them why, and do not write it down anywhere.
God, I would rather help in a way that feels good than in a way that costs. Show me one person today who actually needs something. Give me the sense to do the plain thing instead of the impressive one. And keep me from waiting until I feel ready.
I can do the small thing without feeling anything first.
Why do the righteous argue with the King?
Because they genuinely do not remember. What they did was ordinary enough at the time to leave no trace in memory.
Who are the least of these?
In the scene they are the hungry, thirsty, foreign, unclothed, sick and imprisoned. Jesus identifies Himself with them directly.
Why Mother Teresa today?
She died on 5 September 1997. Her letters describe decades of working while feeling nothing, and this passage never asks for the feeling.