“You Visited Me”
In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches us about the judgment. He says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” (Matt 25:31-33 ESV). We are told of a great assembly before Jesus’ throne and a great separation between the righteous and the unrighteous. We understand that none are righteous based on their own merits (Rom 3:10), and that the only way to be justified is through saving faith (Eph 2:8-9), but there is another lesson in the judgment scene of Matt 25 that warrants serious consideration.
As the scene unfolds, Jesus reveals the lot of the faithful saying, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matt 25:34-40 ESV). In like manner, Jesus reveals what those on his left will hear, “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” (vv. 41-43).
The Lord clearly teaches us that our concern for the brethren demonstrates our concern for him, and thus will be a great factor determining our eternal destination. I suppose that many people perceive hospital visitation, visiting shut-ins and those in prison as preacher’s or elder’s work. According to Jesus it is work that we should all do. If Jesus were in the hospital would you pay an encouraging visit? If Jesus were in need would you provide what he needed? If you would, then prove it by doing the same toward those who are his children. At Highland Heights we have several of our number that have been suffering in various ways. Pay them a caring visit, bring them some food, ask if there is a need you might meet; treat them like you would Jesus and you’ll have nothing to fear when you meet him in judgment.
—JLP
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