Hey Thom. After listening to the January2, 2014 show I was challenged to think through some of the commentary. During the last hour you shared a personal experience with a person in need. I thought the focus you brought to verses in Matthew 25 was curious.

It seems this passage holds all kinds of weight for many socially conscious people for it’s often quoted in the public square. The focus tends to be on the person doing the responsible and loving acts. However, the cited verses (usually 37-41) seem consistently to leave out two salient contextual matters. One, the person who said it and two, the rest of the book and its place in the Gospel account.

First, Jesus said this in the broader context of doing kind and gracious things for others. Clearly Jesus believed all people embody the image of God and are, like he was, a sacred child of God. The book of Matthew is replete with admonitions to treat others as though they are children of the creator. The verses fall in line with requests to do gracious things for everyone. Christ’s requests ask followers to see the world from Christ’s eyes, to embrace an entire life approach to the poor, but also to all people, no matter their socio-economic status. Followers do these things because they actively participate in the creation of a good God and live faithfully and graciously to all people.

The book of Matthew seems to be concerned with an existential belief that makes no sense apart from the belief in the Christian story. This matter goes to the second part, the larger context of the Gospels.

Looking for good reasons to help those in need, Matthew 25 seems to be the go-to passage. Yet it seems to be done without the deeper intent within, specifically the call for a redemptive, sacrificial faith in Christ. Of course we all can be kind and giving without any faith in Christ or for that matter any faith in any transcendent being. However, to quote Matthew without a full and responsible faith in the greater story from which Matthew draws his conclusions seems to take all kinds of things in vain.

I suppose biblical quotes can be used any way one decides but when people do so, the quotes lose their coherence and fall to mere sentiment. It simply and conveniently separates Christ from his messages. Used in this way Matthew 25 simply asks people to do good to others for goodness sake. Nothing wrong with that I suppose but it appears entirely irresponsible to the history of the faith and to Christ in the context the story of Gospel.

I understand why the quote gets used despite the deeper intent. It’s easy to believe all a God might want is for us to be “good” people. Yet if one takes seriously the context in which Matthew 25 was recorded an entire change in behavior and language would be order. We would have to put all our castigating weapons down. We’d be compelled to be kind and gracious to everyone including our opponents and those with whom we disagree. It would require us to stop condemning others, cease from judging them and assigning motives. And it would call us all to stop assigning our opponents a place in hell. It would displace the powers we demand for our subjective and ideological moral superiority. It would mean the believers in what Matthew said would find many creative ways to be constructive and encourage all those living in the polis at large.

The message of Matthew in its historical context requires a radical change of heart for all people and essentially asks them to stop demonizing all those with whom we disagree. The book of Matthew asks believers of the Christ story for an entire change of behavior toward the people of the world; a behavior known by a love for the poor, a desire to bring light to the spiritually forlorn and extraordinary kindness to all people.

But I suppose it’s much easier to read Matthew 25 out of context and believe Jesus was simply talking about helping those less fortunate. Giving people money or buying them lunch is simple. However, reading Matthew 25 without embodying the more holistic message seems to be exactly the thing Christ condemns, namely, doing things in the name of a contrived morality.

The Book of Matthew calls for a radical change of heart as the way to profound, sacrificial, gracious and loving hearts for all people, rich or poor. But it’s a complete change and one that shows overwhelming love and grace to all people even those with whom we disagree. That is, Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 25 extends to all people no matter their economic condition or political ideology.

Sorry for the sermonizing. I guess what I’m trying to say is the message of Matthew 25 in context seems so much more than merely helping poor people because it’s “good” to do good things. I’m afraid that misses the point of Matthew 25: 31-46 altogether.