The Cup of Compassion

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ 41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Focus Statement

For Jesus, compassion and justice are inseparable.

“My understanding of justice is rooted in Hebrew scripture. The Hebrew word: tzedek translates as justice. It also translates as righteousness. True justice is the restoration of right relationship between God and humanity and right relationship among humanity.” -The Rev. Traci Blackmon

Point of Relation

We all love the stories in the Bible, or in the media, of people who discover Jesus while journeying on the the road.

There’s the classic story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus who encounter Jesus as a stranger and fellow sojourner.

There’s the story of Jesus the LORD, who stopped Saul of Tarsus blind in his tracks.

Those stories are miraculous and we always wonder what such an encounter would be like.

At least I know I have.

I have always looked up to those disciples, to Paul, to Mary Magdalene and others who have REALLY encountered the resurrected/ascended Jesus face-to-face...

The thing is, I have had such an experience. A couple of times actually...

But the time I most remember seeing Jesus in someone else…in a stranger (just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus)...

Was my first day in India, Bangalore to be exact, where we visited the Krishna Temple…

And our group was ascending the massive stares to get up to the Temple.

Now, I have told this story before, but not explicitly in this way...

There I was, trying to mind my own business…not trying to stick out like tourist…though, let’s be honest, when you look like me in India, there’s no way to avoid sticking out!

So, there I was looking down at the stairs as I walk up them when a hand broke into my line of sight...

And this Arm was not moving…so I was either going to have to walk through it awkwardly…or look up.

I looked up and there was this Krishna pilgrim, shirtless and shoeless, with ceremonial paint on his face.

He looked straight into my eyes and said, “Brothers, we are brothers.”

I’d like to believe he saw Jesus in me…he certainly saw how uncomfortable and out of place I looked...

But I can tell you this right now…no matter what he saw…I saw our Lord in him...

And he was telling, “Todd, did you come all this way NOT learn and grow? Did you come here on your own, or have I sent you? Is it not I who formed you in your mother’s womb? Is it not I who has placed my calling and my trust upon you? Breaks this shell your in and trust me back!”

And from that moment on, I knew that I had encountered Jesus in that man who broke through my walls and chains...

And that moment has led me closer and closer to Jesus, my Lord and Savior

Things to Consider

We are called to see Jesus in other people

and know that Jesus shows up to us in the faces of people we meet.

Jesus is asking us to treat people like people.

What Scripture Says

This passage is not just about helping people.

It is about the judgment of whole communities and systems.

Jesus is talking about what it will be like at the time of judgment

and what kind of kingdom his will be.

Both the sheep and the goats ask the question, “When did we see you…?”

The sheep embody God’s teaching while the goats just don’t do it.(2)

(2) Schroeder, David E (1995). Matthew: The King & His Kingdom: God's Rule and Reign in My Life. Christian Publications.

The sheep have cared for Jesus without even realizing it by caring for those in need.

The goats, on the other hand, jump to self-defense –

“When did we see you and not take…and not take care of you?”

If they had known Jesus was present in “the least of these”,

they would have taken care of the needy!

But that’s the whole point.

Jesus is not asking people to care for one another so they can be rewarded and “do the right thing.”

Jesus wants them to be compassionate to others simply because they are human beings.

This is the way he wants his kingdom to operate.

We are held to account, and we get to choose our actions.

That said, what Jesus asks of them – and us - is pretty straightforward –

a drink of water, a meal, a visit.

The “cup” this week is a more literal one than in previous weeks.

One of the many things we focus on in Lent is our humanity,

which includes how we are embodied creatures.

What is important to Jesus in this passage is a very practical caring for the physical wellbeing of other people –

not just as an act of charity here and there, but as a way of living, of being compassionate in all our encounters.

For Jesus, orthodoxy (or “right belief”) means nothing without orthopraxy (“right practice”).

What this means for you

Let us look at Sussex County, of which our beloved Newton is the County Seat …a

As of 2019, the average median income for an individual is $42,781 and the average median income for households is $94,520.

According to the Poverty Research Institute’s calculations a family of three in NJ was in “true” poverty in 2019 if its total income came in under $70,372...

Yet the Federal cutoff for the poverty line is at a just $20,598l

Federal guidelines aside, that means the many of Sussex County families live decently above even the “true” poverty line.

Great for those of us who do!

But if the poverty line is at $20,598, then people are being “helped” only to keep them well under the “true” poverty line.

That means, for those who are struggling in Sussex County, and elsewhere in NJ,

They have virtually NO HOPE of getting out of their current situations...

because they simply aren’t getting sufficient assistance.

Worse yet, Sussex County is rural and so many people do not even acknowledge poverty here and, sadly, when it is recognized...

we judge people as milking the system, or we think of them as lazy or uneducated.

But here are some more facts.

In NJ we have 593 homeless veterans…and those are of course the veterans who REPORTED they were homeless, so you can only imagine that number is much higher.

We can also make an educated guess that some of those 593+ veterans are homeless in Sussex County...

Some of whom, no doubt, are single males…who have the hardest time finding shelter in Sussex County.

In fact, stats show that there are 69 sheltered 4 unsheltered veterans in Sussex County…at total of 73 homeless veterans.

In Sussex County, believe it or not, we have a total 334 people who are known to be homeless...

Again that number is probably higher.

There are 94 who are sheltered with other family or friends

There are 212 sheltered individuals

There are 28 homeless families in Sussex County

And there are a total of 17 youth who are homeless, 14 who are sheltered and 3 who are unsheltered.

Knowing these stats, let me ask you a few questions.

First were you aware of this? Were you aware of the numbers of homeless people in our county...

The numbers of those who are unfed, unsheltered, and are the least of these among us in our county?

And these stats are just on the homeless...

Let’s not forget the sick, the imprisoned, the naked, and the hungry.

Can you imagine if you intentionally made note of the needs in the town and community around you.

I want to invite you to do an experiement this week:

Pick a day, and for that entire day, intentionally imagine every person you meet is Jesus.

Then, next Sunday, let me know if this changes how you treat the person…and how.

What this means for us

Compassion is mercy in action.

We need move to action in our personal lives…in ways that are in line with our Christian faith...

So our homework again for this week...

On whatever day you choose, intentionally imagine every person you meet as Jesus…and see if and how that changes how you treat them.