ignorance is easier

matthew 25:31-40

“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation.
And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’ “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell.

“Master, what are you talking about?”  i’ve heard people say that when they serve the needy, they see JESUS.  but this is pretty clear.  the people didn’t even realize it was HIM they were helping, visiting, comforting.  the overlooked in my life, the ignored.  only one name comes to mind.  lewis evans.  he was one of my bet friends in middle school.  i don’t know a lot about what he has gone through, but I do know he has gone through a lot.  so when I read it, the last line, all I could think about was him in prison and me (not) visiting him.  he’s out now, but that’s still what i thought about.  being overlooked or ignored is like living under an umbrella of hopelessness.  it’s like you see everyone else getting to feel the rain, and you’re stuck, the same as you’ve always been.  it’s just like JESUS.  HE did so much for people, and they act like it was inconsequential to them.  they ignore him.  they overlook him.

how do YOU exist in the ignored and overlooked?  what’s it going to take to get me to see what YOU would do?

“serve.  you probably won’t ever realize that it is for me while you’re here.  but just do it.”

thank you.