In the Gospel of Matthew, the end of the 25th chapter, Jesus does something shocking – He sends people who believe in Him to hell. It is a metaphorical story that Jesus uses about sheep and goats, but it is full of difficult challenges to people of faith. Both groups are His followers because both groups, in their surprised responses, call Him Lord. The sheep are just as surprised that they are going to heaven as the goats are that they are going to hell, and the reasoning is the same – their final judgement is based on how they treated people in need. Jesus tells them that helping others is just like helping Him. If you cared for the least among us – or not – it is as if Jesus were hungry, thirsty, and all the rest. Sheep go to heaven – goats go to hell. Just like the band Cake sang it.
Humans are tribal; we tend to care for those who are like us. In America, we have always had a problem with difference, treating every new immigrant group as if they were the enemy. In most cases, eventually, those groups worked towards assimilation as they become part of what used to be called “the melting pot.” I have always thought we are better described as a tossed salad or stir-fry: the idea being that each group becomes part of the whole while maintaining their identity is, I think, far healthier than mushing us all together. Regardless of our differences, being part of this country should be about caring about each other’s rights, defending the Constitution, and working towards the common good. Sometimes we do that – sometimes we don’t. We could do better.
To hear some Christians, however, speak of some people as inferior to others goes directly against the teachings of Jesus. I watch them as they proudly wear their crosses and sit in churches while their actions treat struggling people with disregard and disrespect. When we treat immigrants who are here illegally with malice, we are treating Jesus with malice. When we deport legal immigrants with impunity, we deport Jesus with impunity. This doesn’t mean we have open borders or that anything goes, but it does mean that we need to act as if we actually believe in the God of love and justice that Jesus represented. Are you a sheep or a goat? In the end, that will make all the difference.
Prayer – Holy God, teach us to see others as if they were You – because they are, in some way, just like us. Amen.
Today’s art is one of a series of photos by Nick Thompson of a set of mosaic panels in the church of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy.