Revised Common Lectionary Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 100:1-5; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, is the story of parable of the sheep and goats. Four times in the parable the following is written, "... for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stanger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing , I was sick and you took care of me, and I was in prison and you visited me..." This text has been important in the Mennonite/Anabaptist tradition in defining our theology of service to those who are poor, sick, hungry and in prison. We have many institutions that have helped us, as a people, to live out our calling to help the "least of these."
But let us look another possible interpretation of this passage. The text is at the end of Jesus' ministry, Jesus enters Jerusalem (at the beginning of chaper 21), and Matthew records the final set of teaching (at least 17 items) for the disciples to try to understand.The "least of these" may refer to the disciples that are listening to Jesus right before the Last Supper, the arrest and the crucifixion. Maybe the parable of the sheep and goats is a call to be ministered to, and not a call to minister to the least of these. Maybe it is to remember we are the least of these.
Let me tell you a story. Violet Lichty was a lady in our community that collected cats, and a lot of them. The people in the village did not like it. I was invited to visit with her and for 14 years I had coffee and muffins with her. She died in 2003 after complications from a broken hip. I used the passage of the sheep and the goats for her funeral. I thought I had cared for the "least of these" in helping her. Without telling me, she had made me an executor in her will. I donated $1000 of her gift to me to the local volunterr fire company, and they put it towards a defibrillator. In November 2007, I had a heart attack at home, and the new defibrillator was used to save my life. So maybe Violet, aka as the " cat lady" was ministering to me all along.
The sheep and goats parable is really a story of healing, my own healing. Any of the other miracle stories that I read about Jesus in the Bible, I have become the one in need of healing. I now believe I am one of the the "least of these" in the Kingdom of God.
Fred Redekop is pastor of Floradale Mennonite Church (Ontario) and was a pastor-in-residence at the MCC Washington Office for three weeks.
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