Luke 10:21-24
There is passage in Scripture (Matt 25:44) that depicts the judgement day. Apparently there are some people who will be a bit surprised. I can only imagine. But the point of this particular passage relates to Jesus' admonition to love, feed the poor, those who are hungry and these 'gate crashers' have been found lacking. They say 'when did we not feed you (Jesus)? When did we not visit you when you were sick or in prison? Surely they would have done so had they known. Jesus points to every child of God as being 'Him'. Every brother who is in need, every sister who is suffering. All Jesus' brothers, all children of God. As Jesus said, when we do for the least of these little ones, we do for him. Seems fairly simple.
In today's passage it says no one knows who the Son is except the Father. If we take it literally, it makes no sense. Jesus is the son, duh? But once again literalists are found wanting and risk quizzical looks at the pearly gates as to why they might be turned away.
We are accustomed to looking at things in comfortable ways. We know who the rich and poor are. We know who the hungry are. We think we know oh so well who is right, who is wrong. We focus our energies and treasures, if at all, on those we have so judged as needy in one way or another.
Not so fast. Who is the son? Only the Father knows. Perhaps we should re-examine who we are judging and who we are helping.
Our challenge to love, our responsibility to our brothers and sisters, children of God one and all, is not limited to what we are comfy and cozy with. That passage from Matthew tells us things are not as easy as we think. Today's passage drives it home, we just don't know who to expect around us is the ones in need. Who is 'the son' that needs help? It may very well be the person you just flipped off on the road or the person you dismissed as a snob who is really suffering in loneliness in all their riches.
We run into a great deal of trouble when we start deciding who is worthy of help, who is in need and who is not. Better we should love broadly and inclusively. We are not God and we are not the judges and arbitors of the world. We are admonished to love, not simply the people we want to love or think need it.
In today's passage it says no one knows who the Son is except the Father. If we take it literally, it makes no sense. Jesus is the son, duh? But once again literalists are found wanting and risk quizzical looks at the pearly gates as to why they might be turned away.
We are accustomed to looking at things in comfortable ways. We know who the rich and poor are. We know who the hungry are. We think we know oh so well who is right, who is wrong. We focus our energies and treasures, if at all, on those we have so judged as needy in one way or another.
Not so fast. Who is the son? Only the Father knows. Perhaps we should re-examine who we are judging and who we are helping.
Our challenge to love, our responsibility to our brothers and sisters, children of God one and all, is not limited to what we are comfy and cozy with. That passage from Matthew tells us things are not as easy as we think. Today's passage drives it home, we just don't know who to expect around us is the ones in need. Who is 'the son' that needs help? It may very well be the person you just flipped off on the road or the person you dismissed as a snob who is really suffering in loneliness in all their riches.
We run into a great deal of trouble when we start deciding who is worthy of help, who is in need and who is not. Better we should love broadly and inclusively. We are not God and we are not the judges and arbitors of the world. We are admonished to love, not simply the people we want to love or think need it.
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’
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