BLOG 12.18.19. WORSE THAN IMPEACHMENT … IS REJECTION
The media are consumed these days with the potential impeachment of the president, and his removal from office. It will be traumatic for the country, to be sure. But the possibility triggers in my mind a potential far more nightmarish, namely, being renounced and rejected by God, which potential rejection faces God’s humanity.
In one of the most sobering passages in the teachings of Jesus, which foretells his return in glory and the consequent separation of those from the nations, gathered before his throne like a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. Please read this Matthew 25 passage carefully.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
Do you get the awesome impact of this? Our eternal relationship with Jesus is given integrity by his living out his life of compassion in us for the real strangers, the homeless, the hungry, and the naked. And what is the context of this exhibition of our new creation integrity? Well, in the context of today, it is exhibited not only in our neighborhood and daily context, but in the political agendas and politicians we support. It is bad enough to be impeached or to support a president who is being impeached, … but far worse to be eternally rejected because we did not live out our calling to be the incarnation of his compassion. Sobering, isn’t it?
