Sunday 23 November 2008

Background

One of the tasks of a busy life, whether in the Church, in thehome, or in business, is known by the rather ugly word:prioritisation. Which task is the most important? Which task shouldbe given most careful attention? Can any task be put on one side,perhaps indefinitely?

We do this sort of thing in our private worlds too. We construct aworld around ourselves in which there are concentric circles ofobligations and expectations. Those in the smallest, closest circleare those we feel we belong to more or less unconditionally -though of course we know about family feuds and squabbles thatdivide families for years.

Jesus challenged this habit and encouraged us to think outside thebox - to think on a larger scale. A Jewish legal expert asked himwhich were the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40) -when all the time he knew what the right answer was: love God andlove your neighbour. And who is my neighbour we might ask? Againthe questioner knew the right answer: look after your own, respondto the needs of your own people first. Seeing which way theconversation was heading, Jesus told a story in which the model ofneighbourliness was a foreigner.

In the story of the sheep and the goats - which apparently is aboutthe 'last judgement' at the end of time - Jesus again brings upthis question about neighbourliness. In a rather strange way he puthimself at the centre of his answer. If you have dealt generously -or negligently - with anyone, you have dealt generously ornegligently with me.

Perhaps this bit of the Gospel was put together for a later time,when the 1st century Church community was under real stress.Perhaps the phrase "members of my family" here referred to leadersof the Church who needed support. But we shouldn't let that thoughtblunt the edge of the message to us. In some part of our society,we might meet a person from almost any part of the world and fromany faith-tradition. If they need our help and we withhold it weare withholding our help from Jesus himself. It is a challenge,make no mistake about it.

But the story also captures what our Christian tradition holds ascentral: that the values God wants us to cherish and live by arethose of service to others regardless of who they may be. Noneother than the King of Glory presides over this judicialprocess.

To Ponder

How do you decide what must be done first, orgiven the highest priority? Does your commitment to God in Christplay any part in those decisions?

Who is your neighbour?