When Did We See You? - Matthew 25:38

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus told His disciples the King would say to the nations on His right side, “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungry, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink?”, and in chapter twenty-five and verse thirty-eight of his book, Matthew writes how Jesus said the righteous continued to asked when, “did we see you as a stranger … or naked, and clothed you”” where we read:

When saw we you as a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you?

The verse reads, “When saw we you a stranger, and took you in?” Matthew began with Jesus' word, “When” which means “at the time and moment” “saw we you a stranger” or “did the disciples observe, notice, discern and discover Jesus as a foreigner”, “and took you in” which means “and gathered Jesus into their home”? Matthew shared how Jesus said His disciples asked Him “when” they observed Him as a “foreigner” and brought Him into their homes.

The verse goes on to say, “or naked, and clothed you?” Matthew continued with Jesus' words, “or naked” which means “or without clothing”, “and clothed you” which means “and surrounded Him with clothes and array”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the disciples wondered “when” they saw Jesus without clothing and provided clothes for Him.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the “disciples” were unaware of the times “when” they saw Jesus as a “stranger” and “without clothing”? Jesus told them they saw Him in both states and ministered unto Him, but they only thought within the “physical” service to Jesus. Jesus had needy people in mind as He shared this idea, and when the disciples were ministering to them, they were ministering to Him. God cares for people who are “strangers” and “naked” in the world, and He uses people to “serve” them. Those who have received His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” are commissioned to “minister” to people who are “foreigners” and “unclothed”, and when they do, they are actually ministering to Jesus Himself.

Next time Matthew writes how Jesus shares how the righteous asked, “when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came unto you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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