If in previous chapters we have seen how Jesus taught us to love strangers, foreigners and enemies, this chapter is about the importance of Christians also showing care for one another:
“31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
(Mt 25:31-40)
When Jesus is alone with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, he teaches them about the future and what it will be like on Judgment Day when he returns.[i]
Jesus explains to his disciples that he will then separate “the sheep from the goats”, and let the sheep receive the kingdom of God. In biblical times, it was not uncommon for sheep and goats to mix during the day as they ate grass and grazed. But when evening came and it got a little colder, the shepherd had to separate them so that the goats, which don’t tolerate the cold as well as the sheep, could get closer together to keep warm.
What separates the sheep from the goats, according to Jesus, is how they have treated “the least of these my brothers”, i.e., Christian brothers and sisters in the faith. Just as when Jesus stopped Paul’s persecution of Christians with the words, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”[ii] Jesus identifies himself in this text with suffering Christians.
Anyone who persecutes Christians because they are Christians is persecuting Jesus himself, and anyone who helps Christians in need because they are Christians is helping Jesus himself. That is how strongly Jesus identifies himself with his Church.
Jesus makes a similar point in Matthew chapter 10, where he teaches his disciples that “whoever receives you receives me”,[iii] and that whoever gives “one of these little ones” a glass of water “because he is a disciple” will “by no means lose his reward”. [iv]
Recurring in the Gospel of Matthew is that Jesus calls his disciples “brothers”[v] or “these little ones”.[vi]
So in the teaching about the sheep and the goats, it is clear that Jesus wants us as Christians to help each other when we are in need, precisely because we are Christian brothers and sisters. When we welcome a Christian “stranger” fleeing persecution in his or her home country, when we hide a Christian facing deportation to countries where Christians face the death penalty, when we open our home and church to a convert, then we have received, hidden, and welcomed Jesus himself.
But after reading this text, two follow-up questions arise for me: must one help refugees to become a sheep and enter the kingdom of God? And does this apply to all refugees or only to Christian refugees?
First, it is important to understand that Jesus does not in this text set out a number of requirements for becoming a sheep. Rather, Jesus describes the characteristics of those who are already a sheep.
As we can read in Romans, one becomes saved and a Christian by believing in Jesus and confessing him as Lord and Savior:
“9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Ro 10:9-13)
When you are saved, you are born again by the Holy Spirit who then allows God’s character traits to slowly but surely grow in the believer’s life.
Thus, one does not have to receive refugees, visit the sick and care for the poor to enter heaven, but it is a holy behavior that develops in the life of the believer and is a sign that one already belongs to the kingdom of God.
So the answer to the first question is no, you don’t have to help refugees to be a Christian, you help refugees because you are aChristian.
The second question is a bit more complicated to answer. It is clear that in this particular text Jesus is talking about the importance of helping Christian brothers and sisters. However, although this biblical text is strictly speaking about the Christian brotherhood and the importance of helping each other when we are in need, Christian care is of course not limited to Christians only.
In this chapter I look at how Jesus calls us to love our Christian brothers and sisters, in the next chapter I look at how Jesus teaches us that strangers can be a blessing to us too, and in chapter 26 I look at how Jesus teaches us to not only love our neighbor, but even to love our enemy. So we are to love our brother, our neighbor and our enemy. So in a general sense, we Christians are to help all people; Christian refugees as well as strangers of other religions, and even enemies, not because they are Christians, but because we are Christians.
Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians about this dual care, i.e., that we should “do good to everyone” and “and especially to those who are of the household of faith”.[vii] In other words, a Christian is to treat all people as he or she wants to be treated, both enemy and brother. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus teaches about loving your enemy and here in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus speaks about loving your brother.
In a Christian community, this dual care manifests itself in different ways, for example by having a language café open to all, whether or not those who come are Christians, while at the same time more specifically helping, for example, converts at risk of deportation. The one does not exclude the other, but both are part of the love of humanity.
So the answer to the second question is that as a Christian you should help both Christian refugees and non-Christian refugees. We do not help refugees because they are Christians, but because we are Christians.
You have read a free chapter of my book Friend of Strangers. If you like this book, please consider purchasing the ebook through Amazon. Since English is not my native language, there may be some linguistic inaccuracies. Please contact me if you find any.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[i] Mt 24:3
[ii] Ac 9:4
[iii] Mt 10:40
[iv] Mt 10:42
[v] Mt 12:48–50, Mt 23:8, Mt 28:10
[vi] Mt 10:42, Mt 18:6–14, Mt 25:40–45
[vii] Ga 6:10