10 Invitations Of Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46)

In this series, we consider some of the invitations of Jesus and watch how, as we walk through the invitations, the ultimate invitation to spiritual transformation begins to take effect. This episode looks at the invitation, "Come, you who are blessed."

Transcript

Greetings, Friends. This is Mark Gladman, Also known as Brother Frederick James, Your friendly neighborhood monk in dogs. Just invite you as we begin this last session in our first series on the invitations of Jesus. Just to steal yourself. To come to a space of rest. To be fully present and aware of this moment right now. To be. To just be in this moment. With God. So as we begin. . . The last reflection of this series. Remember the journey that we've taken together. Jesus invited us to come and see. To follow Him, To trust Him in the midst of fear, To come away and rest. To come to Him with our burdens, To learn from Him, To remain in Him. To take up the cross of self-giving love. To receive the Holy Spirit, Each invitation has drawn us a little deeper. Into the life of Christ. And today. . . We arrive at the final invitation. The invitation we hear today is this. Become you who are blessed by my Father. This is an invitation. To becoming. Becoming. Our way of living. An invitation into the very kingdom of God. Not just a future hope, But also a present reality. It's the invitation to discover that the whole journey of discipleship has always been about learning to recognize Christ in the ordinary places of life. So listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 25, Verses 31 to 46. When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him. Then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him. And he will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come, You that are blessed by my father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, And you gave me food. I was thirsty, And you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, And you welcomed me. I was naked, And you gave me clothing. I was sick, And you took care of me. I was in prison, And you visited me. And the righteous will answer to him, Lord, When is it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you on naked and gave you clothes? And when was it that we saw you seek her in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, Just as you did it. To one of the least of these who are members of my family, You did it to me. And then he will say to those at his left hand, You that are accursed, Depart from me into the eternal fire, Prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food and I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, Naked and you didn't give me clothing, Sick and in prison and you didn't visit me. Then they will also answer. Lord, When was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you? And then he will answer them, Truly I tell you, Just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, You did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, But the righteous into eternal life. This passage has often been read as a description of some sort of final judgment, But it's actually much deeper, It's more. It's a revelation. And it reveals where Christ has been all along. The King says, I was hungry and I was thirsty and I was a stranger and I was naked and I was sick and I was in prison. And the surprise is that no one recognised him. Neither those who served him nor those who ignored him knew they were encountering Christ. Is the great revelation. Christ has always been present. In the neighbor. The invitations of Jesus have never been about escaping the world somehow. They've been about learning to see the world. Differently. And so notice something beautiful. Throughout the Gospels. Jesus repeatedly invites people into relationship with himself. And now at the end of Matthew's gospel, We discover that relationship with Christ can't be separated from relationship with others. The one who says follow me also says, Whatever you did for one of the least of these, You did it for me. The one who says remain in me is also present in the hungry, The lonely, The forgotten and the suffering. So this isn't just an ethical teaching. It's a profoundly sacramental vision of reality. Christ is present where love is needed the most. If the first invitation of this series was come and see. This final invitation really is go and recognise. Recognize Christ in the face of the person in front of you, The colleague. Who's struggling. The family member who needs patience. The stranger who feels unseen. The child asking for your attention. The elderly neighbour living with loneliness. The person who annoys you because their opinion differs from your own and they just want to fight all the time. Again and again. Jesus quietly asks, Can you see me here? Contemplation. Has always been about. Compassion. If prayer doesn't gradually make us more loving. Then we've misunderstood what prayer is about. The purpose of silence isn't inner peace, It's greater availability to love. Purpose of abiding. Isn't to be kept for ourselves as some sort of private spirituality. It's to participate in the life of Christ. For the sake of the world, And that's why the saints almost always Combine deep contemplation with deep meditation. Compassion. They recognised that love of God and love of neighbour aren't two different journeys. They are one and the same. And even Jesus said this himself. Notice also that the acts Jesus describes are really, Really ordinary. Giving food, Offering water, Welcoming strangers, Visiting the sick, Caring for those in prison. Nothing spectacular here, No miracles, No extraordinary whiz-bam events. Just simple faithful love expressed through ordinary acts of kindness. The Kingdom of God. Grows quietly, One generous decision. One compassionate conversation, One act of forgiveness. One shared meal. One lonely person noticed. This is how the reign of God enters the world. That's right, Through our small acts of love. There's actually another surprise here that we often miss too. Those who cared for Christ didn't realize that they were doing anything special. They just loved. And maybe that's what happens as disciples mature. Love becomes less self-conscious and we stop asking questions like, Am I being spiritual enough? Rather, We become attentive to the needs of others. The Invitations of Jesus. Have reshaped our vision. We no longer ask, Where is Christ? We begin asking, How can I respond to the Christ? Who is already here. And so as we come to an end of this series, It becomes clear that none of the invitations stand alone, Do they? We come and see. So that we may follow. We follow. So that we can trust. We trust so that we can rest. We rest so that we may receive. We receive so that we may remain. We remain so that Christ's life grows within us. And as Christ's life grows within us, We begin to recognize him everywhere. The journey always comes. Full circle. Every invitation has been an invitation into love. Love of God. Love of neighbour. Love of the whole creation. Held within. The love of God. And maybe that's why this final invitation is so beautiful. Come you who are blessed. Notice the order. Blessing comes before reward. Relationship. Before achievement. We're welcomed. Because we belong to God. And having been welcomed, We discover that our lives become places where others are welcomed too. The kingdom isn't just somewhere that we hope to enter someday. It's a way of living that begins now. We enter it now. Every act of mercy becomes a doorway into that kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven now. Every act of compassion becomes an echo. Of Christ's own life. So as we come towards the end of this last reflection in this series, Just rest. With your breathing once again. Settle into this moment. And imagine yourself walking with Jesus through an ordinary day. You walk through the streets, Past homes, Past workplaces, Past schools, Past hospitals, Past parks. Nothing is extraordinary. And yet Jesus keeps slowing down. He notices people. A person sitting alone. A child laughing. Someone carrying heavy bags. A neighbour working quietly in a garden. A person whose face shows deep sadness. Each time Jesus pauses, He looks at them. With deep and infinite tenderness. And then he turns towards you. He smiles and gently asks, Can you see me? Not only here beside you, But there. In them. And just allow faces. To come gently to your awareness. And as you notice them, Offer each person into God's love. And just gently pray with each one, Lord Jesus, Help me recognise you. Today. And now finally, Just imagine the whole world resting in the love of God. Every nation, Every creature, Every person, Every joy, Every sorrow held together in Christ. And just rest in that image just for a few moments. Lord Jesus, Thank you for every invitation that you've spoken throughout this journey. Thank you for calling us to come, To follow, To trust, To rest, To learn, To remain, And to receive your life. Open our eyes to recognize your presence in those we meet each and every day. Give us hearts that are quick to show mercy, Hands ready to serve. Words that bring hope. Lives that reflect your compassion. May our prayer always become love in action. May our contemplation always deepen our kindness and may everything we do bear witness to your kingdom already breaking into the world. And may grace, Peace and love go with us and remain with us today and always. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, Now and forever. And as you leave this final reflection of the series, Remember that the invitations of Jesus never truly end. They continue every morning, Every conversation. Every interruption, Every act of compassion, Every moment of silence. Christ is still saying, Come. The difference is that now you know something more. You know that every invitation has always been an invitation. Into communion with God and into deeper love for the world that God loves so much. So walk this path with joy, Friend. And continue to recognise Christ in unexpected places. And may your whole life become a quiet, Living response to every invitation. That Jesus has ever sparked. And if you want to go deeper with these or other concepts of the spiritual journey, You're welcome to join with us in our little community. The link you'll find. . . In my bio here at Insight Timer. And so until next time. . . Remain in His love. Go in peace. Bye for now.

Reviews

This has been a wonderful series. Thank you so much. I’ve learned a lot and I am so grateful. God bless you and keep you. 🙏🩵

Thank you so much.

This has been a powerful series. Thank you so much for taking the time to record these teachings. 🙏🏻

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Beautiful series Mark. I’ve learned so much. I will return to these meditations. May we all abide within Christ and seek this Love in all. Many thanks and many blessings 💜🌳🕊️