What follows below is another one of the troubling things Jesus said.  It’s troubling because it seems to contradict the other clear teaching, not only by Himself, but by His followers, that the only way to know God the Father and eternal life is through Him, and that is by a believing on Jesus, giving one’s life to Him, by faith.  This scripture seems to indicate that we can have eternal life by doing religious acts.  If this were true, Christianity would be like all other religions, which attempt to reach or please God or get to heaven on the basis of acts that have been performed in this life on earth.  Christianity is the only religion that throws that notion to the ground.  There is nothing one can do to make one holy enough to know God and enter heaven.  There is only One who was and is holy enough, and we receive Jesus’ righteousness when we receive Him.  Our own righteousness is worthless.    

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  Before him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.  Then 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.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And 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.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’  Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, 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.”

Does Jesus mean that we can know God and go to heaven by doing these acts of kindness?  That doesn’t make a lot of sense, again, in the light of His teaching and that of His followers.  It also doesn’t make a lot of sense because one could be the worst kind of individual—a murderer, a rapist, a child molester—you name it—and still have helped those in need and thereby enter His kingdom.

            No.  These acts that Jesus lists are the objective evidences of individuals whose lives have been transformed by His Spirit and who love Him.  Jesus always works from the inside out.  We do the things we need to do because our lives have been transformed.  We don’t do things so we can be “Christians.”

            But this in no way diminishes how troubling this scripture is for Jesus’ followers.  Because we must ask ourselves, “Are these evidences in my life?  And, if they’re not, do I truly know Him?”

            For many of us, the bar of a life of devotion with Jesus is much higher than we thought it was.