The parable of the sheep and goat in Mathew 25:31-46 is bewildering in two ways. Firstly, the ones whom God approves did not care who they helped. They just helped anyone and everyone with a need. The ones whom God berates are the ones who for certain reasons withheld help. I find this hard to swallow because if I am blindly generous, will I not be fuelling a spirit of entitlement or wrong-doing? And is it wrong to be a discerning steward?
After mulling over it for sometime, I made a tentative truce with 2 Corinthians 9:7. There is no need to be overly concerned with who is deserving or not, or who gives the best returns or generate the biggest impact. Just give. Not grudgingly or out of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver.
Secondly, God is not too particular with stop-gap measures. He actually approves of it! As a long-time advocate of Desmond Tutu’s philosophy that it is better to prevent people from falling into the river upstream than to keep rescuing people downstream, this parable turns my life ethos on its head. It is actually OK to 治标不治本!
As we traverse this paradoxical landscape of Missions, only one thing matters -- Obedience. May you be encouraged with this year’s reports and reflections. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support.
