The Call to Compassion: Living Out Matthew 25

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” — Matthew 25:35-36

This passage has always haunted me. The image of the final judgment, where God separates the righteous from the unrighteous, stirs something deep within me. It leaves me wondering: Am I truly living the kind of life Christ has called me to? Am I falling short?

For years, I failed to grasp the full weight of what Jesus was saying. I viewed Christianity primarily through a moralistic lens—following the right rules, avoiding the wrong behaviors. But Jesus doesn’t offer a mere checklist of do’s and don’ts here. He speaks to something far deeper.

The way Christ distinguishes true believers from unbelievers isn’t by how well they follow a moral code—it’s by their love. Specifically, their love for the least of these.

And how is this love shown? By feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned—by serving those in need, not just occasionally, but as the very core of our lives.

The Christianity We’ve Known vs. The Christianity We’re Called To

If I’m honest, I struggle with this. Not because I don’t believe in helping those in need, but because, for much of my life, this hasn’t been the brand of Christianity I’ve witnessed. A good Christian life was often defined by strict adherence to a moral code—staying away from sin, going to church, reading the Bible. And while those things are important, Jesus shows us that true faith is more than personal piety. It is compassion in action.

So the question we must ask ourselves is this: Is the Christianity we’ve given ourselves to the same Christianity Jesus calls us to?

Does it feed the hungry?

Does it welcome the stranger?

Does it clothe the naked?

Does it visit the sick and the imprisoned?

This is the life Christ has called us to. A life of self-giving love. A life of bearing the burdens of others. A life that reflects his own.

A Call to Action

If we want to follow Jesus, we must go where he went—to the margins, to the suffering, to the ones the world overlooks. This is more than an invitation; it’s a command.

May we not only hear these words but live them. May we not only believe in Christ but follow him where he leads.

Because in the end, our faith will not be measured by how well we avoided sin, but by how well we loved.