Notice that neither the Lord nor the sheep in today’s parable speak in general terms about the poor. There is no grouping here, no placing into one category “all those needy folk.” Their concern is with one person in need, the Lord. Similarly, they refuse to generalize needs. On the contrary, they speak specifically about needs and their solutions: if one is hungry, I give him bread; thirsty, I give him drink; estranged, I welcome him. It demonstrates a willingness to understand a person, taking time to get to know him and tend to his specific situation. Probably the sheep were so shocked that the Lord was present in those they served because they had come to know them intimately. “You were that guy?... I believe, Lord; help my unbelief.”
This approach is different from the goats. Whereas the sheep repeat back to the Lord every single thing he needed, the goats merely summarize, “Lord, when did we see you hungry…and not minister to your needs?” Clever goats, they act as if they would have even known what to do. They miss the mark, though, ignorant of the fact that there is no single person in the world who thinks of his needs as “my needs.” No, there is always a long, detailed list that the needy offer whenever asked. “My children need food, my car needs to be paid off, I owe this guy money, I am hungry and alone…” The goats have not only been unwilling to serve, but they have first been unwilling to understand.
Lent is a time of almsgiving, where we give money or goods to those in need. There are a few ways to do that. One is to give to an organization that works directly with the needy. This is a good thing to do, and we all should. Another way is to meet the eyes of the one in need and give to him directly. This is a better thing to do, and we all should, for when we come before the Lord at the end of our lives, we want him to say not only that we served those in need but also that we were willing to be friends to them.