“I was a stranger and you did not invite me in.” (Matt. 25:43).
Expanded Passage: Matthew 25:41-43
My first encounter with a stranger asking for help came when I was quite young. Our family had just enjoyed a delicious ham dinner. Several of us were sitting on the front porch, enjoying the warmth of a sunny Sunday afternoon.
A stranger came by, which seemed unusual because our house was not on the “beaten path.” Anybody traveling would typically stick to the highway, which was several blocks away.
Whatever his reason for being in our neighborhood, he apparently asked for something to eat. My mother disappeared, and when she returned, she had a wrapped sandwich with a thick slab of ham between two pieces of bread. I’m not sure what else she may have packed for him to take for his journey, but he expressed gratitude and went on his way.
Many years later, my wife and I lived near a major highway, and we frequently found people stopping at our house asking for help to continue their journey. We tried never to turn away anyone empty-handed. It may be that some were con men, looking for money for drugs, liquor, or whatever. We seldom gave money, but we did put gas in cars and took people to fast-food restaurants to buy them a meal.
I never forgot my mother’s example not to turn away a stranger who asked for help.
When an opportunity comes to help someone, do it if you can.
Ron McClung is a retired minister in The Wesleyan Church. He and his wife, Carol, live in Michigan and have two sons, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
