What Jesus Wants For Christmas

I was reading an article today and it brought me to Matthew 25 in the Bible. The particular section in Matthew 25 is titled “The Sheep and the Goats”. Click here to read it. First of all, I find this quite ironic given all of the talk we’ve had about giving a goat this Christmas. Second, it got me thinking about what Jesus would want for Christmas.

If Jesus was walking the Earth today, do you think He might want an iPod or one of those cool Flip Video cameras that are all the rage this Christmas? Afterall, as He withdrew to quiet places, He might want to listen to some MP3’s or a podcast. Or maybe He’d want to use that Flip Video to capture some cool moments of doing miracles and then put them up on YouTube and try and make them go viral.

In all seriousness, I think what Jesus would want most of all is found right in the Bible in Matthew 25. In verse 31 He’s talking about His return and what it will be like. He said everyone will be gathered with Him and that He would separate everyone into two groups – The sheeps and the goats.

He’ll turn to the sheep and say:

“I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.”

The sheep will question Him and say “when did we do that”? Jesus will reply “whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” He’ll then turn to the goats and say:

“I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.”

He’ll conclude with the goats and say “Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.”

The outcome is not good for the goats, but it’s great for the sheep. Read it for yourself. So I think what Jesus would want for Christmas is not something material, but compassion from human being to human being.

Let’s not be a goat, but maybe give a goat instead. Remember, it’s easy to GiveUpOne. It doesn’t have to be about money either. Just keep your eyes and ears open to how you can help, and I guarantee you’ll find plenty of opportunities to GiveUpOne.