When?

Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?"

 - From Matthew 25

The first meaningful division of humanity will occur at the return of Christ. Every denomination or partisan group, prior to that time, is pointless. In the end, there will be just two groups of humanity: The eternal ones, and the finite ones. 

The passages is fraught with multiples layers and colorings. It makes a variety of points with just a few phrases:

• Christ places His family in priority over others
• There's a right, and a left
• Well, there is one division that matters prior to judgment: "nations."
• It is implied that one nation may be more favored than another
• Caring for others, is paramount

This visiting of prisoners and the sick, of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, of welcoming strangers . . . this is serious stuff, and when the chips are down, in both testaments, it really is the only thing God really cares about, when it comes to behaviors and attitudes that will save you.

And when you're taking care of the people right there in your midst: your family, your neighbors . . . you won't have time for politics, or social justice, or being part of some mass movement.

The people on the left (the goats), ask Christ when He was sick, in prison, etc., and they didn't take care of Him?

You see . . . those on the left had reason to believe that they had, indeed, cared for Christ. They built him a big church. They ran programs in the community. They voted for tax increases so that the poor could be helped.

But Christ asks "Did you do it for the least of these?" In other words . . . did you show love for the really invisible ones? The unattractive ones that are really hurting? The ones that don't make the national news? Or was it all for show? Were you happy letting others do your dirty work for you, as long as you got the credit for having antagonistic bumper stickers?

Nobody knows the ones that are really serving Christ . . . because they do it quietly, in the shadows, and they don't get drawn into stupid arguments. 

Don't go into judgment day not sure whether or not you actually helped people.

Real people.

With real needs.

With a personal touch.