Gavel on Bible
Special to United Methodist Insight | June 17, 2025
Judgment is not my favorite subject. I’d rather speak about grace. However, I cannot deny that Jesus, at least in the memory of the Gospel writers, mentioned judgment on numerous occasions. Which has me wondering, especially as we get close to July 4 celebrations, if Jesus were to visit America, how would he judge us?
Judgment of “All the Nations”
The answer to this question can be found in the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter 25 Jesus tells a vivid parable about the final judgment of “all the nations.”
In this story Jesus says (among other things), “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance. . . . For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, . . . I was a stranger and you invited me in, . . . I was sick and you looked after me.”
Later in the parable Jesus adds, “Depart from me, you who are cursed. . . . For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, . . . I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, . . . I was sick and . . . you did not look after me.”
Martin Thielen ID
The meaning of Matthew 25 is clear. When we engage in compassionate acts of kindness for marginalized people (“the least of these”) like feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and caring for the sick, it’s the same as doing it for Jesus. When we do not do these things “for the least of these,” it’s the same as not doing it for Jesus.
Based on Jesus’s criteria in Matthew 25, how would America be judged? The same way every nation and person will be judged. By the way we treat “the least of these.” Let’s review the three examples noted above.
“I Was Hungry”
First, let’s consider Jesus’s words about hunger. America jettisoned most of its foreign aid this year, including food support for millions of hungry children around the globe. The same dynamic is happening in the United States. The proposed budget recently passed by the House of Representatives makes major cuts to SNAP (food stamps), which helps feed millions of low-income Americans, including a significant percentage of America’s children.
Major cuts have also been made to food banks and local schools. Given the magnitude of these governmental cuts, private charities cannot make them up. If Jesus visited America today, he would have to say, “I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat.”
“I Was a Stranger”
Second, let’s consider Jesus’s words about welcoming strangers (immigrants). Although many Americans accuse immigrants of being rapists, murderers, gang members, and drug dealers, the vast majority are law-abiding, hardworking people who make significant contributions to our culture and economy.
Large numbers of immigrants have recently been deported, many without due process, which the Constitution guarantees to all people regardless of immigration status. Hundreds, including many who have no criminal record, have been shipped to vicious gulag-like prisons in other countries where they will likely never be released alive. Immigrants who have not been deported live in debilitating fear, including those who are here legally, yet are still threatened with deportation. If Jesus visited America today, he would have to say, “I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in.”
“I Was Sick”
Third, let’s consider Jesus’s words about caring for the sick. Jesus was a healer, so health care would be exceptionally important to him. And yet plans are in the works to cut health care to millions of low-income Americans. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, about 10.9 million people would lose health insurance (primarily from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act) as a result of the proposed cuts, including large numbers of children and disabled persons. Other estimates say that 15 million people will lose their health care.
The reason for the cuts? To give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the richest people in America, exasperating the massive wealth gap even further. If Jesus visited America today, he would have to say, “I was sick, and you did not look after me.”
Violating the Teachings of Jesus
These stunning cuts to the hungry and sick, along with the overwhelming cruelty to immigrants, are clear violations of Jesus’s example and teachings, including his poignant words in Matthew 25. Unless major adjustments occur, recent decisions made by America will result in terrible suffering (and even death) for legions of “the least of these” in our country and beyond.
Which brings me back to the original question of this article: If Jesus were to visit American in 2025, how would he judge us?
If we don’t change course quickly the answer is clear. Jesus would judge America harshly.