September 20 - The Cobbler
September 20
The Cobbler
Bible Reading: Matthew 25:31-40
31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
THERE IS AN old tale of a cobbler who felt his faith growing weak one winter morning. So he prayed, "O Lord, please visit me today." He finished praying with the conviction that God would answer his prayer and that Jesus would come to his humble shop that day.
The cobbler opened the shop, where he made shoes, and started looking frequently out the window, expecting the Lord to arrive any moment. As he was watching, he saw one of his neighbors, an old workman, leaning against his shovel, shivering in the cold. The cobbler opened his door and called to the workman, "Come in and warm yourself with a bowl of soup and a cup of tea!" The man returned to his work some time later, warmed by the food and drink--and by the cobbler's kindness.
Later, the cobbler saw a woman pass by his window. In her arms she held a baby, loosely wrapped in a thin blanket. The baby was crying from the cold. The cobbler yanked his door open and called to the woman. "Please come inside. Warm yourself and your child." When the woman came inside, the cobbler found a much thicker blanket than the one she held and gave it to her. The woman left a few moments later, warmed by the cobbler's gift--and by his kindness.
Scenes like that were repeated several times throughout the day, as the cobbler watched and watched for the Lord to come to his humble shop. But night arrived, and still the cobbler watched. Finally, the day came to an end. The cobbler, disappointed, locked his doors and turned down his lamp. "Lord," he said, "I prayed for you to come to my shop today, but you did not."
Suddenly, the cobbler's room blazed with warm light, though the lamp still burned low. He heard a voice and knew immediately that it was the Lord's. "I came, Cobbler," the voice said. "And you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing--for when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"
The cobbler's story is only a fable, of course. But it beautifully illustrates an important truth: Our Lord views a compassionate act toward another human being as an act of compassion toward Him. In fact, that's why He commands us to be compassionate--because He values compassion.
REFLECT: How many different acts of compassion does Jesus mention in today's Bible reading? Can you do any of those things for someone? If so, what? If not, are there other ways you can show compassion to someone today? If so, how?
PRAY: "Lord, remind me today (and every day) that You value compassion. Help me to be kind and compassionate to those around me, especially to __________________________."