The book of Leviticus gives direction on all the things we should NOT do in order to act as the people of God. Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not curse. Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus ups the ante and tells us what the people of God SHOULD do. Feed the hungry. Welcome the stranger. Visit the sick. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ The righteous seem surprised that the things they had done were so admirable. For them, it seemed natural to care for thsoe who were hurting. This is because they saw that they were connected to the hungry, the naked, the homeless. Just as we go out of our way to care for our kin, the righteous undertand that there isn’t anyone out there who isn’t kin to us. We are all the children of God and everyone is a brother or sister in the Lord and bears a family resemblance to Jesus.
