People will say that they prefer the New Testament morality to that of the Old Testament but I suspect that is not the case. Since the Old Testament gives us the commandments we can create a check list of how we are doing. Didn’t steal. Check. Didn’t murder. Check. You know where you stand by looking at the list. In the New Testament morality is much more nuanced. There isn’t any list of commandments but instead a call to awareness of where God’s love is present and where it is needed. In the parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus calls for an ethic of care for those who are suffering. The scary thing, to me, is those who are condemned are oblivious to what they missed. ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirstyor a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?‘ The moral teachings of Jesus call us to look beyond ourselves and what are doing and see what other people are enduring so we can reach out to them.
