As a follow up to a previous post let me give one example of how a “good” reading of a text might be better than a “right” reading of one. In order to keep this post short, I’m going to omit some details and paint in broad strokes.

Let’s take a look at Matthew 25:31-46. This is Jesus’ oft quoted teaching about the sheep and the goats. The traditional interpretation is that at the final judgment we will be evaluated based upon whether or not we took care of the “least of these” who were actually Jesus in disguise (so to speak). This interpretation of the text has inspired countless acts of compassion and benevolent work among the poor.

But there is another way to read this text. In Matthew 10:40-42, as Jesus is sending out the twelve he says,

“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”

Jesus refers to his disciples as “these little ones.” Anyone who gives them a cup of cold water because they belong to Jesus will be rewarded. This is very similar to what he says in Matthew 25. Furthermore, in Matthew 12:48-50, Jesus describes his brothers as those who hear his message and obey it. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus describes the “least of these” as his brothers. You see where I’m going with this? To accept or reject Jesus’ disciples is to accept or reject him. “What you did or didn’t do for the ‘least of these’ you did or did not do for me.”

It seems more probable that based upon the the larger context of Matthew that in Matt. 25 Jesus is talking about how non-Christians will be judged based upon their treatment of Jesus’ disciples rather than being about how we are judged based upon our treatment of the poor.

(Of course, I’m not saying that God doesn’t care about how we treat the poor. There are plenty of other passages that make that point. I’m simply suggesting that this is not one of those passages.)

Could it be that those who quote this text to explain their work among the poor are basing their activity upon a misreading of this text? Their reading is wrong, yet their interpretation is good. In this sense, those who are transformed by seeing Jesus in the eyes of the poor have discovered a kind of truth that my “right” reading of this text doesn’t deliver.

Which one do you want to go with in this case?