The famous evangelist Billy Sunday was once asked, "What must I do to go to hell?" Sunday answered, "Nothing." That's the message of Matthew 25. If we want to have hell on earth and hell for eternity, then we will look the other way. The goats were those people in Jesus' parable who saw the need, but did nothing to help. The goats' response is captured perfectly in this paraphrase of today's passage: "I was hungry and you said apply for food stamps. I was homeless and you said there is a shelter in town. I was lonely and you said get a Sony Walkman. I was beaten and you said avoid dark alleys. I was naked and you said a local church has clothes. I was sick and you said apply for Medicaid. I was illiterate and you said there are library cards. I was poor and you said God loves the poor. I was imprisoned and you said try the parole board. I was depressed and you gave me a Smile button. I was dying and you said there is eternal life.
"Now I know why the answers are not solutions."