The Ruler and the Prophet

This is a modern Biblical story.

There was a man who counted himself amongst the most devout of all the land. He read his Bible every day and went to church on Sunday's and he ruled according to the convictions of his heart and the words of scripture. When a great plague was sweeping across his nation, he was not tempted by the devil to give in to the wicked people who had spread this plague. When the people pleaded for help with this crisis, he agreed to help the righteous folk who had not spread this disease but who had been swept up in its wake. For the sinners that had caused its spread, he offered only condemnation.

It is not for me to say if this condemnation angered God, but He did send an unlikely prophet to speak with this man. A singer by trade, this prophet spoke to the masses in a popular manner pleading with them wherever he went to follow their hearts and do the right thing. He urged nations to help the poor. He urged corporations to help the sick. He urged the people to decry false imprisonments and torture. But because he did not do so from a recognized pulpit, many did not hear his message. When this prophet heard of this ruler's condemnation of the sinners, however, he felt compelled to go visit with this ruler.

The prophet had no idea what he was going to say to the ruler. They were from very different places in society. He was a common man and the ruler from a place very high in esteem and power. They met together and sat down together and discussed the problems of the plague. And then, it came time for the prophet to ask the ruler to change his mind. And these are the words he used:

Matthew 25

The Sheep and the Goats

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The ruler was convicted. With tears in his eyes, he thanked the prophet and promised to do something to help even the sinners. One day the ruler was against the sinners and the next day he rushed to their aid. The Glory of God's words had changed him.

This is a true story. The ruler's name is Former Senator Jesse Helms. The plague is the AIDS virus. And the prophet's name is Bono of the rock group U2. The day after meeting with Bono, Jesse Helms met with President Bush. And by the time of the State of the Union address a few months later, the President announced a 30 billion dollar program to fight AIDS around the world.