Note: What follows is a narrative translation of Matthew 25:31-46. It is based upon what Jesus might say to the church regarding its acceptance and welcome of the autistic community.
One day the Son of Man will return in all of his glory and will bring with him his messengers from all of heaven. When he comes, the Son of Man will sit on this throne of judgment and ask people to give an account for their actions. As they come forward, the Son of Man placed some on his right and called them beloved. He also placed some on his left and called them the hypocrites. In this, the Son of Man acts as like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats, the good from the bad.
When this is complete, the Son of Man will look upon those on his right and say, “Come, you are beloved by my Father. You have shown love towards the least of these. As such, you may come and inherit eternal rest.”
Confused as to why the beloved are given this honor, they ask the Son of Man what did they do to earn this rest. The Son of Man said, “When you loved the autistic community and truly embraced them, you embraced me. For when I stemmed, you showed compassion and understanding. For when I needed help, you gave me appropriate accommodations. For when I struggled to adapt, you walked with me and worked to make things better for all. Truly, when you loved, welcomed, and included the autistic community, you truly showed love to me.”
Then, the Son of Man will turn to his left and look at those he named as hypocrites. “You who are hypocrites must depart from my presence. You have failed to show me love. You have failed to show welcome to the autistic community. And, thus, you will not receive a place of eternal rest.”
Frustrated and upset, the hypocrites looked at the Son of Man and sought to defend their actions. “Why do you say we never loved the autistic community? We were leaders in the church for autism ministry. We did ministry in your name for the community.”
Then, the Son of Man will respond to the hypocrites by saying, “You created activities, but never truly loved the autistic person in your presence. You created sensory days, but never loved the person for who they are. You created ministries and advocated, but you never worked with the community or heard their concerns. As such, you failed to love the autism community and you failed to love me.”
Shannon Blosser 