“When Did I See You Cry” by Stryper

Song: “When Did I See You Cry”

Artist: Stryper

Album: Reborn (2001)

Track: 3

It has been a little while since we looked at Stryper’s Reborn album, but I haven’t forgotten about it.  The first two songs were pretty solid theologically (and musically, I might add), so let’s dig a little deeper. 

When did I see you?

Having already discussed the problem of sin and salvation in the first two songs on the album, Stryper now turns to Christian service in this encouragement to care for the poor and sick among us.  The verses describe various people in bad circumstances, people who are in need of help, and the chorus draws the connection to Scripture, where Jesus equates service to His people to service to Himself directly (a passage I have added below for the full reference).

I’ll not recount the stories from the song, because the lyrics speak quite nicely for themselves.  I will draw attention to two lines that are worth discussing.

“He’s not that different from me and you.”  There are a lot of reasons why a person might end up jobless, homeless, enslaved, abandoned, or whatever, and not all of them are situations I’m likely to fall into.  I’m not addicted to drugs or alcohol, and it would take a lot to get me there.  I do not have any mental health problems.  I have family that would very likely help us if I did lose my job and went some time without a new one.  That being said, I could have steered my life in a very different direction, and done so quite easily.  Had I been born in another time, another place, it would have been easier still.  This is a very good reminder to me, and one that is easily forgotten.

God has children amongst the poor, amongst the homeless, amongst the broken and weak.  God has children there that He will save.  They are the “reason why You came.”

We have been called to take care of the needy, starting with our own.  The Bible’s statements on helping the poor are not easy and not simple, and the Christian is called to learn wisdom in this topic and seek to help.  It’s not as simple as giving a dollar to every guy you see on a corner, or not giving to anyone.  It calls for study, wisdom, discernment, and preferably a congregation willing to serve.

The biblical teaching

Since this song is coming directly from a passage of Scripture, it may be good for us to look at the whole section from Matthew 25:31-46:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

A quick corrective

This passage has been misused quite a bit, and so I do want to put a quick note about it in here lest we misunderstand.  To be clear, I don’t think Stryper is misusing it at all, but it is so quickly and so often misapplied that we need the corrective.

This is not a passage about how to be saved.  There are very clear passages of Scripture that explain that salvation is by faith alone, and these clear passages should not be overturned on the basis of what we think this parable is about.  In light of the Bible’s teaching of salvation, we need to take another look at the parable here, and we will note a couple of things that will better clue is in as to what is happening.

First of all, the sheep and goats are separated on the basis of what they are – sheep and goats – not what they do.  The distinction of what they do comes in their commendation or condemnation, not in the initial judgment between them.  Secondly, you will notice that both groups are surprised at what is said.  The sheep do not reply, “Yep, we were pretty generous!”  Likewise, the goats do not say, “Aw, man, if I knew I would be saved by helping that poor man, I totally would have done that!”

This passage is part of a larger teaching on watchfulness and faithfulness.  It is a critical teaching, but not one of salvation itself, and we should not confuse them.  The works of the sheep are accepted and praised because of their position in Christ.  On the other hand, even the seemingly good deeds of the goats are rejected because they are not made in faith, but out of their own sin.  The unbeliever does nothing out of faith and for God’s glory, so even when they feed the poor and clothe the needy, they are not seeking His righteousness.  They are turned away, as we all deserve to be.  The sheep, however, being adopted sons and daughters of God, and welcomed because of the righteousness of Christ.

Overall

Cool song, and with a message we can get behind.  Stryper has done well with this one.