Rev. Rob Jones
November 23. 2023
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you took care of me, I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry, and you gave me no food, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked, and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Today is the last day of the Christian Year, and it seems fitting to end it with a message affirming Christ's judgment of the world as grounded in loving action rather than dogmatic attitudes. Let me explain: Unfortunately, many sermons, Sunday school lessons, and teachings have made this passage about works of righteousness, leading people to feel guilty for not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or visiting the imprisoned. Despite the frequent use of this passage for social justice, it's surprising to find that there are still homeless, hungry, or incarcerated people in the United States of America. In fact, the PC(USA) has even based an entire denominational movement on Mathew 25.
As a good and thorough preacher, I humbly ask the congregation for permission to expound on this important lesson. The teaching distinguishes between "The Nations" and "The least of these." According to Matthew, “The Least of These” refers to the followers of Christ, while “The Nations” refers to the world's powers.
Unfortunately, some preachers have taken an excessively nationalist stance with this parable, portraying the Church as the agency entrusted with solving all the world's problems, usually backed by plentiful US funding. This approach is reminiscent of the "white man's burden" and does not accurately reflect the parable's true message.
It's important to note that the issue with this way of thinking stems not from Matthew's teachings but from preachers, Sunday school teachers, and movement organizers who have unfortunately misinterpreted the chapter. I believe it's crucial to change our perspective on Matthew 25. In my opinion (and my opinion, plus $2.00 won’t get you a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts), Jesus is not instructing the Church on how to interact with the world; instead, he is highlighting how the world should treat the Church. (Repeat). And this change in perspective is that God graciously judges those who lovingly deal with God's people, whether or not they "call on the name of Christ." (Repeat). (This may be somewhat of a reach if you grew up Baptist as I did.)
Matthew is suggesting we correct our attitude toward the world. We should always impart upon ourselves the attitude of “The Least of these” and not Samaritan’s Purse, The United Way, Salvation Army, or The Red Cross. This is not to say that the organization we call the Church should have no concern for the social ills discussed in this parable; however, this parable has different concerns.
I said this before: Scripture is not designed to make us feel good. It is intended to convict, make us think, and push us toward confession. This may sound a little strange, but I believe this parable is saying, “Because Christ rules and is the final word, the ultimate judge, a lot of people will experience salvation not because of what they say but because of what they do. Having Christ in charge can be a very disquieting business, but never dull.
I'm not criticizing modern evangelical concerns, but we should remember that personal righteousness alone is not enough for what Christ expects from us. This final judgment scene is just one part of Matthew's complete gospel. It contains many other lessons that balance with this one. When we look at it as a whole, it emphasizes the importance of spiritual and actionable living. At the core of this gospel is our relationship with God through Christ, which guides us in our spiritual and daily lives by grace.
The people are like sheep and goats mixed together in the same pasture. Both are together at the start of this parable. Jesus is coming to divide them. Interestingly, sheep are grazers, which means they prefer grass and weeds, while goats are browsers, meaning they prefer young trees and small bushes. If you have a pasture with different kinds of forage, you can fit more animals in if they are a mix of sheep and goats rather than just one species. I'm not a sheepherder, but I have read enough to know this.
To stay with the metaphor, some of the sheep have served Christ without knowing Him, and some of the goats have known Christ without serving Him. This lesson tells us of the fate of all but active Christians. So, if you are trying to place yourself in this parable and it just seems awkward, there could be a reason. With that out of the way, this passage has two enormous lessons for the active Christian to learn. Listen closely: first, we learn of Christ’s capacity to judge those who have not known Him. Second, we are shown that lip service is not enough.
More than anything, this text strives to startle complacent Christians into an active life of faith!
But Rob, you said this isn’t a passage about works of righteousness. Yes! You are right; I did say that! There is more to an “Active Life of Faith” than doing good works. You see, the sheep that Jesus separated from the goats did what Jesus told us to do, but they did it instinctually. They haven’t heard the Good News from any of us; they didn’t have Jim Bakker on the TV. They didn't know about any Sunday school program, church outreach, 5th Sunday singing, prayer meetings, or Sunday Luncheons. They followed their God-given instincts and did what Jesus told us to do without a directive.
Some may say, “This is Matthew 25; why is Matthew throwing this curveball at us so late in his gospel?” He’s not. In Matthew 7, we read, “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’
Does this sound familiar? It should be because it comes straight out of the Sermon on the Mount. I like to call it Jesus’ “Call to Action” at the end of his sermon.
This is Matthews reiterating Jesus’ call to action at the end of Jesus’ ministry. It is fitting because, following this lesson, Matthew dives headlong into the Passion story of Christ. You see, this is the last Sunday of the liturgical year. So, next week, the first week of Advent, is also the first week of the new liturgical year. We are wrapping up Matthew and moving into Mark’s Gospel in December and through 2024.
This is why I said ending it with a message affirming Christ's judgment of the world is fitting. We call this the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Christ the King Sunday. Christ is King, and Christ is coming back to judge the nations; the active Christians who live into the relationship of grace that Jesus offers, you may very well hear the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” For the rest of humanity, it will be for Jesus to judge the sheep and the goats.
That’s the beauty of this message, you see. It’s not a game of chance; it’s not a “fingers crossed” that I am a sheep situation. It’s a certainty that you have been offered salvation. The sheep in this parable have not heard the good news, yet they act like they have. You have listened to the Good News; you can accept or reject God's grace in Jesus. You have been given the ultimate sure bet, the great cheat code, the best bang for your buck, and the most extraordinary gift money cannot buy. You can have that relationship with Jesus; You can be the active Christian, taking the position of the least of these. Caring for each other not because you are told to, but because it’s the right thing to do. Whether a shut-in, church member, neighbor going through bad times, or immigrant, we love them because they are children of God. When we love them, we are actively loving Jesus Christ.
So, what is your stance on the 25th chapter of Matthew? Is it a chapter that places you above others? Does it make you say that we must fix the world, or does it say that the world is in God’s hands, and the world will be judged accordingly? Does it say our job is to take care of what we can take care of? We can do our part to help locally, nationally, and even worldwide by giving a portion of the blessings God has given us, but will we trust that God will use what is given to effect change? From where you are spiritually, through your relationship with Christ, and because of your relationship with Christ, can you see it from that perspective?
Let us pray…
Holy One, Redeemer, Sustainer, you are the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End. You set the universe in motion and will see it through to completion. You will also be the judge of our souls and the souls of everyone in every nation. How wonderful to have such a reassuring thought. I pray that today, someone new finds your Word, hears your story, and comes into a relationship with you. As active Christians, we are fully capable of many wonderful things, as we each are given abilities. Is it possible to look at your lessons from a new perspective? I believe it is; anything is possible if we discern your will within our lives. Great and wonderful God, bless this congregation, bless this church, and may the actions of our days always reflect our relationship with you. In the name of Christ Jesus, I pray. AMEN.
