Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 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, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that 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 something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me 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 nothing to drink, 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.’ 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?’ 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.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
This is a hard one, this parable about separating the sheep from the goats. It’s popular because it speaks for itself when Jesus says, “whenever you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me,” that stuff makes for a great inspirational calendar, or bumper sticker, or coffee mug, or whatever. But the rest of it is a different story – that stuff about separating the sheep from the goats, I mean. There was a thread about it on the ELCA clergy page this week with no less than 100 comments from pastors and preachers going back and forth about it what to do with it – again – on this Christ the King Sunday.
That “sheep and goats” stuff, can trigger the fear factor of our faith and makes us wonder about which side of God’s heaven we’ll find ourselves on when the time comes. And wondering about that, we become like kids on the theological playground, wanting to make sure we get picked – sooner rather than later – and that we end up getting picked for the right team. As far as the story goes, that means we want to get picked to play for the Sheep, not left out and left behind, like the Goats.
So, too much of the time this bit from Jesus moves us to worry too much – if not exclusively – about ourselves, about our own souls, about our own eternity, about our own status in the eyes of God. None of us wants to spend eternity as a goat – on the outs – and sent into everlasting punishment, am I right?
But I’m convinced, Jesus means to accomplish just exactly the opposite when he tells us this story. Because he’s Jesus … Christ the King … I’m convinced he means to get us thinking about anyone and everyone ELSE in God’s kingdom, rather than the one staring back at us in the mirror. I don’t think we’re supposed to worry as much about our own eternity as we are called to worry about the suffering of the world around us, right here and right now.
Which reminded me of a song … and a video … by Van Halen … that came out when I was a senior in high school – “way back in the 1900’s,” as my kids like to say. 1992 to be exact. Fair warning, I may not have chosen to show this on the wall in the sanctuary during a regular Sunday morning service, because some of it may seem inappropriate for some folks. But, since we’re online and in our homes, it seems doable. If not, I hope you’ll forgive me.
It’s called “Right Now.” [So much of it seems still applies, as you’ll see. And little bits of it seem even more strangely apropos, if you know/remember that Eddie Van Halen just died in early October.] Anyway, here it is:
(For the record if you ask me, the most controversial, offensive part of that video is the assertion that God kills dogs and grandmothers. I don’t think that’s even remotely true. But that’s another sermon.)
What I remembered – and still like – about that video is the way it makes you think about what’s going on in the world we live in, but that we don’t always notice. Stuff that’s easy to miss, ignore, deny, or pretend away. People, even, that are easy to miss, ignore, deny, or pretend away. And, again, I think that’s the same thing Jesus is calling our attention to in this morning’s Gospel:
“Whenever you did it to one of the least of these – you did it to me.” “Whenever you feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick or the imprisoned you do it to me.” Or not.
This isn’t just about our prospects for eternal life. This is about our potential to be God’s people, right now.
Instead of imagining who’s in and who’s out of the Kingdom when the end of time comes, I think Jesus is inviting us to imagine who’s being included and who’s being left out of the kingdom right here, right now.
Who is it that’s hungry and thirsty? Who is it that feels like a stranger in your town, in your neighborhood, in your classroom, in your congregation? Who is it that’s naked or sick or in prison and needs to be clothed with something like the love of God, the welcome of friend, the hope of salvation, the forgiveness of sins?
I don’t think Jesus is saying “we’d better get to work, or else.” I think Jesus is trying to change our perspective so that we’ll get to work because there’s a new kind of kingdom afoot.
Jesus showed up to jump-start the coming of God’s kingdom in a way that had yet to be seen. Jesus showed up – to die and to be raised – as a sign that God’s forgiveness and love and mercy and new life were for all of creation in a way that creation so easily forgets, too much of the time. Jesus showed up – this Christ, the King – to inaugurate a new era, a new, better way of being, to give us a glimpse of what has already come and to invite us to get in on it – and to get on with it: A kingdom where love rules, right now. Where justice would, could, should prevail, right now. Where hunger and thirst, poverty and nakedness, sinfulness and shame already … right now … don’t belong.
Jesus showed up to open our eyes to what’s going on in the world around us, right now, so that we would get to work doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly, loving one another – even, and especially, the goats! – showing mercy, welcoming the stranger, caring for to the least among us, and more.
Because, when we do, it could change everything – for us, for others, and for the world – right now. And the kingdom will come among us – right now. And Christ, the King, will rule our hearts and our minds and our lives for the sake of the world, right now, when we – and so many others – need it most.
Amen
