Modeling God's Love - Matthew 25:31-46

Introduction/Seeing the Need

Pursuing social justice today isn’t so much about blaming those who cause injustice as it is about helping those who suffer from injustice as it is about helping those who suffer from injustice. The church’s concern for millennials and the millennial’s concern for social justice have given this cause a rebirth, almost as if it has been discovered for the first-time.

We are wise to remember, though, that the church has a long history of helping those in need, a history based on the teachings of Jesus and the practices of the early church. A key biblical basis for this is Jesus’ illustration in of the separation of sheep and goats, the text for today’s lesson.

Jesus’ final week of ministry, the days leading to his crucifixion and resurrection, began with his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This event is recorded in all four Gospels and traditionally is called the Triumphant Entry (). The events beginning with that entry into Jerusalem, known as Passion Week or Holy Week, comprise a disproportional percentage of the material in each Gospel account - about 36 percent of Matthew 37 percent of Mark, 28 percent of Luke, and 44 percent of John.

Matthew ends his discourse on the subject with Jesus’ teaching on the separation of the sheep and the goats. Sometimes this is referred to as a parable, but it is unlike the majority of Jesus’ parables for several reasons. First, it is not referred to as a parable (compare ). Second, it is not framed as being about the “kingdom of heaven,” as are many of Jesus’ parables in Matthew. Third, it is not a made-up story used to illustrate Jesus’ teachings, but is about future events presented in a prophetic and symbolic manner.

Our lesson is from the third section of . The first section is the parable of the 10 virgins, a story about wedding attendants and their preparations (or lack thereof) for a delayed bridegroom. The second section, the parable of the bags of gold, relates how servants have used resources entrusted to them during their master’s absence. The general point of both parables is to be ready, because you don’t know when the bridegroom/master will return (). These lead to the final section, which begins with a picture of the return of the Messiah.

Gathering of Nations -

Matthew 25:31–33 NRSV

“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. 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.

If you had to be an animal during Bible times, it would be preferable not to be a goat. For one reason, there’s that whole scapegoat thing. The scapegoat was the goat over whose head the high priest Aaron confessed the sins of the people of Israel on the Day of Atonement. Then the goat, symbolically bearing their sins, was driven out into the wilderness where it probably became dinner for a hungry lion.

Of course, one might argue, being the sheep could be equally as dangerous. A sheep, after giving up its wool, often appeared on the dinner table, in the stew or on the altar as a sacrifice. That said, goats in the Bible clearly are not viewed as sympathetically as sheep. In the passage from Matthew’s Gospel about the final judgement, Jesus speaks of separating sheep from goats, and it’s clear that the goats are the losers in the sorting.

The audience for the judge is all the nations, an inclusive, worldwide term that indicates much more than the nation of Israel. This is judgment of all humanity. This scene does not depict individual trials with evidence and attorneys. Rather, the mass of people is divided into two groups. Jesus likens this to a shepherd separating his mixed flock into two groups based on species. Sheep and goats might be herded together for grazing, but they are of different value to the shepherd. Both animals may be slaughtered for meat, but the other products of goats are milk and cheese, whereas sheep provide wool.

We should not be drawn into this analogy too far, however. These are not animals but people (all the nations) and the Son of Man (the shepherd) is their judge. As Jesus went on with his discourse, it quickly became evident that he was not actually talking about animals. He was using sheep and goats as an analogy for humankind, which are likewise sorted into two groups at the final judgement - the sheep people on the right and goat people on the left.

Although Jesus introduced the sheep-goat division as a metaphor in , he didn’t mention the animals again. And while verse 32 speaks of nations being separated, the underlying Greek shows that the judgment is not upon the nations themselves but on the people of the nations.

A striking thing from this account is that unlike sheep and goats, those who have loved their neighbor and those who have not can only be ultimately distinguished by the “Human One”, also translated as “Son of Man”, a term Jesus often used to refer to himself.

What do you have yet to do in order to be ready for the return of Christ the King? If the King were to return today, how would he evaluate your faith?

Sheep on the Right -

Matthew 25:34–40 NRSV

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 naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of 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.’

The sheep/goats analogy is dropped when the judge renders his verdicts. He is not just a judge, though, but the King. Kings in the ancient world are more than heads of state or military commanders. They are lawgivers and judges for their people, reigning and rendering judgments. The dual roles are often attributed to the Lord, the ultimate king and judge.

The first verdict is given to those on his right, the sheep of the analogy. They are invited to come and claim the kingdom which has been prepared for them as an inheritance. This is an invitation to enter Heaven, for their kingdom has been ready since the creation of the world, an allusion to the truth of .

The king gives the basis for this favorable verdict, and it is unlike anything we would hear in a law court today. He does not cite statutes or legal precedent, but speaks in personal terms. Those the kings invites to share Heaven receive this judgment because of the way they have acted toward him. This judge lists six areas in which they have acted correctly: helping people with lack of food, lack of water, lack of housing, lack of clothes, lack of health care, and lack of visitation in prison. All of these are easy for us to understand except the last one: visiting prisoners.

All six kindnesses are acts of justice. In a basic sense, righteousness is doing the right thing, as well as not being guilty of doing the wrong thing. Justice, a similar concept in the Bible to righteousness, is wanting to see the right thing done for other people.

The key to understanding this is to remember that true justice is seeing the right thing done for others from God’s perspective, which is not necessarily identical to our own perspective. When we do things to relieve human suffering, we are doing God’s work. We are doing justice. This is social justice, one person at a time.

In verse 37, this blessed group, the righteous, who are offered the riches of Heaven, are incredulous at the king’s response. Something does not make sense to them. They don’t recall ever serving the king in this way. When did they relieve his hunger or thirst?

When did they provide housing for the king? When did they bring clothes to cover him?When was the king sick and needed a friend to nurse him to health? When did they ever make a visit to the prison to provide for the needs of the imprisoned king? The last question is the most fantastic of all. Who has ever heard of a king in a prison, reigning from his cell? Obviously, something else is behind the judging words of the king.

What methodology should our church use in prioritizing its resources for local ministries of benevolence? Which needs are best met by cooperating with secular agencies and/or other churches? Why?

The King solves the mystery quickly by identifying the precise objects of the acts of righteousness for the blessed ones. They have been kind to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, and the king considers such benevolence to be a service to him personally. This judge, who might never need food, water, shelter, clothes, medical care, or prison visitation, has a heart of compassion for the unfortunate people who need such help.

We should not understand this to imply that the “sheep” have earned their blessing and salvation. Salvation cannot be earned. And even if it could, the acts have been done unwittingly, without intent to curry favor with the king. These kindnesses have been motivated by hearts of kindness, hearts in tune with the kings own heart.

Thinking of time when you relieved, or attempted to relieve, the suffering of another, what did you learn from that experience for future application? In what ways do you anticipate that assisting others will help you grow in your faith?

Goats to the Left -

Matthew 25:41–43 NRSV

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.’

In Jesus’ world, to be positioned on the right hand of the king is the most favored position. To be on his left is less favored, and this is certainly true here. The judge now addresses the goats, who have been gathered there. The king-judge’s verdict to the goat group starkly contrasts his message to the sheep group. They are not blessed, but cursed. They are not invited to enter the kingdom, but commanded to depart. Their destination is not an inheritance waiting for them from the foundation of the world, but eternal fire. This is a place specially prepared for the devil and his angels.

The cursed group have failed in all six areas of compassion listed as part of the first verdict: hunger, thirst, housing, clothing, sickness, and visitation. The pronouncement just given seems mysterious however, in that the goat group apparently has not heard anything said to those ones on the right a few minutes earlier. As did the righteous ones, those cursed question the king’s assessment. They cannot remember any situation in which they failed to assist the Lord, their judge. When does a king ever need food or water? When does a mighty judge lack in housing and clothing? When does a king fail to have medical care or become imprisoned?

The same standard is cited for the cursed as the king used for the blessed. They are guilty of failing to serve him because of their lack of compassion for one of the least of these. There were plenty of opportunities to help those in need, lots of people who needed assistance. Denial of compassion for people in the community is equivalent to spurning the needs of the judge himself.

What will others see in your life in terms of “sheep” characteristics as a result of today’s lesson? How will you make it happen?

Eternal Destinies -

Matthew 25:46 NRSV

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Again, we should be cautioned to remember that Jesus is not teaching a system in which our works make us righteous or blessed. No one is unfailingly responsive to the needs of others. And no one is so hard-hearted as to never care about others. The point is that God, the ultimate judge, does notice what we do and don’t do. If we want to serve him, we will serve others. This is justice enacted, righteousness at work. The time for so doing is not unlimited: either eternal punishment or eternal life await all humanity.

Conclusion

“Justice delayed is justice denied” is a saying in the legal world. The saying advocates timely decisions by judges. This may be compared with Jesus’ parable in which a corrupt judge keeps putting off rendering a verdict to bring justice to a cheated widow ()

Luke 18:1–8 NRSV

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ”And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Jesus likens this parable to the final judgment in language similar to that of our lesson: “When the Son of Man comes”, final justice will be administered. By God’s plan, then final justice is delayed. Does that mean it is denied? Not at all! This is the message of Jesus in our lesson. We should not worry about our destiny at the final judgment: rather, we should attend to our attitudes in serving the Lord today. Do we truly have the heart of Jesus, the one who had great compassion for the sufferers he encountered? He healed diseases. He fed multitudes.

We enact God’s justice - his righteousness - on a small scale whenever we act compassionately to relieve suffering. This may take many forms. Some Christians may not have the capacity for physical participation in ministries, but they support such efforts financially. Churches can take active roles in acts of compassion for the needy in their community and with international relief organizations.

Doing justice must be motivated from a heart that loves justice (). It must be motivated by the ethic of the Golden Rule: that we would treat others the ways we want to be treated. If we were without food, wouldn’t we welcome a hot meal? If we were without housing, wouldn’t we welcome shelter? Benevolent acts are not self-serving, but gain the heart of the king. We don’t need to wait for his judgments; we can judge ourselves by our actions and inactions now.

Prayer

Father who seeks the broken to offer healing, help us not to waste our sorrows on pointless self-pity but to grow in empathy, courage, patience, and faith, becoming more like Christ daily as we submit to your will, by the power of your Spirit who lives in us. Amen.