I was honored to be asked to preach at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago Heights on the Sunday they dedicated their Thank Offering from their Presbyterian Women. They always as a seminary student or a recent graduate to bring the word for that day. I was asked to preach on Matthew 25:34-40 (NRSV), the sheepful portion of The Last Judgement.
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; 35for 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, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. ’37Then 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? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And 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.’
Our gospel lesson this morning is part of a larger narrative in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells us what judgment will look like. The first story of the narrative is of the ten bridesmaids, how to watch, wait and be prepared for the coming kingdom. The second story tells the tale of the talents, which explores how much risk are we willing to take in order to care for and use the gifts we have been given in service to others as we prepare for the return of our master. Today’s passage looks at how judgment will happen: how people will be divided into those who behaved and those who didn’t. It kind of reminds me of Santa’s good little boys and girls list. Everyone else gets coal.
Our passage for today, however, looks only at the sheep – the good ones, the ones who follow the leadership, explicit or implied, of their shepherd. The goats are left to fend for themselves, as they will anyway, at the end of the passage. Interestingly, this passage says nothing about faith, belief, or salvation. It’s not about how we earn salvation – because we can’t – our salvation rests in our belief and in our faith. That is what makes us righteous before God. If “inheriting the kingdom” isn’t about salvation, what is it about?
Well, let’s be clear. First of all, we’re not earning, or working for, or intentionally buying into the Kingdom. We’re being given the kingdom. We’re inheriting it. We’re receiving it. Secondly, the one who gives it, who bestows it is the one making the decision. Not us. And third, the kingdom of God is here and now, it has been here since the foundation of the world and it is a work in progress.
And there’s nothing inherently religious or spiritual in what our sheep are doing. Faith isn’t required; belief isn’t required. Basic good behavior and a concern for others is. Jesus gives it to us straight up in Matthew 7, vs. 12 when he says, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” This is the golden rule.
We’ve known this rule all our lives. This isn’t a new rule, a new request – it’s ancient, in fact. It isn’t even inherently Christian. Ancient Egyptians looked at and totted up their good deeds to help them get ahead in the afterlife. In rabbinical midrash of the Jewish tradition, the deceased one boasts of his good deeds and keeps score. In the words of the prophets we are exhorted to care for widows and orphans, to be hospitable to travelers and those in need.
In the period of time leading up to Jesus’ birth, Rabbi Hillel, when challenged by a Gentile to explain the Torah while standing on one leg, responded with “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; go and learn.” Hillel recognized brotherly and sisterly love as the fundamental principle of Jewish moral law.
So if this isn’t new, why does Jesus make a point of it? It may be because it’s something we sometimes take for granted and forget to think about. It may be because Jesus wants us to think a bit differently about sin: the sins that we know we do and the sins that just slip in and out of our lives.
Or, and this is really what intrigues me about this passage, maybe Jesus is not just encouraging us to follow the golden rule but to follow it in a deeper way.
I have a sneaking suspicion that most bible scholars, along with my seminary professors, will tell me I’m way off base here. But I can’t help but wonder about the words Matthew chose to tell this story. Yes, we are encouraged to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. And all of these aren’t difficult to accomplish. We use agencies and fund their programs, we donate to Purple Heart or the Salvation Army, we donate to the local food pantry, we have community meals, we take meals to those who are sick, we support our mission programs, we visit our members in the hospital and those who are home bound.
But what if we’re being asked to go deeper? I love words and I love this passage because it’s so rich with opportunity, for seeing how words might add depth and insight into a passage we all know pretty well. Every translation is an interpretation so let’s see what might happen if we dig a bit below the surface of the translations we’ve become so familiar with and tease it apart just a bit.
The word Matthew uses for being hungry also has a sense of need about it, a deep yearning for something, and the word for thirst speaks not just to wanting a drink of water, but of wanting something more in a spiritual sense. Hospitality, being welcoming, is more than just having folks over for dinner or a cocktail party. It’s opening your heart and your home to them. The word used for welcoming is from the same word that has come to mean synagogue – it’s a community, an assembly, a gathering; it becomes a place where healing and reconciliation can take place.
When Jesus talks about nakedness, there is not just the sense of being bare physically, but also being spiritually naked, without defenses. In clothing someone, that word also has a sense of throwing something around or building protection around someone or something. It requires action of us.
To be sick could also have the sense of having a disability or being in poverty about it. What is translated as visiting also has a sense of looking after, of care being given, of acting on behalf of someone.
Does this change what you hear, what you see, when you hear these verses?
Empowerment is the key, I think. In doing things for others, we don’t want to create co-dependent relationships which keep us and those we’re helping in a kind of bondage one to another. We want to listen; we want to hear; we want to support and encourage; we want to teach; we want to bring healing and reconciliation. We want to provide tools, not do it all the work for them.
I see empowerment when I read these verses. I see people extending themselves, not just in good deeds, but in fully, deeply, human ways. Caring for others comes easily to many of us, maybe even unconsciously such that compassion is something we live into, not something we do. It is a part of us. And this might be why the sheep are surprised and say, “When did we do these things!? We don’t remember doing any of this!”
Brian Stoffgren, a bible commentator, says that most of us experience this kind of surprise. It happens when someone comes up to us and says, “What you did for me sure helped me a lot.” Or “What you said to me had a powerful influence on my life.” When they say these things, we’re left wondering, trying to remember what we said, or did, that was so great. Often we don’t even know what good we are doing – and only later discover that we have served Christ in the least of these.
We are called to do lots of good works, says Brian. We are also called not to keep score.
Be engaged. Be loving. Be compassionate. And always be open and willing to be surprised. You might find you’ve made a goat into a sheep!
Loving God, your son reminds us of our obligation to each other. May your spirit always guide us, let us help and never hurt as we move through this life. Let us reach out, at all times in compassion, with open hearts and open arms. May we share our strength, our wisdom, and our blessings with others; let us protect, build up, heal, and reconcile, without ever keeping score, for we are all your children, now and forever. We ask this in the strong name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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