Sheep or Goats audio (6MB)
Matt 25:31-45A
Matthew begins his record of Jesus teaching with the Sermon on the Mount, and that sermon finishes with the parable of the houses built on rock or sand, a parable of reward and judgement. And, significantly, Matthew finishes his account of Jesus teaching with this story of the last judgement.
Jesus tells them that when the Son of Man returns in glory he will sit on the throne of his glory and the reason he sits is to judge. There’s a cataclysmic nature to Jesus return. I think we sometimes imagine a scene where people are hanging around for Jesus to call them in to the courthouse. But here the judgement is closely tied to his return. This is reminiscent of the passage in Phil 2 where we read that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he’s Lord. There’s to be a spontaneous response to his return.
All the nations will be gathered before him. No one will escape this judgement. Whatever nationality or religion, whether they’re Jew, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim, they’ll all be there, gathered around the throne with the angels looking on. And he’ll separate them from one another. There’s a strong sense here of the decision being taken out of our hands. We’re now under Jesus authority and he has the power to do with us what he wishes.
And Jesus knows what his people are like, just as a shepherd is able to distinguish easily which of his flock are sheep or goats. He puts one lot on his right hand and the others on his left. Then he pronounces the judgement.
To those on his right he says “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”. I want you to notice two things there. First of all they’re literally those whom the Father has been blessing. Jesus is acting as his Father’s appointed judge and this moment of judgement is the last in a long line of moments when God has poured out his blessing on his people. This may help us to answer the question, that’ll arise later, whether the sheep are Christians or just anyone who’s done good to others.
The second thing to notice is that this judgement of God’s people has literally been being prepared from the foundation of the world. He uses a continuous tense to indicate that God has been preparing his kingdom for this moment since he first planned the creation. There’s nothing last minute about this judgement, especially the reward for those who are faithful.
But then comes the surprising part. The reason they’re on his right hand are that they’ve done these good things for him: “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.” In case you think this is teaching salvation by works, think about the things he mentions. They’re all little things, aren’t they? He doesn’t say I was sick and you healed me; I was I prison and you liberated me. He doesn’t say you left home and became missionaries so others could be saved. No these are just simple acts of human goodness. These aren’t the sorts of acts that’ll get you mentioned in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. The Prime Minister won’t give you a knighthood because you’ve fed someone who was hungry.
Yet these services that Jesus mentions are all critical to human enjoyment of life aren’t they. Food and drink are the basic needs of everyone, though not everyone in our world has easy access to them – not in a healthy form especially. Shelter and clothing are the next level up on the hierarchy of human needs. Again, not everyone in our world has access to those. There’s certainly no equality in our access to those.
Hospitality is one of those Christian virtues that can be greatly underestimated. I imagine even in this congregation which seems so well provided for on the surface, there are some who crave connection with others; who often feel lonely; who long for someone to share their lives with. And of course there are even more significant examples of hospitality: e.g. parents who foster children or people who host foreign students so they have a family to connect with while they’re away from home. Even something like inviting a single friend to come on holidays with you may be an act of hospitality that would be greatly appreciated.
And of course caring for the sick and visiting those who are in prison is an extension of that. I don’t think anyone likes being confined to bed. I mean a day in bed with no-one to bother you might be all right but when it becomes a week or more you get to the point where you’re very pleased to have someone come to visit you. But of course in Jesus day caring for the sick was basically doing what a hospital would do today. In fact it’s been pointed out that at one stage in the history of the early church it was the fact that Christians cared for their pagan neighbours when a plague was running through the city that led to many people being converted.
For those in prison, who are not only confined by prison walls but also socially outcast and shamed it can be a great blessing to them to receive visitors. And notice that in both those cases there’s no natural incentive to visit them. They’re neither useful, nor attractive in most cases. In the ancient world, and to some extent it’s still true in our modern world, they lacked social worth. So that ministry of visiting is truly a ministry that comes from Christ.
Jesus mentions these 6 types of service but I don’t think he means them to be exhaustive or exclusive. There are all sorts of Christian ministry available to us depending on the circumstances of those we come across. Everyone is different and everyone has different needs. But we’re all alike in one respect. Dr Henrietta Mears, the founder of Gospel Light Publications had a basic social rule: “Every person we meet is dying for a drop of love.”
The righteous are surprised by this judgement. They say: “37'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?” They haven’t been aware of any time when they saw Jesus in need like this. But he answers: “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.”
We too might be surprised by Jesus’ answer. Isn’t entry to God’s kingdom by faith alone? Yet here Jesus seems to be giving a different criterion. Is love for others another basis for acceptance before God? Are there those who have never heard the gospel yet have responded with love towards others who will be accepted by Jesus on the judgement day? Paul actually says something like that in Romans 2: “14When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. 15They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them 16on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all. (Romans 2:14-16)
This isn’t to say that their loving actions will make them righteous. Righteousness comes only by the gift of God through Jesus death on the cross. But it may be that he’s suggesting that these people are accepted because they reflect God’s love by their actions the same way we’re accepted because we show faith in Jesus. In fact Jesus says something along those lines at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount: “5:7"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” When Jesus sent out the 70 to preach the gospel he instructed them: 5“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.” (Luke 10:5-6) Again there’s the idea that the response of the household to God’s people determines whether they’ll be accepted by God. It would be interesting to talk to someone who’s worked as a missionary in other parts of the world to see if they’ve seen examples of blessing on those who’ve received them into their homes as ambassadors of Christ. You might like to think some more about that. Maybe discuss it in your small group.
Before we move on to the unrighteous, notice that there’s a certain blithe ignorance on the part of the righteous of any worthiness for this reward. They’ve not actually been aware of doing these good things. I always think there’s a lot to be said for Christians who do good things without thinking about it, without even being aware of it. I think this goes back to what we heard about Christian virtue last year. What we want to do as Christians is to get to the point where we do good things without even thinking about it. There are some Christians who do good works simply because they want the credit for it, who want to be noticed and applauded. I think Jesus said something along the lines of “They’ve already received their reward.” But if our hearts are truly in tune with Jesus, if our minds are trained for faithful service then this sort of loving action will come automatically and we may be surprised when someone mentions it.
Finally notice that Jesus identifies with his brothers and sisters. He says “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” We often talk about the fact that when people look at us they should be seeing Christ in action. What’s done by us is done by Christ. But here it’s the other way around. Jesus says that what’s done to us is done to him.
Perhaps that’s why he’s so harsh towards those on his left: “41You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.” It’s the heartlessness of these people that condemns them. Let’s never be drawn in by the lie that Jesus accepts everyone just as they are. It sounds nice, but it’s nothing like the message that he himself gives us. God is love, but it’s Holy love: love that expects repentance of sin. Jesus is the one who said “33whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33) This isn’t retribution it’s simply justice.
This is a dire warning to us. The sins that he lists here are like the righteousness he mentioned already. They’re all little things. There’s no murder or fraud or lying, no blasphemy or idolatry. In fact it’s mostly inaction, neglect and in little ways. Nor does he weigh up the good things they’ve done, giving to the temple or raising loving children or being a scout group leader or a community representative as though those might outweigh their neglect.
It’s a scary thought isn’t it that to neglect those who are in need might call down God’s anger on us. Our federal politicians might do well to pay attention to this passage, particularly those who claim a Christian faith. But let’s not just think about them. We need to consider our own response to those in need. Do we look around us and do what we can to show God’s love to those who need it? Are we generous in providing aid to the poor both here and in other parts of the world? Do we do it all the time or only at times like Christmas when there are special appeals to give to?
Jesus’ description of the final judgement is a wake-up call for every Christian. Are we sheep or goats? Are we living out God’s love or ignoring the opportunities that come our way.
You know, the church has always seen this passage as the grounds for embarking on social work of various sorts. It’s not surprising when you read a passage like this that the majority of social service charities in the world began as Christian outreach ventures. That’s where the word charity came from – it was the Latin word for love which was used to translate agape, God’s love. Even if now many of these charities are primarily humanistic in their philosophy most of them began in response to this teaching by Jesus. And that gives us the opportunity of sharing in their works of love.
But we don’t need to part of a big charitable organisation to meet Jesus’ expectations of us.
What Jesus expects from us isn’t some heroic example of Christian endeavour. It’s just the simple exercise of loving service to others done as Jesus would, for the sake of the other person not of ourselves.
