Matthew 25c

 If I had to pick the scariest scene in the Bible, it would not be from the Book of Revelation or from Daniel. It would be this parable. Actually, this is not just a parable. It is a prophecy that Jesus utters that has a parable within it. That way, whoever hears the prophecy can visualize what Jesus is talking about. Jesus tells a story about his return and the establishment of God’s kingdom. The frightening part is the criteria for judgment about who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. 

25: 31-33.  “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. 

 This opening scene is similar to several passages in the Old Testament. Here is an account in the Book of Daniel of a vision that occurred just after his telling of the pretentious little horn speaking blasphemous things. I quote the King James Version which uses the ‘Son of man’ phrase. 

 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7: 13-14).

 There are a number of terms and phrases here that are source material for Jesus’ prophecy. The ‘Son of man’ comes before the ‘Ancient of Days’, which is another term for God. God gives him authority over a kingdom, and all peoples (the ‘nations’ and ‘languages’ are there to show everyone is included) should be his subjects. This kingdom never ends.    

 The reference to the Son of Man separating people like a shepherd separates sheep and goats harks back to Moses and David, both of whom were shepherds. In addition, God himself is often depicted in the Old Testament as a shepherd and his flock of sheep is all who follow him (remember the 23rd Psalm: “The LORD is my shepherd”).

 Many people thoughtlessly say: “I hope Jesus comes soon.” Their expectation is that it will be a good day for them and a bad day for their enemies. Let’s see what an Old Testament prophet says about the coming “Day of the Lord.” 

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light, as if someone fled from a lion and was met by a bear or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall and was bitten by a snake. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?” (Amos 5: 18-20).

 Not what you expected? Neither did the Israelites who heard Amos preach. They thought that they were in, since they collectively were called the ‘chosen people’. However, being part of a category does not mean that everyone in that category passes the final test. Not all freshmen graduate college. A collective category relationship with God did not mean each individual followed the rules. Not everyone who attends church is a true Christian.  

“I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5: 21-24). 

 Some of God’s flock were play-acting as the people of God; that is, they were hypocrites. They were attending the right worship services, they were making the right offerings, they were singing the right songs; but their hearts were not in it. If their hearts had been in it, then during worship they would have offered themselves to God to be changed into better servants. They would have become more spiritually aware persons who would work seeking justice for the oppressed and righteousness in society. God through Amos makes it clear that many of them were doing evil, not good.

 Jesus frames this parable as a familiar scene in the First Century countryside. A shepherd is separating his sheep and goats; they have different values and different destinies. This shepherd is also a king. Throughout his version of the gospel story, we have seen Matthew present Jesus as the Son of David who is wise like David’s son Solomon but greater than Solomon. How much greater? 

 Jesus also calls God ‘My Father’ and receives the Father’s authority to judge human beings. This was predicted in Matthew 16: 27. “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.” Other translations add this phrase: “according to his works” or “according to what he has done.” 

 Now, I know that we are saved by faith and not by works. However, as Jesus tells this apocalyptic parable, he states very clearly that, at the end, the measure of a Christian is he has treated the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. There are no theological questions asked.   

 How can these two ideas be reconciled? At the end of time, the one will reflect the other, or not. If the belief was not real, then there will be no works. If the faith was real, then, by that time faith will have produced works and the works will be the fruit of saving faith. So, it is not a problem when Jesus says: “By their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7: 16).

This is what James means when he says, 

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2: 14-17).       

25: 34-39.  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, 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?’ 

 In First Century Jewish culture, being on the right hand was a good thing, but being on the left hand; not so much. Notice the way Jesus reveals positions and relationships. The Son of Man is the King who sits on a throne and, since he referred to God as ‘My Father’, he is also the Son of God who judges people. The Father is a father because he has a Son; and the Son is a son because he has a Father. Each affirms their relationship with the other, and the relationship reveals to us who they are. Such is the inner dynamics of the Trinity. 

 The sheep (true believers) do not have to build the kingdom or pass a test to get in. Instead, they inherit a kingdom already prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Think about that! This plan is bigger than we imagined. 

 Those on the king’s right hand are already (notice the tense) blessed by the Father. Remember the Beatitudes, all of which began with “Blessed are you when….”  There is no secret code or password we have to know at the end. Notice that the position of the sheep as heirs depends on their obedience to God’s ways. The Christian life is a journey with Jesus  who, through the Holy Spirit, disciples us along the way. Disciples learn certain behaviors that eventually become ‘second nature’ to them. As Jesus said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’” (Matthew 6:3). Discipleship is not checking off a list of the right things to do. Disciples subconsciously put into practice what they learn.

 Where did these standards for judging come from? Actually, they are all over the Old Testament, particularly in the books of the prophets. Hear what God said through the prophet Isaiah.

 “Look, you serve your own interests on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. … Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. … Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them. … Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am” (Isaiah 58: 3-9).

 Is it any wonder where Jesus gets his material from?

  Do we have play-acting Christians today? Yes. We have people in high positions claiming that a Christian should love family first and then neighbor second and finally others last. Thus they justify themselves in not providing for the poor, the hungry, the disabled, the outcasts, and the immigrant. That is not what real Christians do. Here is what Jesus himself said about our duties.

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

  The terms ‘tax-collectors’ and ‘gentiles’ in First Century Jewish culture referred to the worst classes of sinners. Hating your enemy and loving only those who love you is what sinners do. You get no credit for doing that. Christians do the opposite; they carry out acts of mercy and justice following God’s lead. It is God who sends sunshine and rain “on the righteous and the unrighteous” alike.

This judgment scene is also described by God speaking through the prophet Ezekiel:

 “For thus says the LORD God: ‘I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. I will rescue them…. I will gather them…. I will feed them…. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice’. As for you, my flock, thus says the LORD God: ‘I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. … I myself will judge between fat sheep and lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide. I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep’. … And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be their prince among them…’” (Ezekiel 34: 11-24).

 Notice what God thinks of bullies who in their greed confiscate the necessities of life, including good jobs, good food, security, and happiness. They become ‘fat sheep’, and fat sheep are ready for the slaughter. 

 By Ezekiel’s time, David was long dead. God is probably speaking about the coming Son of David here. The point is that God has long intended to judge Israel and all the nations by the rules of God’s justice. Here is how that works.

25: 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.’ 

 What ‘brothers and sisters’ is Jesus talking about? Some suggest that he means his followers, that is, Christians; particularly those who are persecuted while spreading the Gospel. Certainly, they are included, but I do not think that is all that the phrase means.

 Jesus has already expanded his sense of family by declaring those who follow God to be his brothers and sisters (Matthew 12: 48-50; see also Luke 8: 21). Jesus’ brother, James, goes further to declare that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom (James 2: 5). It is more likely that here Jesus has in mind those who suffer like he did, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, and the stranger. Remember that Jesus said he had no place to lay his head. Isaiah called him a man of suffering (53: 3).  

 If we have adopted the training we had as disciples, then we do good works daily without thinking any more about it. This means that we act without self-interest and without intention of ultimately helping ourselves.  

 Evil self-interest is the opposite of Christian self-sacrifice. Jesus said, ”No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15: 13). And don’t ask who your ‘friend’ is or Jesus will have to retell the Parable of the Good Samaritan to you. The greedy people, the self-interested, demand a quid pro quo (means ‘this for that’ in Latin). When they get it, they have their reward; they will get no reward in heaven (see Matthew 6: 2, 5, 16).

What Jesus has said so far might put us a little on edge; however, the scariest part comes

next.