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The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King
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Scripture citation(s): Matthew 25:31-46
A Sermon by
The Rev. Canon Carl Turner
on
Matthew 25:31-46
✛
The Gospel on Five Fingers
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At the end of October, celebrations were held all over the world, including Rome, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Reformation began with a protest at the selling of indulgencies to rebuild St Peter’s Basilica in Rome; not only was it thought possible to be saved by doing good works, you could even ‘buy yourself’ out of torment and assure yourself of a place in heaven. Martin Luther proclaimed that the scriptures and not the faith of the church contained all things necessary for salvation which came, ultimately, though grace and not good works.
At first reading, we might think that this parable seems to contradict what Martin Luther proclaimed 500 years ago. Surely Jesus is commending good works here – the sheep get to inherit the kingdom. But the parable is not so much about doing good as much as it is about why we do good and to whom.
Earlier, in Chapter 24, Jesus says “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray.” (Matthew 24:5) This teaching is remarkable in that Jesus describes, very specifically, the kind of good that is done not to others, but to him. “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.”
I am reminded of the conversion of St Martin of Tours – a soldier in the Imperial Roman Guard in the 4th century, who cut his great red imperial cloak in half to give to a poor, cold beggar and who, later that same evening, dreamed of Jesus…wearing half a cloak.
How significant that the righteous are puzzled and perplexed as, indeed was St Martin, “Lord, when did we see you…hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison?” And the answer is even more surprising – it is not “when you did these things you were being like me; it’s the kind of thing that I would have done; you really listened, didn’t you, when I said you should love your neighbor as yourself…” No, says Jesus, “You did it to me.” As Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say, it is ‘the gospel on five fingers’ – “You – did – it – to – me.” Jesus, the King, tells us that he is in our midst – that he is in the poor and the sick and the marginalized. “You – did – it – to – me.” Mother Teresa also said that is why we should try to do everything as beautifully as possible, no matter how small.
Now, a word about sheep and goats. I have met both and I know which I prefer. Goats are unpredictable and unafraid; they also eat anything and everything – very useful but also risky, as I discovered once when I took a bunch of choristers on a camp where they kept goats. In biblical times, shepherds would often keep flocks of goats and sheep together but would regularly separate them, especially at night time. Goats and sheep are similar creatures – in fact, sheer them and you might need to be a farmer to tell them apart. Nevertheless, I kind of like goats because they seem a little more interesting than sheep and, yet, just as useful. Perhaps in this parable, I also see the kind of life that I sometimes prefer to live – I am, sometimes, more ‘goat-like’ than ‘sheep-like’. Goats are head-strong, independent, and can be unruly. Sheep, on the other hand, need each other; they live in community. They have a herding instinct and recognize the master’s voice; no wonder Jesus also told a parable about a lost sheep. Sheep and goats, though similar, are very different and it’s all in their genes. Sheep have 54 chromosomes, Goats have 60; they may look alike and even sound alike, but they are completely different species.
Jesus said, “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray.” Note that the goats are sent to the place prepared for the Devil and his Angels – they are the ones who knew Jesus but worked against him. How can I be attuned to the voice of the Good Shepherd – the one who laid down his life for the sheep?
As Christians, we are called to love and serve the Lord Jesus not just in our worship but by putting that love and service into action: In our homes, our workplaces, our schools or colleges; on the street, as much as at the altar and recognizing those times when we are more like goats than sheep. Let’s put it another way; imagine you have done something wrong – committed a crime – and you are found out, arrested, and brought before the judge. Even the most cold-hearted person would probably accept that they had done wrong. Imagine, though, being arrested and brought before the judge and having to protest your innocence – “But, I have not done anything wrong!” – Only to hear the judge say, “But you missed the opportunity to do good!”
The gospel message today says that the King will sit in judgement and we will be held to account – and not for those things we have done wrong, but for recognizing Jesus and doing good. There will be no room for excuses: “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.’ Now, that doesn’t fit on five fingers; remember, goats have more chromosomes than sheep.
Next Sunday is Advent Sunday and we shall think about the second coming of Christ and the day of judgement. We have a chance to make a difference to our lives now by searching for Jesus in the lives of others. It is part of our baptismal covenant and not an optional extra. Or, as Rowan Williams has said, “Jesus is found in the neighbourhood of human confusion and suffering, defencelessly alongside those in need. If being baptized is being led to where Jesus is, then being baptized is being led towards the chaos and the neediness of a humanity that has forgotten its own destiny.” (From ‘Being Christian.’)
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
