SURPRISE!
SURPRISE!
MATTHEW
25.31-46
NOVEMBER
23, 2008
WESLEY
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Douglas
Norris
Surprise!
Surprise! The Scripture lesson for today is full of surprises.
Let’s look at Matthew 25.31-46 in detail.
The
first surprise for many Methodists is that there is judgment! The
Son of Man will sit on his throne, surrounded by angels. All the
nations will be gathered before him, and he will divide people as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be put at
his right hand and receive the reward. The goats will be put at his
left hand and receive punishment. Southpaws and goats get bad press!
Goats get a raw deal. I’ve often wondered why goats are the bad
guys and sheep are the good guys. Tuesday’s news reported that a
herd of sheep was remembered in a will. Each sheep receives $12,000!
The sheep are rewarded!
I
attended a seminar in which Suzanne Bar-Tal, staff archaeologist and
senior lecturer from Archaeological Seminars in Jerusalem, gave two
fascinating lectures on "Jesus the Jew in First Century
Jerusalem." When she was describing Jesus’ life in rural
Galilee, I asked her, "Why are goats discriminated against?"
When we lived in Manteca, there was a goat farm on the edge of town.
Goat milk was shipped all over the area, and greatly appreciated by
people who are allergic to dairy products. When we lived in
Rocksprings, Texas, one summer, the major industry was goats.
Rocksprings is called "The Angora Goat Capital of the World."
So why, I asked Dr. Bar-Tal, does the Bible discriminate against
goats?
She
laughed and told us about sheep and goats. In Jesus’ day, the
indigenous, wild goat was a pain. The goat ate everything in sight,
including the root system of plants. In a few weeks, the goat could
completely, permanently, denude a plot of ground, so that nothing
would ever again grow there. Therefore, the goat was not popular, and
became the symbol of those deserving eternal punishment. Isn’t it
interesting how the goat is a taker; one who takes selfishly,
indulgently, wanting the very last morsel for himself, with no
thought for anyone else, and with no thought for the future. The goat
was concerned only for his stomach, not realizing or caring that
eating the root system would mean starvation in the future for even
the goats. The goat resembles modern takers who want to take and use
all the natural resources for our consumption today. They see nothing
wrong in taking all the oil, taking all the redwoods, not caring for
anyone else, nor the future.
Such
behavior is not tolerated by the Son of Man, by the King who judges.
Takers are not tolerated. Only givers will inherit the kingdom. Only
those who, like sheep, will give the wool from off their backs so
that others may be warm, will be rewarded.
There
will be a great division, a separation. Takers will be separated from
givers and banished. We celebrate two festivals today: Thanksgiving
and the last Sunday before Advent, "Reign of Christ the King."
The lectionary suggestion for today is Matthew 25:31-46, in which
Christ the King separates. Most of us would rather read this familiar
passage, and skip over the part about the Great Division. But,
judgment, whether we like it or not, is a reality. Some will make it
and some won’t. We don’t have to look too far around us to see
examples of folks who are takers and folks who are givers. Judgment
is essentially a division between the givers and the takers.
Surprise!
Surprise! Everyone is judged. "All the nations will be
gathered," said Jesus. The scholars interpret this to mean all
humankind. I often am asked, "What about other religions? What
about those who have never heard of Jesus? What about those who are
perfectly happy with their own religion?" In this passage, Jesus
includes all nations and all religions. The Great Division is
universal, and the criterion used to divide the sheep from the goats
is not religious; the criterion distinguishes between givers and
takers, regardless of their religion. Jesus cut right through all
religions, cut through confessions and professions, cut through
theology and philosophy, cut through liturgy and ritual, cut through
institutions and organizations, cut through pretense and
self-righteousness. Surprise! Surprise!
Another
surprise: Where is Jesus, the king? Where do we find Jesus today?
Jesus said, “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.” Where is Jesus? V. 40,
"As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of
my family, you did it to me.” Jesus is in the hungry who stand in
lines at Sacred Heart. We hope Jesus is here this morning, but we
know Jesus is in the hungry! Jesus is in the strangers, the sick and
imprisoned. Jesus expands the Old Testament ethic where the widows,
orphans, and strangers are to be assisted and treated with respect.
Jesus includes all who are in need. How we treat those in need is how
we treat Jesus. Jesus identifies with the poor, identifies with
those who have no advocate, and are unable to help themselves.
Surprise!
Surprise! Ministering to those in need is advocated by the major
religions, not just Christianity.
From
the Hebrew
Scriptures: “Blessed
is he who considers the poor,
the
Lord delivers him in the day of trouble.” Psalm 41.1
From
Islam:
“They
feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan, and
the
prisoner, for love of Him, saying, ‘we wish for no reward nor
thanks from
you.”
Qur’an 76.8-9
From
Buddhism:
There
are three kinds of persons existing in the
world:
one is like a drought, one who rains locally, and one who pours down
everywhere.
How is a person like a drought? He gives nothing to all alike,
not
giving food or drink, clothing and vehicle, flowers, scents, bed,
lodging and light, neither to recluses and Brahmins to wretched and
needy beggars. In this way, a person is like a drought.
How
is a person like a local rainfall? He is a giver to some, but to
others
gives not.
How
does a person rain down everywhere? He gives to all, be they
recluses
and Brahmins or wretched, needy beggars, he is a giver of food
and
drink, clothing…lodging and lights. In this way a person rains down
everywhere.”
Christianity
is not the only religion called to minister to those in need Our
church is also actively engaged in feeding the hungry, ministering to
those in need. We prepare meals for the shelters, and volunteer at
Sacred Heart. Yesterday, 27 from our church packed hundreds of food
boxes at Sacred Heart. Harvey Mayeda and Darryl Noda are engaged in
prison ministry. They go once a week to the prison. We contribute
food and clothing to Sacred Heart and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
But, isn’t it scandalous that the rich land of America, where the
rich continually get richer, cannot feed and house its people. It’s
a scandal. Let us pray and work for the day when everyone has food,
housing, and opportunities for life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. We must move from hand-outs to giving a hand, not doing
for, but doing with. Feed the hungry, yes; but let’s build a
society where everyone feeds themselves and lives in their own home.
Surprise!
Surprise! Ministering to human need is not done out of our own
strength. V. 34, “Then the king will say, ‘Come, you that are
blessed by my Father.’” The passage implies a relationship with
God. We respond to human need not in our own strength or ability.
We respond because we have been blessed, because we have experienced
the grace of God, the mercy of Jesus, and are powered by the Holy
Spirit to minister to Jesus through those in need. It is God’s
initiative and blessing that turns us into givers.
We
begin life as takers. Infants are helpless, completely dependent on
mother. They are takers. Gradually they learn to be givers, but
some never make it past the taker stage. As adults, they remain
selfish and self-centered. When toddlers begin to share, give a
picture they have drawn, when they want to help set the table,
encourage them to become givers. Givers are in relationship with
God. The relationship is called salvation or redemption. To say “I
am saved, I belong to Jesus” is evidenced by becoming a giver. If
the words of faith are not evidenced in giving, words are worthless.
Jesus is emphatic! He said, Matthew 7.21, “Not everyone who says
to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but only
the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
Furthermore,
25.34, “Inherit the kingdom”, says the King. We inherit the
kingdom. We don’t earn it or deserve it. The kingdom is given to
the sheep.
Surprise!
Surprise! The opposite of kingdom is eternal punishment. This is
figurative language. Tradition says hell is eternal fire, but in the
preceding parable, Matthew 25.30, Jesus used the phrase, “outer
darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” A
preacher preached about the gnashing of teeth in hell. A toothless
old lady in the front pew interrupted him and asked, “What if you
have no teeth?” Without missing a beat, the preacher responded,
“They will be provided!” Outer darkness and eternal fire are
incompatible, they are not the same. We do not take them literally.
This is figurative language. The kingdom is also figurative language.
The kingdom is not a place, but a relationship with Jesus where we
welcome God to rule, where we accept the rule of God in our lives.
Eternal punishment, eternal fire, outer darkness is figurative
language for the absence of a relationship. The key sentence is v.
25.41, “Depart from me.” Hell is the absence of a relationship.
Hell is living outside the grace, outside the rule of God. Both the
kingdom and eternal punishment are present realities as well as
future.
Last
Sunday, a worshiper told me his father recently died and while his
mother grieves, she received a phone call from a supposed Bank of
America investigator who wanted her assistance. After giving the
scammers $20,000, she realized she had been taken advantage of. The
takers evidently used the obituary to get her name and circumstance.
Takers like that convince me there is a hell! They deserve etrnal
punishment. After the 8:30 service this morning, a worshiper told me
that while she was visiting her mother, she noticed her mother was at
the computer.
Her mother asked, “Why does AOL want my bank routing number?”
She had already typed in her credit card and social security numbers!
Her daughter quickly deleted the page! AOL doesn't ask for such
information. Be alert and beware. If you live alone, and receive
telephone calls or emails requesting your participation, never give
money or credit card or Social Security numbers. Consult with your
family, or respected friends, before responding to any requests or
offers. There are cruel takers out there!
There are takers who
take not only money, but people’s lives. The Civil War did not end
slavery. Slavery is alive and flourishing. Women, especially from
Korea and Thailand, are imported and enslaved in sex rings, domestic
service, and marriages. On December 7 we will have a program on
human trafficking, and a presentation on human trafficking on January
14.
Immigrant laborers
pay brokers to get them to the U.S., only to find they must work as
slaves to pay more money to the brokers. Slave laborers also work in
other countries in abysmal surroundings, 12-14 hour days, paid next
to nothing to produce goods which we then purchase. We support slave
labor. Do you realize we are probably wearing clothes produced by
children!
Tom
Harkin, US senator from Iowa, sponsor of legislation, wrote,
“During my three decades in the
U.S. Congress, I have witnessed firsthand the horrors of abusive
child labor in many countries. Once you see children toiling in
fields and factories, children who are beaten and starved, children
who live without love or even basic care, you can't help but be
passionately committed to ending this scourge.” An action we can
take is to research companies. Perhaps our Missions/Social Concerns
Committee could research and publicize to us the companies who use
child and slave laborers. Would you pay a little more for a shirt or
buy one made by a child? Stop buying from those companies, and let
the companies know you no longer are a customer. Stop the takers who
exploit Jesus by exploiting the least of these who are members of
Jesus' family.
The
king is intolerant of goats who take, intolerant of those who support
takers in their taking. How we respond to human need is how we
respond to Jesus. In the Great Division, the takers will be separated
from the givers. To the givers, the king will say, "Inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." To
the takers, the king will say, "Depart from me.” Which are
you, a giver or a taker?
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