The Least of These

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Matthew 25: 31-46

In the early Palestinian days, in places like Nazareth where Jesus grew up, shepherds looked after their sheep and goats together. They were a mixed flock of animals that were cared for all in the same way. They were given the same food, given the same time to wander freely and then at night, the shepherd would separate them. The sheep liked the cool, night air and so they were allowed to roam, but the goats with less covering enjoyed being in a warm place.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that when he comes to earth once more, he, our Shepherd, will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be on his right and the goats on his left. We have heard Jesus tell us in other places that we are a mixed group of people, some who follow God and those who ignore God. The parable of the wheat and the tares comes quickly to mind. But this is the only place in Matthew where Jesus talks about what will happen after we are separated, those on the right and those on the left.

Jesus turns to the sheep and says they have been blessed by God and will be given an inheritance like no other – they will enter the Kingdom of God. Then he turns to those goats and he says that they are cursed and must depart from him and their reward is the eternal fire that God has prepared for the devil and his angels.

God is speaking of serious consequences. This is not something to be shrugged off and put aside to think about for another day. Today is the only day that matters. And TODAY God is telling us something important. There are three things Jesus is trying to teach us in this parable.

The first lesson is about God. Many of us have our own ideas about God and that’s okay. Our Lord is a God of many characteristics. That being said, we must pay close attention to the God that Jesus is always trying to share with us because if anyone knew what God is like it would have to be Jesus who is one with God.

Jesus tells us that God is not a remote being sitting enthroned on heaven as he looks down upon his subjects. Instead, Jesus’ parable tells us that God is here, smack dab in the middle of our lives. God is present in the midst of our family squabbles; God is there in the ER as we wait for news of the birth of our baby or the death of a loved one. God is here when we fight with our spouse and feel completely alone. God is here with us when we fail to meet the demands we make on ourselves and God is with us in the moments of laughter we share around the table, in the moments where we watch our children take their first steps or we teach them to ride a bike. God is here – in the messy, uncomfortable, and ambiguous moments that control our lives.

The second lesson Jesus is teaching us is about religion. Jesus condemns the goats because they did not have compassion on those less fortunate than themselves. He said, “When I was sick, when I was hungry, when I was thirsty, when I was in prison, you helped me”. Many people treat their religious beliefs as an excuse to act and say things against other people. They use their religion as a shield, a barrier, and a crutch. Terrible things are done in the name of God. This happens in every religion, and it has happened in Christianity quite a bit.

We pretend that it is only Muslims who have a radical side group to their religion. We ignore people like Anders Breivik, who terrorized and killed 78 people, most of them being children. There were some who could not believe a Christian could do such a thing, so even though Anders professed to be a Christian, people like Bill O’Reilly said that anyone believing in Jesus Christ could not possibly mass murder people. The problem with a statement like that is that Jesus is often depicted in different ways and we all seem to celebrate the differences. I heard just recently that 300 million people are Christians in the USA, and as one theologian stated, “And that means there are 300 million different opinions on what it means to be a Christian”.

I agree with O’Reilly that the Jesus I know and love would never condone killing 78 people. But I also acknowledge there are people out there that can justify taking a life in the name of Jesus Christ just as there are Muslims who justify killing a person in the name of Allah. They pervert their religion to suit their own needs. And sadly, we all do it.

How often do we hear of churches being split down the middle over beliefs, ideals and doctrines? There are so many different denominations, created because of differences in opinions on things that Jesus never once bothered to speak about. He did however say this: “When you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me”. Not one word is spent on theology, creeds, orthodoxies, or religious practices. There is only one condition and that is whether or not you saw Jesus Christ in the face of the needy and whether or not you helped them with all the love you have inside of yourself.

The third lesson Jesus imparts to us in this passage is more personal. God does not only want a world that follows Jesus’ teachings, God wants us. God wants to save our souls and redeem us and give us the gift of life – true, deep, authentic human life.

But the only way we will receive such a gift is to acknowledge that Jesus did not care all that much about religion. Jesus does not care if we baptize children or adults. Jesus does not care if we have Communion by intinction or distributed throughout the pews. Jesus does not care if you are black, white or purple with yellow stripes. Jesus does not care if you are a sinner, a saint, or somewhere in between. He cared about saving us all. The tall ones, the short ones, the fat ones, the skinny ones, the rich, the poor, the never-do-wells and the impossibly successful. He wants all of us to be sheep that will enter the gate of heaven rather than the goats that will be thrown into the fires of hell with Satan.

When Jesus tells us he wants us to help others he is not looking for calculated actions that are designed to earn our way to heaven. This is not a casino game where if we double down at the right moment we will win our way into salvation. The grace of God is not an object earned. It is not possible to manipulate or coerce our way into heaven. There is no ten year plan that says, “This year I will tithe 10% and next year I will help out at the local shelter, and the year after I will raise money for cancer and that’s how I will get into heaven”.

God is not looking for machinations or deliberate kindness. We must never forget that God knows us as no one else can or will – God knows our true heart. The face we hide from the world. God is looking for pureness in our intentions, a true willingness to give. Loving those for whom Jesus gave his life, especially those people society has forgotten or deliberately ignored is the best expression of our love of God.

God wants us to be willing servants and that is why Jesus told this parable - so that the words will sink deep into our hearts and create a RESPONSE. God wants to save us from obsessing about ourselves and our own needs by persuading us to forget about ourselves and worry about others. That is God’s favorite project: to teach you and me the fundamental lesson, the secret, the truth – that to love is to live.

Amen.