(Matthew 25:31-46 NRSV) "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne
We Would See Jesus
Polk City UMC
November 24, 2002
Mark Haverland
 
 
Matthew 25:31-46:  "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. {32} 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, {33} and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. {34} Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; {35} 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, {36} 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.' {37} 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? {38} And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? {39} And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' {40} And the king will answer them, '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.' {41} Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; {42} for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, {43} I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' {44} Then they also will answer, '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?' {45} 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.' {46} And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

 


Methodists have always quietly thought that it is possible to have too much religion, too much piety, too much worship.  We don’t go in for a second worship service on Sunday evening.  We don’t ask people to come back on Wednesday evening for an additional prayer service.  We don’t engage in excessive acts of piety in worship.  We don’t get carried away with emotion during sermons.  Oh, there are attempts from time to time to get us to be more “spiritual” in our worship and prayer life, but in the background is a sense that God actually wants something more from us than an active prayer life and the ability to shout “praise the Lord” a lot.

 

Methodists think this way because we take Matthew 25:31-46 to be the last word in religious obligation.  Today is the last day in the church year.  Next Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent when the church year begins.  So we have been building for 51 weeks toward this final word of instruction.  What is it, exactly, that the Lord requires of us?  Well, now we know and it’s not very “churchy.”

 

There has been a drum beat preparing us for this message.  Today marks the third Sundays in a row we have been bombarded with the day of judgment.  First, the bridesmaids were left out in the cold because they weren’t prepared.  Then the cautious, timid servant afraid to make much of his meager talent is cast into the outer darkness.  This time the sheep and the goats are separated, with drastic consequences for the goats.  The gospel writer uses this language about the final judgment to make his point that this is really important.  This is really, really important.  There will be a test on this one, he says.  And you better get it right. For on this Day of Judgment, there will be little mercy for those who didn’t do what they should have done.  This is a disappointment, by the way, at least for me.  I had been hoping for a little slack.  I had hoped that the day of judgment would be like the 18 minute gap in the Nixon tapes.  Some of us remember when Richard Nixon was president and we discovered that he had taped most conversations that took place in the Oval Office.  One particularly incriminating conversation had a convenient 18 minute gap in the tape where silence erased what many suspected was a smoking gun proving the President guilty of obstructing justice.  The gap let President Nixon off the hook, at least for a while.  I’m hoping that when I have to face my day of judgment there will be a similar gap in the tape, erasing some spots which could prove troublesome. 

 

The scriptures for the past few weeks seem to say that I may be overly optimistic here.  The judgment language in this passage means that there are a few things that we really have to do.  The judgment context for this message tells us that it really, really matters.  We can’t skip over these obligations and get by.  If we try, God will decode the gap in our tape and throw us out with the goats.

 

So what is it we have to do?  It’s simple: We have to help the poor.  We have no choice.  In fact, that is about all we have to do.  The only test at the heavenly gates will be whether or not we have fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked.  That’s it.  We don’t have to go to church, sing in the choir, pledge to the building campaign, serve on the Trustees, volunteer to bring refreshments.  We don’t have to accept Jesus into our hearts, understand what communion is all about, believe in the virgin birth, oppose abortion, obey the Pope, kiss a snake or vote Republican.  None of this matters.  What matters is whether we recognize Jesus in the face of a poor beggar and give him a drink of water.  I heard someone referred to the other day as someone who was “home churched.”  He was a kind, generous soul, always ready and willing to lend a hand, but he only came to church when his wife preached or his kids sang.  Well, Jesus says that’s okay – if you help the poor.  You’ve got to help the poor.  No excuses.  No passes.  Go straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect your $100.  Kids sometimes whine, “Do I have to?”  Well, this is one of those things that you just have to do.

 

Of course, it’s not always so simple.  In the first century, it may have been that simple, but we have a more sophisticated understanding of these things nowadays.  Isn’t it better, we ask, to teach someone to fish, rather than just give him a fish?  Have we really helped if we just hand a few coins to the beggars in the street?  Many Christians throughout history have understood it this way.  Giving alms earned salvation, we have preached.  During the middle ages many Christian monks begged for food and money as a way to allow others to earn their salvation.  Nowadays, however, we know that no one is saved by just helping someone through the day.  We want to help the poor get through life.  Have you noticed the articles in the paper and on TV about the beggars along the highways with signs asking for help, for work, for food?  The experts tell us that most of these people are scamming us.  There is no need to give them food or money, since there are plenty of places for them to get assistance.  It is better to teach someone to fish than simply to give them a fish.  It’s better to steer them to a shelter where they can get counseling and a safe environment than place a dollar in their hands.  There is no reason to give money to a beggar in Des Moines for food.  There is a free meal every day somewhere.  In fact, we serve one of those meals once a month.  The confirmation class will get to participate in a couple of these meals this year as well.  We also do a pretty good job with the food pantry, which also feeds the poor.  The quarters in the plate each Sunday get recycled as food, clothing, and housing for the poor in our community.  The UMW is doing a Christmas gift for a family in Des Moines. 

 

We Methodists do all these things because of Matthew 25.  It’s what we do. It’s who we are.  When I asked Mark Schwallenburg and Brian Host once about their congregations’ contributions to the food pantry, hoping to brag a bit about our efforts, they said they didn’t contribute at all.  I was stunned.  They have some pathetic little effort once in a while, but for them all the other stuff: doctrine, prayer, praise, piety, even politics are more important.  We’ve contributed $2244.89 already this year.  And we’re not done.   We do this because this is what matters to people of faith.

 

I visited an adult day care center in Cedar Rapids this past week.  Milestones was created with the conviction that it is always possible to optimize someone’s life.  Even the very old and infirm, even the demented patient can be encouraged to respond in some small yet human way.  I met Jerry, for instance.  He had been about to be placed into a nursing home where life would have gradually seeped away physically and spiritually, when the family and physicians decided to send him to Milestones each day instead.  Five years later, he was out in the flower gardens on a cold November day raking the dead leaves and plants.  Under his care, the gardens at Milestones have become a marvelous source of pride and beauty.  Jerry could barely stand without his walker, unless he was leaning on a rake.  He couldn’t stand up straight and frequently he just had to sit down in the dirt to rest.  But his life was enriched, optimized, by the efforts of an imaginative, progressive and risk taking staff.  I don’t know if they are church people or not, but they live out Matthew 25 and that is good enough for Jesus.  In fact, all who gave money, paid taxes, worked on the planning and staff the operations are sheep at the right hand of God, even if they don’t know it.

 

According to the parable, sheep don’t have to be conscious of seeing Jesus.  The sheep and the goats were equally confused about who the poor really are.  But somehow the sheep sense something important in the face of those who need help.  We who follow Christ believe that Jesus is inside every person.   When you pull away from someone, you pull away from Jesus.  Jesus wants us to see him in the faces of the poor.

 

You see, Jesus actually does want more than an occasional Thanksgiving basket for the poor.  He won’t turn it down, of course.  Jesus will celebrate with the family in the fifth floor walk-up apartment who get more food than they’ve ever had on the table all at one time.  He’ll laugh with the five-year-old who asks, “what’s this, mommy?” as she stares at the artichoke hearts in the can with no label.  Jesus will give thanks for the turkey, the beans, and the artichoke hearts and the fully lined coat and the blouse like new.  Jesus will give thanks that many people will eat this Thursday who didn’t eat the day before and may not eat the day after.  Jesus will be happy for the Christmas gifts we give our adopted family, the money we give to the food pantry, the meals we serve at the community kitchen

 

But Jesus wants more than our Christmas baskets and more than our willingness to organize a crackerjack adult day center.  He wants more than our work at a habitat house, more than our gifts for a young Latino family.  Jesus wants us to see him in the faces of those we help.  Lord, when did we see you hungry?  When did we see you thirsty or naked or sick or in prison?  Seeing changes us!  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.

 

And that’s what we learn in church – to see Jesus in the faces of those we meet.  We come to church because we know God wants us to see Jesus.  We come to church to learn to see Jesus in the faces of the poor.  No one else tells us that.  Sure, you can be home churched and do all these wonderful things for others, although I find that few people outside of the church really do very much.  AS a result, those of us in the church are lucky because we are reminded all the time of Matthew 25.  We are given opportunities galore to see Jesus in the faces of those in need.  Those of us in the church find it much easier to pass the test at the end of the course.  So, although you don’t have to come to church to be one of the sheep favored by God, it helps, a lot.  We Methodists, at least, spend a lot of effort trying to see Jesus in the faces of those in need.  And if Matthew is correct, we will one day be very grateful.