Gospel text for Sunday 22 November 2020

 

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, “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. 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; 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?’ 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.’ 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; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 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.’ 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?’ 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.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflection        Sheep or Goat? What do you get when you breed a sheep with a goat? According to wikipedia, a geep or a shoat, but this hybrid rarely survives birth because of the genetic difference between them. Which brings us back to the question, sheep or goat?

I can see myself as both. This week a woman I will call Lisa came to the church asking for assistance with her rent. She gave me the information needed to pay her landlord and I felt good that we could help her. But when she immediately asked me for a gas card, I felt miffed, partially at her but mostly at myself because I had given away the last three gas cards the week before and had not yet replenished the supply. Still, I invited her to come back to the church the next afternoon for a gas card and she left. As it turned out Lisa’s landlord would not accept the discretionary account credit card, only a cashier’s check. My feelings of benevolence were fast fading. Driving to the bank to procure a cashier’s check was rather like navigating the fields of outer darkness, where I was grinding my teeth and grumbling

By grace there was no line inside the bank. While a kind teller printed the check, the sheep Debra had a talk with the goat Debra. “So, you are feeling inconvenienced. Did not want to drive to the bank this morning. Certainly did not want to go to Frys to purchase gas cards. Hummm. Imagine how inconvenient it would be if you could not pay your rent or put gas in your car. Imagine how you would feel if you had to ask a stranger for help.” The teller returned and offered me a blessing, “There will be no fee for the certified check.” Smiling I left the bank and went to Frys and purchased gas cards.  Now the sun shone through the windshield as I drove back to church. Peace was restored to my soul and I experienced the joy of being blessed to be a blessing. Sheep or goat? There is no geep or shoat.

Earlier in Matthew’s gospel we listen to Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mountain (Matt 5.3-11) teaching the ethics of God’s kingdom. In summary, we the people of God are meant to be pure in heart, merciful and peacemakers. We are meant to offer comfort and care to the poor, the meek and the mourning, even at the expense of being misunderstood or persecuted. Jesus proceeds to interpret the Law of Moses in what we call the six antithesis (Matt 5.21-48). Jesus is saying. Moses’ law is good but it does not go far enough. Do not murder and do not even express hatred or malice. Do not be sexually immoral or break any commitments, be truthful and have integrity in all things.

Throughout Matthew’s text we receive instructions on how to live as Jewish Christians, not only in obedience to Jewish law but also in imitation of Jesus’ exemplary mercy. With today’s gospel text we arrive at the moment  of reckoning. How are we doing?  Matthew’s text is the only gospel that describes this disturbing judgment scene where we find ourselves directed to either the right or the left hand of God.

This I believe is the mystery and hope in the pericope. You see, whether we are sheep or goats we are still held in the hand of God because God is the shepherd. We all belong to God. But in order to fully participate in the joy of God’s kingdom we must not only receive God’s blessing, we must allow God’s blessing to flow through our hands. The way we do this is by following the Mosaic law and living in imitation of Jesus whose life and ministry is all about connecting and caring for all people, especially the marginalized. 

We are blessed to be a blessing. There really is no gray zone between  feeding the hungry, dropping off water for the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the prisoner; in other words, being sheep. Or being goats and hesitating to hand the hungry five dollars, reluctant to leave water for the thirsty, turning away the stranger, shrinking from the naked, shirking the sick and shunning the prisoner. No geep, no shoat.

Every hour of every day we have the opportunity to choose how we live. Do we choose to live in accord with the ethics of God’s kingdom and experience the joy of God’s blessing right here, right now on earth? or do we choose to withhold comfort, care and connection and naturally experience the misery of being dismembered from God’s kingdom?  Every hour of every day we choose. Shall I be a goat or a sheep? Our choice determines our experience of being cursed or blessed.

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Gospel text for Sunday 11 December 2016

Matthew 11:2-11        When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Reflection     In lock-step with the law and the prophets of his Jewish tradition, John is looking for a king in the line of David to exercise power over all people, to enforce the Jewish law and establish a consolidated political-religious state. It is no wonder he sent his disciples to question Jesus, “Are you the one who is coming or are we to wait for another?” There is every chance that John heard about “all the things” that Jesus was doing; giving sight to the blind, restoring the lame to walk, cleansing the lepers, healing the deaf, raising the dead, and bringing good news to the poor… (Matt 4.25) Not the expected list of skills and accomplishments for a messiah king.

John must have heard about the mind-bending sermon Jesus preached to large crowds on the Mountain proclaiming the poor and the hungry are blessed, the meek who understand their place in God’s kingdom are happy and those who are just and sincere are satisfied. (Matt 5.1-11)  And surely John heard what  Jesus said about the Jewish law, “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill…” (Matt 5.17) But (and this is a large ‘but’), “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (that would be the religious folk) you will never enter” God’s kingdom. (Matt 5.20) What? Are not the religious leaders guaranteed a fast pass to the kingdom? 

The Messiah of what became the Christian tradition did not come to fulfill the letter of Jewish law. The Christian Messiah Jesus came to reform the Jewish tradition by fulfilling the Spirit of the law. “You have heard it said, you shall not murder…but I say to you if you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to judgement…” (Matt5.21-22) “You have heard it said, an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say… give to anyone who begs from you…” (Matt 5. 38,42) “You have heard it said that 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.” (Matt 5.43-44)

From the point of view of John and the religious Jews of his time, Jesus does not fit the messiah’s job description.  Where he should be paying attention to giving a proper “tithe of mint, dill and cumin,” Jesus is concerned with matters of “justice, mercy and faith.” (Matt 23) He even dares to turn the finger of judgment toward the religious leaders, calling them  hypocrites, “For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside (you) are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matt 23. 25)

Clearly John is perplexed by the antithetical position pronounced by Jesus. The one whom John baptized in the river Jordan, the one whose sandals John was not worthy to tie, the one upon whom the Spirit of God descended, the “one who is to come” and bring the “kingdom of heaven near” turns out to be the unorthodox dissident, Jesus. How could this be the one John is looking for?

Which begs the question, what are we looking for? What are we hoping against hope will arise in the wilderness of our lives? This Advent season are we preparing our hearts to receive a feudal King legislating power from the top of a pyramid? Or are we allowing our hearts to be transformed and give birth to the Spirit of the living God, full of “justice, mercy and faith?”

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