LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Wednesday, March 9

The Judgment of the Nations: Matthew 25: 31 – 46

            You can’t just talk Christianity; you have to do Christianity!

            Take a look at the things which the sheep are up to as the Son of Man pats them on their little, sheep-y heads. Feeding the hungry. Handing out thirst-quenching drinks, using reusable bottles, of course.  Taking in immigrants and refugees. Running clothes closets. Tending the sick. Looking in on the thief and the tattooed biker and others languishing in jails and prisons. The sheep are one busy flock.

            Take a look at the things which the goats are up to when the Son of Man takes a roll call. They are up to… oops, not much of anything! Nada! Zip!  If I wanted to be really critical of the goats, perhaps they are only busy at criticising the sheep, telling them that we, the church, don’t belong in social work.

            It is interesting, to me anyway, that of all the things that the blessed do on their way to inheriting the Kingdom of God (v.34), they don’t include most of the activities and habits that we might usually and foremost associate with the reward of our salvation.

            This is a tad troubling.

            You might think that the road to the Kingdom is paved with prayer, piety, right belief, avoiding sins, church attendance, tithing, committee work, knowing your Bible, supporting missionaries, and associating with the “right” kind of people who do the same. That sounds very reasonable. And I would suggest to you that Jesus did all of that and better than you and I will ever do it.  But Jesus also knew that hypocrisy thrives very well in that environment, which is why he often challenged the Pharisees who were experts in religion but very negligent in the behavior of sheep.

            At the top of Jesus’ list of “good behavior” were the things that fulfilled his second of the greatest commandments: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” (Matthew 22:39).  In this parable we are given concrete examples of the Kingdom Road, the way into God’s Good and Blessed Future. 

            The Golden Rule comes alive in this parable. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” which, when you think about it, is just another way of putting the “second” commandment. I hope and pray that you and I are never hungry, thirsty, outcast, cold, sick, or imprisoned, but if, heaven forbid, we ever are, I also pray that there will be some loving, caring, compassionate, helpful, merciful soul who will give you or me a helping hand. If that is how we hope to be treated, then we should be eager to help others in their times of need and brokenness.

Jesus wasn’t talking just to hear himself speak when he said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another,” (John13:34). Love is not a theory; it is a practice!

            Good works are not an anathema to the doctrine of unconditional, unmerited grace. They are the natural response of those who have been touched by the redemptive Love of God. 

So make some time to get into church kitchens and food banks. Serve up some heaping helpings of love and compassion.  Help somebody on with a coat of kindness.  Take some chicken soup to somebody under the weather. Welcome somebody who is lost and feeling strange in your community. Prisons are not always just jails but they may look like a single room apartment or a boarding room or a dead-end future, so throw open some windows and let some light in for someone.

I know that it doesn’t seem very religious or maybe even very spiritual, but you will be surprised; “just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”