What Counts in the End

 

What Counts in the End

Matthew 25:31-46[1]

When push comes to shove, what counts for many of us is the ability to maintain our life as it is. We value our safety and that of our loved ones above all else. We have certain patterns of living that we are comfortable with, and we want to maintain those patterns as much as possible. We have also embraced the message of Jesus to live with concern for others, and we try to do so where we can. I would say, however, that we tend to do that in ways that feel familiar and safe to us. We want to be able to “check” the boxes we believe are important, but we want to do so with minimal risk.

I would say the life to which Jesus calls us is not one that fits within the limits of what we would consider “minimal risk.” Jesus calls us to “deny” ourselves, to take up our crosses, and to follow him in a life of service to others. That’s not always going to be safe or comfortable. It’s not going to be easy for us to die to ourselves—to set aside our self-interest, our wants, our needs, and our fears—and follow Jesus in extending God’s love to those who are the least and the last and the left out in our world today. That’s going to take us to some places that don’t feel safe or comfortable.

I believe that challenge lies at the root of our Gospel lesson for today. Jesus tells us a parable about separating people at the judgment like a shepherd might separate sheep from goats. I think we should read this as a parable, and not a lecture outlining what’s going to happen to “good” and “bad” people at the end of time. I think the fact that it follows two other parables along with the fact that Jesus continues the analogy of “sheep” and “goats” throughout the story points us in this direction. Since a parable is a story told to emphasize a point, the question for us is what is the point of this parable.

I think we may find a clue in the fact that both the sheep and the goats are surprised at the “verdict.” The sheep are commended for being kind and merciful to Jesus, but they are completely unaware of ever having done anything special. In response he told them when they were kind and merciful to “the least of these my brothers and sisters,” they were being kind and merciful to him. Similarly, the goats are criticized for not having practiced kindness and mercy, but they seem shocked as well. They thought they had checked off all the religious “boxes” they were supposed to, but Jesus said that they were not kind and merciful to the least and the last and the left out.

I believe the main point of this parable is that Jesus wanted to challenge the self-righteous hypocrisy that is such a prevalent temptation in religion. I think the “goats” were actually those who thought themselves pious and religious because they were devoted to worship, or because they were scrupulous about following the “rules,” or because they were pillars of their religious communities. But no amount of tithes, no zeal in keeping religious rules, no supposed places of honor in the congregation could change the fact that they were unkind toward others. In the end, what counts is practicing mercy toward the “least of these.”

And so the parable presents us with a challenge. We can all fall into the trap of thinking that we’ve “checked off” all the right “boxes.” We support the food pantry, we contribute to our favorite causes, we may even volunteer to feed others. But I think what Jesus confronts us with is the question whether we have truly practiced mercy toward the least and the last and the left out in our community. That’s a big step up from simply “checking off boxes.” We have to set aside our own fears if we’re really going to put Jesus’ love into action. We have to take the risk of getting to know those who are hurting if we’re really going to practice mercy.          

While this parable is challenging, I think there is some comfort here as well. The sheep who were commended for being kind and merciful were also unaware of having done anything special! What’s more, Jesus says to them, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34)! As John Calvin points out, this is meant to be a message of hope and encouragement, because their relationship with God was based not on the merit they earned but rather on grace.[2] That’s true for us as well. I’ve found that some of the people who are the most kind and merciful in this life are also quick to “apologize” for the fact that they aren’t very “religious.” In God’s eyes, however, all those who practice mercy are “blessed” and have the promise of a “kingdom prepared for them,” simply based on God’s grace!

These are difficult days. Safety is something we all need to be thinking about during a global pandemic. But at the same time we need to hear Jesus’ challenge to be willing to show mercy and kindness to the least and the last and the left out, even when it pushes us beyond what is familiar. I realize this may create a feeling of tension for us. We may wonder how we can put kindness and mercy into practice, especially in these days. I think Jesus meant for us to feel tension, because it’s the tension Scriptures like this create for us that pulls us toward deeper discipleship.

What counts in the end is practicing a lifestyle of mercy. Now, make no mistake: the clear teaching of Scripture is that our relationship with God, and our eternal destiny, is based solely on God’s grace. There’s no way we can ever do enough good to earn that. But the clear teaching of Scripture is also that those of us who experience God’s grace will practice mercy towards others. Grace and mercy: they go hand-in-hand. God’s gift of grace calls forth in us a lifestyle of mercy toward the least and the last and the left out.

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[1] © Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 11/22/2020 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] J. Calvin & W. Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 3, pp. 176–177.