MATTHEW 25:31-46
MANY YEARS AGO THERE WAS
A PEANUTS CARTOON. THE FIRST PANEL SHOWED SNOOPY STANDING IN THE
COLD, SHIVERING. LUCY COMES ALONG AND SAYS, “BE OF GOOD CHEER,
SNOOPY!” THEN CHARLIE BROWN COMES ALONG AND SAYS, “BE OF GOOD
CHEER, SNOOPY!” AND THE LAST PANEL SHOWS SNOOPY, STILL SHIVERING,
WHILE THE KIDS ARE IN THE HOUSE ENJOYING A CHRISTMAS PARTY.
WHAT YOU HAVE JUST HEARD
IS FOR ME PROBABLY THE MOST FRIGHTENING PASSAGE IN THE BIBLE.
BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVEN'T BEEN A SHEEP, OR AT LEAST A VERY GOOD ONE.
AND NEITHER HAVE MOST OF YOU, AND THAT SHOULD WORRY YOU AS WELL.
MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO BE GOOD CHRISTIANS HAVE THREE ANSWERS
TO THE CHALLENGE RAISED BY JESUS. ONE IS THAT “I GIVE MONEY TO
CHARITY, AND THAT'S HOW I FEED THE HUNGRY, GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY
… AND SO ON.” ANOTHER IS “WELL, I MAY NOT GIVE FOOD TO THE
HUNGRY, BUT I FEED PEOPLE IN OTHER WAYS. I FEED THEIR DESIRE FOR
KNOWLEDGE, BECAUSE I AM A TEACHER; I FEED THEIR NEED FOR JUSTICE,
BECAUSE I AM A LAWYER. I FEED THEIR HUNGER FOR SAFE TRANSPORTATION,
BECAUSE I'M A PILOT.” THE THIRD IS, “I TAKE CARE OF MY FAMILY,
SO I'M FULFILLING ALL OF THESE COMMANDS.” BUT NONE OF THESE SOUND
LIKE THEY WOULD CONVINCE JESUS WE SHOULD BE WITH THOSE ON HIS RIGHT
HAND. AND THERE'S ANOTHER THING AS WELL. EVEN THOUGH THE WORLD HAS
MORE THAN ENOUGH RESOURCES TO DO THESE THINGS THAT JESUS MENTIONS, WE
ARE KIDDING OURSELVES IF WE THINK THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE GOING TO WAKE
UP ONE DAY AND REDISTRIBUTE ALL OUR GOODS, ALL OUR WEALTH, SO THAT
EVERYONE HAS ENOUGH. THAT WAS THE IDEAL OF COMMUNISM, WHOSE MOTTO
WAS “FROM EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY AND TO EACH ACCORDING TO
HIS NEEDS.” AND LOOK HOW THAT WORKED OUT. SO MOST OF THE TIME WE
FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN WE HEAR THIS GOSPEL, BUT BY THE NEXT DAY
WE'VE FORGOTTEN IT; WE'VE PUT IT OUT OF OUR MIND FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
JESUS IS ALWAYS CONCERNED
ABOUT THE POOR, BUT EVEN HE RECOGNIZES LIMITATIONS. HE DID SAY, “THE
POOR YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU.”
SO MAYBE WE NEED TO LOOK
DEEPER INTO THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE. AND I THINK IT MAY LIE IN THE
ANSWERS THE TWO GROUPS GIVE: “WHEN DID WE FEED YOU? WHEN DID WE
GIVE YOU TO DRINK?” SAY THOSE ON THE RIGHT SIDE. AND “WHEN DID
WE NOT FEED YOU? AND WHEN DID WE NOT GIVE YOU TO DRINK?” SAY
THOSE ON THE LEFT.
IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT IF
THE SECOND GROUP HAD RECOGNIZED THE KING, THEY WOULD HAVE FED HIM AND
GIVEN HIM TO DRINK AND PROBABLY VERY GENEROUSLY AS WELL. AND IF THE
FIRST GROUP HAD ACTUALLY SEEN THE KING, THEY WOULD HAVE AS WELL. IN
OTHER WORDS, THOSE ON THE LEFT AND THOSE ON THE RIGHT NEVER EVEN
CONSIDERED THE GREAT KING; FOR THOSE ON THE RIGHT, WHAT THEY DID WAS
NATURAL, JUST AS FAILURE TO DO ANYTHING WAS NATURAL FOR THOSE ON THE
LEFT.
THE REAL DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IS NOT ACTUALLY WHAT THEY'VE DONE, BUT IT LIES
IN HOW THEY SEE OTHER PEOPLE. FOR THE SECOND GROUP, MOST OTHER
PEOPLE ARE TO BE IGNORED, AND THE REST ARE NUISANCES. THERE MAY BE A
FEW – FAMILY MEMBERS, GOOD FRIENDS – WHO THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING
FOR, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, OTHER PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS DO NOT CONCERN
THEM. FOR THE FIRST GROUP, THOUGH, EVERY OTHER PERSON IS DESERVING
OF HAVING ME FILL HIS NEED IF I CAN. IF HE'S SICK, I'LL CARE FOR
HIM; IF HE'S NAKED, I'LL CLOTHE HIM – NOT BECAUSE I THINK HE IS THE
GREAT KING IN DISGUISE, BUT BECAUSE I SEE SOMETHING OF THE GREAT KING
IN EACH PERSON, WHO IS MADE IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. IN SHORT, I
AM NOT FULFILLING SOMEONE'S NEEDS FOR ANY OTHER REASON THAN THAT I'VE
RECOGNIZED THAT PERSON AS A BROTHER OR SISTER, WHO SHARES MY
HUMANITY. AND THE GREAT KING CONFIRMS THIS IN HIS STATEMENTS,
BECAUSE HE ALSO SHARES MY HUMANITY AND THAT OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS.
THE FIRST GROUP DID NOT
GET TO WHERE THEY ARE THROUGH MAGIC, OR GENETICS, OR ANY OTHER
ACCIDENT. THEY GOT THERE DELIBERATELY. THEY STARTED OUT
SELF-CENTERED, AS WE ALL DO. BUT AT SOME POINT THEY ALLOWED THE
HUMANITY OF THE OTHER PERSON TO AFFECT THEM, AND BEGAN TO CHANGE
THEIR BEHAVIOR, CHANGE THE WAY THEY SAW THE OTHER PERSON; AND LIKE
ANY HABIT, WHAT STARTED OUT AS DIFFICULT AND REQUIRING CONSCIOUS
DECISIONS EVENTUALLY BECAME SECOND NATURE. THE SECOND GROUP DID THE
SAME THING; THEY STARTED OUT SELF CENTERED AND BEGAN TO NOTICE AND
RESPOND TO DIFFERENCES, SO THAT THEY SAW MOST PEOPLE AS BELONGING TO
“THEM”, AND JUST A FEW TO “US”. AND THE MORE PEOPLE THEY
MET, THE MORE DIVIDING THEY DID – THOSE FOREIGNERS, THOSE GAYS,
THOSE TEENAGERS, THOSE CRIMINALS. AND EVENTUALLY THEIR LACK OF
ATTENTION TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS WAS SECOND NATURE; THE RICH MAN WHO
STEPPED OVER THE BEGGAR LAZARUS EVERY MORNING PROBABLY STOPPED EVEN
SEEING HIM OR HEARING HIM BECAUSE IN THE BEGINNING HE HAD FORCED
HIMSELF TO IGNORE LAZARUS.
JESUS KNOWS WE CAN'T STOP
ALL THE EVIL AND INJUSTICE IN THE WORLD. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN,
WHICH IS THE GOAL OF ALL CHRISTIANS, IS A GOAL FOR THE END OF TIME.
WE KNOW IT WILL COME, WE PRAY THAT IT WILL COME, BUT UNTIL CHRIST
COMES AGAIN, IT WILL ALWAYS BE FULLY REALIZED ONLY IN THE FUTURE.
BUT WE CAN MAKE THE CHOICE AS TO WHETHER WE WILL BEGIN LIVING IN THE
KINGDOM RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT KING IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE INDEFINITE FUTURE, AFTER WE DIE.
IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW; IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU AND I ENCOUNTER
ANOTHER PERSON.
MAYBE THAT'S THE REAL
POINT OF THIS GOSPEL. JESUS WANTS US TO MAKE THE EFFORT TO CHANGE
OURSELVES SO THAT IT BECOMES SECOND NATURE TO DO WHAT HE ASKS US TO
DO. AND THAT IS PERHAPS EVEN HARDER THAN JUST DOING IT. CHANGING
OURSELVES THROUGH DELIBERATELY CULTIVATING NEW HABITS IS PAINFUL; BUT
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DISCIPLE.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO
ABOUT IT, HERE'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO. WHENEVER WE MEET ANOTHER
PERSON, THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS SHOULD BE, “WHAT DOES HE OR
SHE NEED THAT I HAVE TO GIVE? AND IF THERE IS SUCH A NEED, WE SHOULD
SATISFY THAT NEED AS BEST WE CAN, EVEN IF THERE HAVE BEEN SHARP LINES
DRAWN BETWEEN HIM AND I. AND IF WE DO THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN
DELIBERATELY, IT WILL BECOME A HABIT, AND WE WILL DO IT WITHOUT
THINKING, AND WE WILL BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WHEN WE LEARN SOMEDAY
THAT WE HAVE BEEN SERVING THE GREAT KING ALL ALONG.
