For the background to this sermon see Ephesians 1:15-23 and Matthew 25:31-46
If you look at the full context of the Matthew passage, Jesus seems to be saying that in the final analysis the criteria on which you will be judged will not be what you know or what you say you believe, but rather what you have actually done (or neglected to do) for the less fortunate — specifically, whether you have helped feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned (practices that are known as the “Traditional Works of Mercy.”) Indeed, Jesus seems to be promising — to those of us born centuries too late to meet the him in person — that the closest we can come to a transformative face-to-face encounter with Jesus is to aid and be fully present to poor and marginalised people. To adapt Jesus’ words, “Truly I tell you, however you treat the least of my sisters or brothers is how you have treated me.”
Many of the kings and queens in our world do not have a great deal of real power, but are still people who command respect. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives us a picture of the power and the majesty of Jesus, which is far greater than that of any human king. Jesus is in charge of everything and everyone. He is worthy of our worship and our obedience.
But, where do we see the King today? Do we see him on a throne ruling in power? Well, yes, for Jesus is reigning now, but we also see him in his people who are often the weak, the lost, the powerless, the hungry and the imprisoned. The key to how we will be assessed when Jesus comes is the way in which we have treated others. Jesus is a king who always loves and serves and protects. By showing the sort of love that Jesus showed we demonstrate that he is our King. The challenge here is easy enough for all to see; the difficulty is not in seeing the point but in living by it! Do we pick up on what we should do and do it? or do we try to wangle our way out of the consequences of not doing it?
The severity of the penalty shows that this is very important to Jesus. Understandably. If part of you is broken you mend it. If you have an infection you treat it. Christ’s body has many injuries. The consequence of not healing is serious indeed.
Christ is present in the world now through his body, the Church (Ephesians 1:23). Christ was incarnated in a single body. Now he is incarnated in his church. We are Christ’s body, hence what is done to us is done to Christ. And what we do is done by Christ. If the cells in our bodies were as individualistic as the people in Christ’s body we couldn’t function. So the body of Christ..?
Jesus always pointed to those in society whom nobody else seemed to care for, like widows, orphans and people with skin diseases. God is always on the side of the weak and the poor. Jesus healed people whom no one else would touch. He ate with people no one else loved. He talked to people whom everyone else ignored. And he wants us to do the same: to care for people whom no one else wants to have anything to do with.
This isn’t always easy, but is something that Jesus expects us to do. This is one of the reasons why God sent his Holy Spirit to fill us with the love, compassion and care that Jesus had. If we ask him to give us this kind of love, he will. If people are hard to serve, remember that serving them is like serving Jesus. We need to imagine it’s him whom we are helping when we help others.
In dealing Matthew 25 today I’m giving what has been called a “Franciscan Blessing.” A Franciscan Blessing is a benediction in the spirt of St. Francis of Assisi who is famous for giving up his inheritance to serve the poor. Here is one example of a Franciscan blessing. It comes from the twentieth century:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.