(for Christ the King Sunday, November 23, 2014)
‘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.’ (Matthew 25:31-46, NRSV).
If in the ‘Parable of the Talents’ Jesus asks us to invest in the kingdom of heaven, the ‘Parable of the Sheep and the Goats’ is Jesus’ attempt to guide this investment. Investing in the heaven is quite different from investing on earth.
The previous two parables (‘The Ten Bridesmaids’ and the ‘Parable of the Talents’) could be classified as ‘judgment parables’. They conclude with reward and punishment. The ‘Parable of the Sheep and the Goats’ continues the theme.
Not at the end, however. The ‘separation’ occurs at the commencement of the parable. Judgment is becoming more central. It is also more direct. There is no master or bridegroom here. There is only the ‘Son of Man’. And he is ‘king’.
A King addressing his newly separated flocks: sheep and goats.
The two speeches could not begin more differently: one is ‘blessed’ and one is ‘accursed’. One rewarded. One punished.
The king’s reasoning around this distinction is consistent. The sheep gave the king food, drink, welcome and clothing when he was in need. The goats did not.
Both groups are bewildered by this. The sheep ask: “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?” The goats also:“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?”
Whatever they have done was done with no consciousness of their service, or lack of it, to the king. Neither group remembers.
So much so that the king needs to explain.
And so he does. To the first: “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.” To the second: “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.”
So who are these ‘least of these’ – this ‘family’ of God – through whom we see and serve the king of creation?
They are those in need. After all, every person is the offspring of God. I see no need to narrow this to the followers of Jesus who are in need. They are surely included, but not exclusively.
The world will invest for world-profit by serving those with money to give. Members of God’s kingdom invest for kingdom-profit by serving those without. It is a matter of where we look: up the fiscal ratings or down.
It is only as we look down that we truly see and serve the king of heaven.