Gracious God, may your Holy Spirit meet us in this time of worship with inspiration and hope. May you bring compassion and comfort to all who are in need of your healing presence. And may you guide us each in our daily walk of faith and in our collective ministry. Amen.
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Today we are exploring a familiar, yet often challenging story, from Matthew’s gospel.
And I want to begin with a couple of interpretive lenses that I think are helpful as we seek to understand and apply this text to our practice of faith.
First, context within the gospel is important here. In Matthew’s gospel, this passage immediately follows a couple of parables Jesus taught to illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God. Matthew prefers the phrase Kingdom of Heaven, but the idea is the same. The focus of these stories is not an experience of heaven after we die. Instead, they consider what heaven on earth might look like. All of these stories ponder what this world would be like if God were in charge. In particular, (given the gospel’s first century context), how would things be different if God were sitting on the throne of power instead of Caesar?
So, although people often refer to today’s story as a vision of the Last Judgment, it may be more helpful and more accurate to read it as a parable that serves to illustrate the priorities of life within the Kingdom of God. Sometimes we refer to this as the Kin-dom of God (instead of Kingdom) because kinship (loving and serving our neighbors) is one of those clear priorities. So, the story invites us to ponder for ourselves the ways in which the societies of this world (in which we are participants) align or don’t align with these kinship priorities and how we might move toward greater alignment.
Second, the gospel writer, like many people of his time and religious tradition (including the Apostle Paul and others), deeply desired the return of Christ and a clear and complete fulfillment of God’s Reign on earth. Matthew may have thought this would happen in his lifetime. He may have also hoped for a full accounting of human behavior, a final sorting out of who contributed to the building up of God’s Kingdom and who did not. And so, that scary eternal fire and punishment language that is included in this passage might actually be more a product of Matthew’s tone of storytelling than from Jesus’s teaching. Matthew does this with other passages within the gospel as well.
Obviously, those early Christians did not live to see the fulfillment of God’s Reign on earth, as they had envisioned it. Matthew’s timeline was wrong. That’s okay. And his desire to see this all settled is definitely understandable. However, all these centuries later, we probably have to come to terms with the reality that contributing to the Kin-dom God is ongoing work that continues to evolve over time. This is not always a linear process either. And any neat separation of those who contribute to God’s Kingdom and those who don’t is not really realistic. Real life, real people, and real societies are much more complicated.
But what this story makes clear to us are some of the kingdom priorities we can work towards. These offer us goals and focus.
Feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing those in need, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned are all named as priorities. In God’s Kingdom, loving service, caring for our neighbors we know and those we don’t, is central. In God’s Kingdom, basic human needs are met and no one is turned away. In God’s Kingdom, those who have been excluded and marginalized are welcomed, cared for, and not only included, but prioritized, within the community.
Jesus’ first audience knew well that the kingdoms of this world don’t always prioritize addressing these needs. Too often the desires of the already powerful, wealthy, and influential are prioritized instead. It was true then. And it’s something we are still challenged to confront in our own societies, locally and globally.
It’s important to note that it is all the nations who are being called together to be judged in this story. We certainly should reflect on our choices and priorities as individuals (nations are made up of many individual citizens, after all). But the parable is also making the point that we have a collective responsibility to love our neighbors. Building up a Kingdom where kin-ship is prioritized is not a solo endeavor. It can’t be.
So, who are the sheep and goats exactly? Are people being judged as individuals? Or as entire nations? Or both? The story leaves it a bit ambiguous. This may be intentional. And certainly, it invites us to reflect for ourselves. Again, the purpose of this story is not to predict a known future where some succeed and some fail, but to instruct us about God’s priorities for us, for all God’ people, for this beloved world of God’s creation.
None of us are perfect people. No nation is perfect. All of us have made mistakes. All of us have room to grow. As a species, we have both contributed to this world and caused harm. It’s simply honest to admit that we have had both sheep and goat moments and tendencies (individually and collectively).
Also, in case it bothers you… yes, goats (as a species) are scapegoated in this illustration… poor goats! I trust that God loves real, actual goats as much as any other creature.
The good news is that life gives us many opportunities to lean into our sheep tendencies, to learn how to love our neighbors more fully. If we let it, this story can serve as a wake-up call and a reminder of what’s most important. And we are invited to remember that re-prioritization is always possible!
This story also reminds us where we can and do experience the Risen Christ in this life. We need not look to the end of our lives or to some far-off future. How do we connect with the presence of Christ in this life? It is in love. It is in serving. It is in caring deeply and connecting meaningfully with others. It is in working together to find more just and fair, more peaceful, and more life-giving ways of being together on this planet. It is in leaning into this life as fully as possible – with loving faithfulness and deep connection with all creation.
There are two great tragedies that befall the goat group in this story. One is that they have neglected the needs of the people around them. Others suffer because of their neglect. But the other tragedy is that they have missed out – missed out on seeing and experiencing God’s presence in those interactions with other people. They have missed the sacredness and holiness of those encounters.
If we open ourselves to see the face of Christ in other people and experience God’s presence in those encounters, we will do just that.
This will bring us moments of joy! But we also have to admit that it isn’t always easy. It may not always be happy, even if it is meaningful. Sometimes loving our neighbors is hard or heartbreaking. And serving others requires sacrifice on our part at times. One small act of care can also feel like a drop in a bucket (or an ocean). But these encounters are sacred and love expressed in service, in hospitality, in solidarity, compassion is holy.
If we let it, the gospel message will always lead us toward a more universal concern and a global perspective. It will pull us toward deeper engagement with other people (both locally and globally) – no matter who they are, where they are, or where they are on life’s journey.
This is one of the reasons I can’t square any form of Christian Nationalism (American or otherwise) with the gospel message. The gospel call will always transcend national boundaries. And this universal concern will always stand in opposition to attempts to prioritize the particular interests of one nation (or any power structure or wealthy conglomerate, for that matter) over and above our broader, collective needs and interests.
Christian Exceptionalism is not the Way of Jesus either. Hoarding and protecting power for a particular (and narrowly defined) group of Christians stands in opposition to the gospel call to love. And, in fact, Jesus offered plenty of critique of religious people who were more interested in their own power than in serving their neighbors. This temptation is not new or unique to America; Christians throughout history have been led astray before.
The gospel leads us toward liberation and freedom for all, not the control of some over others. The gospel leads us toward deeper engagement with one another through love and service, not toward isolationism and avoidance (that breeds more fear and hate).
Loving kinship is what the Kingdom of God is built upon.
So, as both Americans and as Christians, how are we responding to this gospel call at this time in our history, especially as we commemorate the 250th year of our country’s still-unfolding journey? This is both an individual question we can ponder for ourselves and a collective question we can consider in community. Do our priorities align with those of the Kingdom of God? What adjustments are needed to bring us into greater alignment?
And how do we practice a healthier, faith-informed public theology that leads us toward meaningful and more just engagement with the world around us? How do our values inform our participation in society at all levels – locally, nationally, and globally?
These are questions worth considering… and they might lead us to more questions. How does my faith guide my understanding of the world? How does my faith teach me to treat other people? How do the political and social policies I support or refute affect my neighbors (near and far)? How does my vote reflect my values? How do I use my voice, body, and public witness to hold my elected officials accountable? And, as we value and practice our own religious freedom, how do we ensure that people of other faith traditions and no faith tradition benefit from the same freedom? It’s not freedom unless it’s for all.
This week, I’ve especially been pondering how the universal perspective of the gospel might help guide us in practicing a healthy patriotism.
Unhealthy patriotism is narrow, nationalistic, and defensive – my country is better; my country should be more powerful (or the most powerful); those who critique my country’s actions are a threat to be silenced. Where does that lead us? Nowhere productive. Not toward functioning democracy. Not toward liberty and justice for all.
Healthy patriotism is love of our country – its varied people, the place and land itself. With a healthy patriotism, we can have respect for our history and what has brought us to this moment – our successes as well as a clear-eyed understanding of our complexity (including our mistakes and ongoing challenges). A healthy patriotism has an appreciation for the diversity of people and perspectives that have helped shape and continue to shape our history. And a healthy patriotism understands that critique (internal or external) need not be viewed as a threat. Critique offers an opportunity to learn and grow. This can lead us in more productive directions.
Kinship with all creation. Loving service. Just relationships with our neighbors all across the globe. These are the priorities of God. May they continue to help guide us in our living. May they be expressed in our work together, as we each offer our gifts to the whole. And may we experience the Risen Christ in each interaction.
Amen.