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BEING COUNTED AS SHEEP

Matthew 25: 31-46
Synod of Living Waters

Dr. Kenneth Dick
Smiths Grove Presbyterian Church

Can you tell me what the letters "EEO" stand for? I hope so, for they are very important in the Presbyterian Church. For "EEO" stands for "Equal Employment Opportunity" and as congregations call ministers to be their pastors they must affirm that they did not discriminate against any candidate on the basis of such qualities as gender or race or age or marital status. And the church does this as a reflection of the teaching of the Apostle Paul who said, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

But though we today are not to make any distinctions on the basis of these things, Jesus, in the Scripture lesson, foretells the time when he will return to judge the earth. And people will be divided, but not as to gender or race or national origin. For Jesus, after all, will respect the "EEO" requirements of the Presbyterian Church. But they will be divided … as sheep and goats! That's right. For some will be counted as sheep and placed at his right hand while others will be counted as goats and placed at his left hand. The sheep will be blessed and the goats will be cursed. And though we might be tempted to think that, in order to say this Jesus must have had something against goats, what is important is not the identity of the animals but how they represent the response people make to the claims of Jesus Christ. And as we, the Synod of Living Waters, begin another year together, we have an opportunity to be counted as sheep in God's Kingdom.

And how does that happen? First of all, by taking seriously the authority of Jesus Christ. He says, "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 nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

Now in the preceding lessons Jesus taught that someone, himself, will leave this earth and return one day. Whether it be as a householder going on a journey or a bridegroom coming to meet the bridesmaids or a master entrusting his assets to his servants, the disciples of Jesus are given responsibility to take care of what Jesus has while he is gone. But when Jesus finally returns, as this Scripture teaches, it will not be as Savior but as judge and authority. And all will give an account of their stewardship.

If you have a concern about your automobile, whom would you look to for guidance and advice? Would it be the manager of the local department store or the owner of the grocery store? Would it be your doctor or dentist? Or would it be the mail carrier or the person who picks up your trash? Probably none of the above. For you would want to contact someone who is an authority on auto repair and maintenance and their guidance and advice would be your highest priority.

And, in the same way, who is your final authority regarding spiritual concerns? Though you might say automatically, "Jesus Christ is my authority," are there not times when other authorities intrude? For as individual Christians and churches and even as a synod we must confess that such things as fear and self-centeredness, pleasing others and appeasing our culture, take the place of Jesus Christ in our lives. And when this happens, we are denying his authority.

Regarding this issue I am reminded that today it is very popular to teach tolerance in public schools in dealing with racial tensions. For I do not have to walk very far in my local high school to be confronted with posters exhorting tolerance, sayings and quotes encouraging youth to get along with each other, and workshops and seminars that teach tolerance skills.

But though I can affirm tolerance as a step in the right direction, should that really be the standard for my life? For after all, does it say, “For God so tolerated the world that he gave his only Son”?; or “But God demonstrates his tolerance for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us”? No. For though tolerance is good, love is the standard for Christian living. Therefore, though I can affirm tolerance in the public schools as a step in the right direction and possibly the most the world can do, if I truly take seriously the authority of Jesus Christ, I must admit that I live by a higher standard.

Yes, being counted as sheep involves taking seriously the authority of Jesus Christ. But he goes on to say, “…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 a prisoner and you visited me.”

Now these verses are often quoted in the context of encouraging acts of charity. But though this is important, Jesus had something deeper in mind here. For as one commentator says, “Sickness in the Bible often carries the notion of sin and contagion, and nakedness implies shame and powerlessness. Convicts and strangers are included in the list. Some of the categories, at least, connote marginalization, even the experience of being ostracized. Whether the 'least of these' are Christians or not, their circumstances put them at the fringes of society. To be deeply involved with such people means to be implicated in their predicament, to be incriminatingly linked to their situation, and no doubt to be guilty by association.”

Though acts of charity are important, the question these verses raise is, “With whom do you identify with in this world?” For the life goal of most people, even church people, is something called ”upward mobility”; to improve continually one's own standing in society, associate with people of power and influence, get to the point of being identified as self-sufficient and strong. But can that really happen if you spend your time and energy ministering to those who have no voice, no influence, and cannot even pay you back or say a good word for what you have done for them? Though the world identifies with power and strength, the sheep in God's Kingdom are called to identify with the voiceless and the powerless.

Now as you hear this, you might be saying to yourself, “This is impossible for me to do.” But that is why Jesus concludes by saying this: “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.”

Many high school and college youth today wear T -shirts and wrist bands and shoe laces and carry pens and pencils and other items with “WWJD” imprinted on them: “What Would Jesus Do?” But though I don't discourage this in my own congregation, from time to time I need to say, “If we are going to guess at what Jesus would do, maybe it would be good, first of all, to look at what he did do.” And what does Scripture tell us? “...though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross.”

Yes, Jesus gave up the glories of heaven for the cross of calvary. And he did it for those who were hungry and thirsty and strangers and naked and sick and in prison. But he also did it for you and me, not when we were strong and self-sufficient, but dead in our trespasses and sins. And if Jesus identified with us in our weakness, bringing forgiveness and healing and wholeness to our lives, should we not, in thanksgiving, respond with obedience and seek to be counted as sheep in God's Kingdom ?

As we begin a new year together as the Synod of Living Waters, it is my prayer that, among all other goals and priorities, we also would seek to be counted as sheep in God's Kingdom. And this happens as we take seriously the authority of Jesus Christ, identify with the powerless in this world, and do these as an expression of thanks for what Jesus has done for us. And though we might not receive much acclaim or recognition by the world or pats on the back from others, as we live in obedience to God we can be assured that not only will the Synod of Living Waters be counted as sheep in God's Kingdom, we will also hear these words from our Saviour and Lord: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."