2nd Last Sunday of the Church Year, 2011
Matthew 25:31-46
“Sheep or Goat”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Are you a sheep or are you a goat? Throughout the history of the world there have been people that could be described as a sheep or as a goat. The question is what distinguishes the two from each other. Let’s take a look at Scripture for guidance.
“Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” (Genesis 4:2b-5)
It certainly looks like Able is the sheep and Cain is the goat. But is that fair? That is the question that our Tuesday Bible Class had when going through this text. It just doesn’t seem fair. Why would God look with favor on Abel and not Cain? Even though the sacrifices were different, one being grain and the other the fat of an animal, they were both of equal value. Both Cain and Able had to work hard to produce and raise them. Really…it doesn’t seem fair does it. This is the kind of reaction that those being called goats in our Gospel probably had. Listen:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” (Matthew 25:31-46)
The first thought that many have when reading this text is that the sheep and the goats are judged upon their good works. It would seem that the sheep are sheep because they did good. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)
It also would seem that the goats are goats because they failed to do good things. “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” (Matthew 25:42-43)
Even though it seems that some do good things and some do not…they respond the same. When did we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty? When did we see a stranger? When did we see you naked? When did we know that you were in prison? When you notice that part of the text…it seems that… God isn’t being fair…just like it didn’t seem that He was fair to Cain.
The truth is that good works do play a role in the Final Judgment according to our Gospel text. But look at what our text is really saying. The King, God, calls the sheep “righteous” and the goats are called “cursed.” Good works are vital in the Final Judgment not as the cause of our salvation, but as the evidence of a living faith. The sheep were not sheep because of their works. The sheep are sheep because of faith…faith that produces good works. Good works are therefore evidence of a living faith!
The sheep are sheep by faith and the goats are goats because they reject the faith. This is also the reason why God judged the sacrifices of Cain and Able differently. Able had faith in God while Cain did not. Able’s sacrifice was given out of faith while Cain’s was not. The difference between Can and Able…between the Sheep and the Goats is Faith. Faith, like a good tree, produces good fruit…good works.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ…as sheep remember…God never requires more than what he gives. This is grace: that God gives us all that we need even though we don’t deserve it or do anything for it. God requires faith for salvation and gives us that faith in our Baptism and strengthens it with Jesus’ very body and blood. God requires works and gives us the faith that produces these good works. God requires perfection and gives us His Son…who lived and died…so that we might be made perfect through Him. God grant you the opportunities for your faith to be active in serving others and thus serving Him. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Comments