Christ the King, Yr A

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. I think these people seem surprised. They were surprised to be at the throne of the king and told they were blessed. I think they were surprised because what they did was just what they did. Treating people with dignity and respect was who they were. Treating people with dignity and respect was the ethos out of which they lived. Treating people with dignity and respect was how they were formed. Treating people with dignity and respect was no big deal. And yet they were blessed.

Not only does this story tell us about people for whom treating others with dignity and respect is just part of who they are, it also tells us about this king and the relationship this king has with this people. The relationship this king has with the people is one of dignity and respect. Christ the King is not at all a king of worldly consecration. Christ the King is not a king of power, but a king of empowerment. Christ the king is not a king of lordship over subjects, but a king of raising up ordinary people to be extraordinary. Christ the king is not a king who forces subjugation, but a king who inspires loyalty and emulation. Christ the king is not a king who puts his subjects in harm’s way to protect himself, but a king who willingly puts himself into the midst of pain and suffering, right next to the people he loves.

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. How do we honor a king for whom all this pomp and circumstance would have been out of place, who was born in a barn to parents of modest means? How do we honor a king who put himself in our place, who took all of human pain and suffering on himself, so that you and I could live in freedom, so that you and I could have new and abundant life? I think we honor that king by doing as he did, treating all people with dignity and respect, and by loving as he loves, without boundaries.

This story of the sheep and the goats is not a story about doing good deeds so you can live happily ever after. It is not a story about doing the right things so that you get your reward in heaven. It is not just about figuring out if we are a sheep or a goat. It is so much more than that. It is a story about who the king is, and who we are not. It is about what that king has done, and continues to do for the people he loves so much.

First and foremost, it is not you or I who sit in the judgment seat. People’s sheepness or goatness is not up to us. What a relief that is. This good news is truly freeing. It’s not up to you to judge, we’re not really any good at it anyway, and so we may as well just give it up. Giving up judgment is really hard when of course you know you are right and you really do think everyone else must measure up to your standards, Some would suggest that it’s not personal standards that people must measure up to, some would suggest that there are absolute biblical standards to which we all must measure up. Either you measure up and are judged a sheep by those standards, or you don’t and are judged a goat, in which case you may as well give up now and live a gluttonous and hedonous life. Although this may be a safe and comfortable way to live one’s life, there is no clear and concise list to live by that goes by the title, This is the list everyone will be judged by. In Matthew’s gospel today, the king is concerned with how people are treated, not about a list of do’s and don’ts.

However, there are many people who are concerned about being a sheep or a goat. Jan Laitos asked that question all the time. He really wanted to be a sheep; he really wanted to be at the right hand of God. We assured Jan that he would, because of God’s grace, and I am confident that Jan’s fulfillment is in that very place.

So what is really the difference between the sheep and the goats? Sheep and goats look a lot alike. What they represent does not. Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the stranger, clothing the naked, helping the sick and visiting the imprisoned are corporal and spiritual works of mercy, really rather simple actions, and it is surprising that that is all that is asked. But what they are not is indifference or violence, cheating or stealing, they are not narcissism they are not greed, even when it is hard to differentiate those things. Part of the difference in being a sheep or a goat is in living our lives as if we really thought that we are created in God’s image.

There is judgment in this passage from Matthew. So what is judgment really about? One of the images that informs our understanding of who God is, is the relationship of parent and child. Sometimes our relationships with our parents or our children leave a lot to be desired, and yet, as a parent, which one of your children will you condemn to eternal punishment? Which one of your children would you judge unworthy of love? Would you not choose to give your own life so that your child could be spared? Would you not give of yourself so that your child could have new life? This is what God has already done for us. Jesus stands in our place, so that we may have eternal life. I am reminded again of the story I spoke of last week, God on Trial. In that story of Jewish men in Auschwitz, when the time came for the men to go to their deaths, it was a son that was to go, and the father stepped into his son’s place, much like Jesus steps into our place even in the face of cruelty and tragedy.

Matthew’s parable is really about God’s abundant and real grace. This story is really about a king who puts himself in the place of danger, the place of pain and suffering for the love of the people. And this story is really about our response to this amazing thing that God has done. God accompanies us on this journey of human life; God brings us to the fulfillment of God’s deepest desire for each of us, to be with God for all of eternity. It is in response to God’s love, God’s grace, God’s willingness to take on our pain and suffering, that we in turn treat others with dignity and respect. In response to God’s love and God’s grace, in response to God’s willingness to be here in this world with us, we treat others as they truly are “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Dear goats, let the abundance of God’s love for you transform you so that you may be judged as one who feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, shelters the stranger, clothes the naked, and visits the sick and imprisoned. Dear sheep, let the abundance of God’s love for you transform you so that you may know that God’s love includes everyone.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.