Neighborly Love
Matthew 25:31-46
I want to begin this morning by taking a poll. Who here has watched the TV show that was on NBC a few years ago called “The Good Place”? In it, Kristen Bell plays a character named Eleanor who wakes up after a freak accident. She finds herself in an office with Michael (played by Ted Danson). He congratulates and welcomes her to “The Good Place”. When Eleanor asks how she ended up there, Michael cheerfully explains that she was admitted based on her high numerical score of positive moral choices. That admirable tally meant she avoided “The Bad Place”. I don’t want to give away the plot, but it doesn’t take long before Eleanor wonders whether she really belongs there. At one point she says “l was a medium person! I should get to spend eternity in a medium place, like Cincinnati.”
This TV show aimed for light-hearted entertainment, but it raised some interesting questions like “Is there a middle place?” And if not, “How do I avoid the bad place and end up in the good place?” Can you think back over your lifetime and remember times when you also wanted answers about what would happen after you died? You probably wondered whether this lifetime was all you got, or maybe you sensed there could be more ahead. You may have found answers to these questions (that everyone in the world considers) through trusted Christians who were in your life, or by coming to church services. But the original source, the ground of our hope, comes from what we read in our Bibles.
In today’s passage Jesus takes time to talk to his disciples about eternity. It was the last week on earth for the Son of God and he’s been sharing some powerful parables about what the kingdom of God is like. Then here in Matthew 25, Jesus describes how he will return to earth, as both a triumphant King and an all-knowing Judge. He says that one day all the nations of the earth will stand before him as He sits on a glorious throne.
Try to imagine yourself there in that vast crowd. You can see an immense army of radiant, powerful, winged angels flanking the magnificent throne of the risen Christ. Your turn will come to move forward and approach Jesus. Standing there in His presence every thought, motive and deed from your lifetime will be opened before him, like pages from a photo album slowly turning, each revealing how you lived on earth. Nothing is ever hidden from God. For some this will be a time of great joy because Jesus is their Savior; they’ll stand there amazed to finally see Him face to face. Then they’ll be guided toward the right side of Christ’s throne toward their eternal destiny. That seems to me like the end of the story – what else is there for the disciples to learn or start to practice? But Jesus isn’t done at all; He continues with a message I don’t think most Christians fully comprehend! But once you do grasp it, it will change your life forever.
So let’s dig in, beginning with a look at the sheep and goats. It was pretty common in Jesus’ day to let sheep and goats share the same pastureland. They ate the same sort of food and could share the same water source. They were each smaller animals that benefited from the protection of a shepherd. But there were also clear distinctions. What a goat looks like on the outside is quite different from a wooly sheep. The same is true on the inside. So while goats and sheep have some things in common, they are still two different animals and species.
With that in mind, let’s return to Jesus on His throne, where all the people in all the nations have been separated so they are on his left or right side. On the right, the sheep side, Jesus joyfully says “Come, you who are blessed by my Father and inherit the kingdom of God that has been prepared for you.” But before the crowd can move toward heaven’s wonders Jesus describes six different situations. Each is an example of a time when his followers took the time to care for others’ needs. This confuses them greatly, until Jesus explains that whenever they helped the lowest or least on earth, it was as if they were serving Jesus himself.
Then Jesus turns and speaks to vast numbers of people on his left, saying, “Depart from me, into the eternal fire prepared for you, to spend eternity with the devil and his fallen angels.” Do you know why this is their fate? Keep in mind that they were also in the Good Shepherd’s fields, fed, sustained, and protected by Him. The goats were his beloved flock living inside his gates, so what happened?
Jesus is telling his disciples, and us today, that there is a way to spot a genuine Christian. They not only have a living faith, walking with God every day and staying open to His presence, they behave as Jesus did. He explained this once using an image from the fields, saying, “I am the Vine and you are the branches, whoever abides in me, I will abide in them... and they will bear much fruit.”
Has anyone here ever enjoyed the sight of a vineyard? There are neat rows of vines that, when mature, become heavy with clusters of colorful grapes. This reminds us that we are to be attached to the True Vine, which is God. As we abide there and are nurtured from that divine Source, there will be outward signs, evidence, “fruit” coming from us. Jesus says that apart from the Vine, we cannot thrive, nor can we produce good fruit.
In today’s passage Jesus mentioned 6 different examples of such “fruit”; they are good deeds that would please God. In the “sheep” group, for example, someone would find a way to help feed a hungry neighbor just out of the hospital and living alone. This same person would go out of their way to get water for someone sitting on a park bench who was flushed, shaky, and dehydrated. They would take the time to warmly welcome new people moving into their neighborhood, going so far as to invite them into their home to show them hospitality. They would also be open to joining a program that supports prisoners and their families. And if anyone lacked clothes for their growing kids, boots or warm coats for upstate winters, or other types of clothing, they would spread the news and collect whatever they could to help. If anyone was sick or hospitalized and couldn’t manage grocery shopping or meal prep, they would share what they had from their own pantry or bring them a hot meal coming right out of their own oven.
All of these good deeds I’ve described are examples of what Jesus sees and will one day reward. They are examples of neighborly love. This is a good time to remind everyone that good deeds do not make you a Christian, nor do they help you earn your way into heaven, although that was the formula used to get Eleanor sent to “The Good Place”. As Christians we acknowledge that all people have sinned, none of us are righteous, and that separates us from our holy God. But by grace, through faith in Jesus, we are saved when we confess our sins. We are cleansed and forgiven and become the Children of God!
What Jesus is affirming and rewarding at His Second Coming is this: his true disciples will be revealed, as well as those who pretended to belong to the flock. What will truly separate sheep from goals is good deeds, or the lack thereof. Simply put, outward expressions – how we treat others and use our time and resources – depend a great deal on our inner attitudes and convictions. As we think, so we live – we may be stingy and irritable or generous and kind. We can be self-focused and self-serving, or alert to others’ needs and willing to meet them. All is seen and known, there is full transparency as we stand before Jesus.
There is a lesson here you may never have realized before, and it is that God is grieved when we break one of his holy laws for living – that’s called a “sin of commission”. That’s usually the sort of sin we’re aware of day to day, but there are also what’s called “sins of omission”. That’s when we neglect to do the good we can; they are lost opportunities to help usher in the Kingdom of God here on earth. Each of these matter a great deal to God.
Now for some practical advice before we head out into a new week! Here are three key points to guide us. First, the secret to bearing much fruit is to stay attached to and dependent on the Vine. We will remain in a state of readiness, and willingness to serve others, if we are being refreshed by Jesus. Being well-nourished makes all the difference. Are you abiding in Jesus, attached to Him as you move through each day? That is your true, dependable Source. Second, think small. You heard me correctly. In every example Jesus listed he used the singular, “when I was a stranger you welcomed me…”. That is helping on a small scale. It means giving your attention to specific people and doing it well. Isn’t that an exciting insight for us to consider? And finally, let all that you do be infused with love and compassion. To do what is needed but lack heart-felt concern makes it a task, not an act of servanthood. People can tell the difference; they don’t want to be unseen, or unknown. Jesus always left people better off and they felt seen and loved, that is our calling as well.
And the very best news of all – it arches over this entire Matthew 25 passage – is this mysterious and exciting promise. Whenever you or I serve the least of these, one at a time, with compassion, energized by our connection with God, it is as if we are serving Jesus Himself. This is today’s Good News for God’s people, thanks be to God!
This TV show aimed for light-hearted entertainment, but it raised some interesting questions like “Is there a middle place?” And if not, “How do I avoid the bad place and end up in the good place?” Can you think back over your lifetime and remember times when you also wanted answers about what would happen after you died? You probably wondered whether this lifetime was all you got, or maybe you sensed there could be more ahead. You may have found answers to these questions (that everyone in the world considers) through trusted Christians who were in your life, or by coming to church services. But the original source, the ground of our hope, comes from what we read in our Bibles.
In today’s passage Jesus takes time to talk to his disciples about eternity. It was the last week on earth for the Son of God and he’s been sharing some powerful parables about what the kingdom of God is like. Then here in Matthew 25, Jesus describes how he will return to earth, as both a triumphant King and an all-knowing Judge. He says that one day all the nations of the earth will stand before him as He sits on a glorious throne.
Try to imagine yourself there in that vast crowd. You can see an immense army of radiant, powerful, winged angels flanking the magnificent throne of the risen Christ. Your turn will come to move forward and approach Jesus. Standing there in His presence every thought, motive and deed from your lifetime will be opened before him, like pages from a photo album slowly turning, each revealing how you lived on earth. Nothing is ever hidden from God. For some this will be a time of great joy because Jesus is their Savior; they’ll stand there amazed to finally see Him face to face. Then they’ll be guided toward the right side of Christ’s throne toward their eternal destiny. That seems to me like the end of the story – what else is there for the disciples to learn or start to practice? But Jesus isn’t done at all; He continues with a message I don’t think most Christians fully comprehend! But once you do grasp it, it will change your life forever.
So let’s dig in, beginning with a look at the sheep and goats. It was pretty common in Jesus’ day to let sheep and goats share the same pastureland. They ate the same sort of food and could share the same water source. They were each smaller animals that benefited from the protection of a shepherd. But there were also clear distinctions. What a goat looks like on the outside is quite different from a wooly sheep. The same is true on the inside. So while goats and sheep have some things in common, they are still two different animals and species.
With that in mind, let’s return to Jesus on His throne, where all the people in all the nations have been separated so they are on his left or right side. On the right, the sheep side, Jesus joyfully says “Come, you who are blessed by my Father and inherit the kingdom of God that has been prepared for you.” But before the crowd can move toward heaven’s wonders Jesus describes six different situations. Each is an example of a time when his followers took the time to care for others’ needs. This confuses them greatly, until Jesus explains that whenever they helped the lowest or least on earth, it was as if they were serving Jesus himself.
Then Jesus turns and speaks to vast numbers of people on his left, saying, “Depart from me, into the eternal fire prepared for you, to spend eternity with the devil and his fallen angels.” Do you know why this is their fate? Keep in mind that they were also in the Good Shepherd’s fields, fed, sustained, and protected by Him. The goats were his beloved flock living inside his gates, so what happened?
Jesus is telling his disciples, and us today, that there is a way to spot a genuine Christian. They not only have a living faith, walking with God every day and staying open to His presence, they behave as Jesus did. He explained this once using an image from the fields, saying, “I am the Vine and you are the branches, whoever abides in me, I will abide in them... and they will bear much fruit.”
Has anyone here ever enjoyed the sight of a vineyard? There are neat rows of vines that, when mature, become heavy with clusters of colorful grapes. This reminds us that we are to be attached to the True Vine, which is God. As we abide there and are nurtured from that divine Source, there will be outward signs, evidence, “fruit” coming from us. Jesus says that apart from the Vine, we cannot thrive, nor can we produce good fruit.
In today’s passage Jesus mentioned 6 different examples of such “fruit”; they are good deeds that would please God. In the “sheep” group, for example, someone would find a way to help feed a hungry neighbor just out of the hospital and living alone. This same person would go out of their way to get water for someone sitting on a park bench who was flushed, shaky, and dehydrated. They would take the time to warmly welcome new people moving into their neighborhood, going so far as to invite them into their home to show them hospitality. They would also be open to joining a program that supports prisoners and their families. And if anyone lacked clothes for their growing kids, boots or warm coats for upstate winters, or other types of clothing, they would spread the news and collect whatever they could to help. If anyone was sick or hospitalized and couldn’t manage grocery shopping or meal prep, they would share what they had from their own pantry or bring them a hot meal coming right out of their own oven.
All of these good deeds I’ve described are examples of what Jesus sees and will one day reward. They are examples of neighborly love. This is a good time to remind everyone that good deeds do not make you a Christian, nor do they help you earn your way into heaven, although that was the formula used to get Eleanor sent to “The Good Place”. As Christians we acknowledge that all people have sinned, none of us are righteous, and that separates us from our holy God. But by grace, through faith in Jesus, we are saved when we confess our sins. We are cleansed and forgiven and become the Children of God!
What Jesus is affirming and rewarding at His Second Coming is this: his true disciples will be revealed, as well as those who pretended to belong to the flock. What will truly separate sheep from goals is good deeds, or the lack thereof. Simply put, outward expressions – how we treat others and use our time and resources – depend a great deal on our inner attitudes and convictions. As we think, so we live – we may be stingy and irritable or generous and kind. We can be self-focused and self-serving, or alert to others’ needs and willing to meet them. All is seen and known, there is full transparency as we stand before Jesus.
There is a lesson here you may never have realized before, and it is that God is grieved when we break one of his holy laws for living – that’s called a “sin of commission”. That’s usually the sort of sin we’re aware of day to day, but there are also what’s called “sins of omission”. That’s when we neglect to do the good we can; they are lost opportunities to help usher in the Kingdom of God here on earth. Each of these matter a great deal to God.
Now for some practical advice before we head out into a new week! Here are three key points to guide us. First, the secret to bearing much fruit is to stay attached to and dependent on the Vine. We will remain in a state of readiness, and willingness to serve others, if we are being refreshed by Jesus. Being well-nourished makes all the difference. Are you abiding in Jesus, attached to Him as you move through each day? That is your true, dependable Source. Second, think small. You heard me correctly. In every example Jesus listed he used the singular, “when I was a stranger you welcomed me…”. That is helping on a small scale. It means giving your attention to specific people and doing it well. Isn’t that an exciting insight for us to consider? And finally, let all that you do be infused with love and compassion. To do what is needed but lack heart-felt concern makes it a task, not an act of servanthood. People can tell the difference; they don’t want to be unseen, or unknown. Jesus always left people better off and they felt seen and loved, that is our calling as well.
And the very best news of all – it arches over this entire Matthew 25 passage – is this mysterious and exciting promise. Whenever you or I serve the least of these, one at a time, with compassion, energized by our connection with God, it is as if we are serving Jesus Himself. This is today’s Good News for God’s people, thanks be to God!