Jesus talks about salvation in different contexts to different audiences and in different ways throughout the Gospels. Sometimes he’s deliberately cryptic. Sometimes he’s intentionally concise. Sometimes he speaks in parables and stories. But, nowhere else does Jesus so explicitly tell us about human destiny than in Matthew 25 from which our gospel reading is taken.
In Matthew 25, there’s the theme of separation again. Jesus divides humanity into two teams: the sheep and the goats. The sheep go to his “right hand,” are declared “blessed” by their Father, and “inherit the kingdom prepared for them since the foundation of the world.” When it is all said and done, they go into “eternal life.” The “goats” on the other hand, aren’t quite as fortunate. They go to his “left hand,” are declared “accursed,” and are relegated to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” for an eternity of “punishment”. Stop and ask yourself, which team would you prefer to be on? I think Jesus makes this choice a pretty easy one. [I bristle at being referred to as a sheep but if the choice is between being a sheep or a goat, my preference is with the sheep].
The next question dawns on us all: how do we get on the sheep team? How do we get picked for sheep duty? Well, the Good News is that Jesus tells us in detail.
for 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 in prison and you visited me.
People who do such things get to play on the sheep team where the contract bonuses are out of this world. The “goats” on the other hand, let hungry people go hungry. They don’t bother giving thirsty people anything to drink. They ignore strangers, letting them know that they are absolutely unwelcome. And they don’t give clothes to people who need them, don’t visit the sick and lonely, and let people rot in jail or prison without a thought.
It’s interesting to notice the importance of this teaching being given by Jesus in the last week of his life. In fact, this is one of the last things Jesus says to his followers before he’s nailed to the cross in the Gospel of Matthew. What Jesus is doing here, at the end point of his earthly ministry, is making it very clear to people who claimed to be his disciples and supporters that there is no grey area at all when it comes to following him.
You’re either with him or you are not.
The way to determine your standing is by looking at how you live your life. To be on Jesus’ side means that you’re actively caring for the poor, the needy, the sick, and the lonely. To not do such things means that you’re really not with him at all, but against him. And if you’re against him, the contract bonus carries with it fire and brimstone.
This being one of Jesus’ last teachings should add some weight to this message. Final words are so memorable: the last thing my mother ever said to me was … But It’s also interesting and important to notice how incredibly ignored this passage is. The more progressive-minded denominations and theologians who have a preeminent concern for social justice utilise it almost exclusively. Amazingly, it’s almost completely overlooked by denominations and sects that are predisposed to “evangelism” and “saving souls.” You’d think that Jesus’ clearest teaching about the how and why of whose souls are “saved” and whose aren’t, would be at the top of their list! But watch the Christian channel on TV and tell me how often this section is quoted, used, or even alluded to. Almost never, if ever at all.
This begs two questions: First, can we really throw out a teaching that Jesus gave in the last week of his life just because it doesn’t seem to fit with our theology? Do we just pretend that Jesus didn’t mean what he was saying, or that this section isn’t about salvation? (Even when it so clearly is.) Second, is Jesus saying that we have to earn our ticket to heaven by doing good deeds to people who need them? I don’t think so, on both counts.
One of the amazing things about this lesson from the last few pages of Jesus’ earthly life is that the sheep were not conscious of the status or character of their actions! These sheep said: 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? They had no idea that their good deeds meant that they were inheriting the Kingdom prepared for them. They weren’t trying to earn God’s favour or sneak around divine mercy. The sheep weren’t fending for themselves, desperately trying to avoid punishment and earn eternal rewards.
They simply saw people in need, and they served them. They were plainly living their lives of faith the way that they always did. They were living their lives focused on God and the needs of others instead on themselves and their own needs. The difference between some group of sheep doing these deeds trying to get to heaven, and sheep doing the same exact deeds unaware of the incredible consequences, is that the actions of the latter group are authentic. They are genuinely loving their neighbour, and genuinely serving the needs of others, instead of selfishly looking out for themselves.
That is what God wants of us.
And, in the last week of Jesus’ life, this the kind of life Jesus calls his followers to live. This is what loving our neighbour as ourselves is about. Loving our neighbour merely to get ourselves to heaven wouldn’t be real love, it’d be selfishness. Preoccupation with our own salvation therefore is exactly what Jesus is warning us against. When we are living our life and loving your neighbour, we do not have time to worry selfishly about ourselves! Nor do you have to.
The Good News here is that there is no checklist of good deeds to fill out. Jesus is talking about a manner of living here, and it’s one that isn’t motivated out of the fear of Hell or the hope of heaven, but a life that’s driven by an authentic love. It’s a manner of life that recognises that Christianity isn’t about us! It’s not about self-preservation, feeling good, or getting front row seats in Heaven.
If this isn’t clear from the sheep and goats story, read further into the Gospel of Matthew until you get to the crucifixion. There, Jesus demonstrates the exact same selfless, genuine, and authentic love that he demands of us. He was flogged, mocked, tortured, and executed for God and for us, to proclaim a message of overpowering love, not for himself. It wasn’t some self-serving, attention-seeking, puritanical stunt to gain fame and fortune. To quote Paul from Philippians, he emptied himself of all but love. Jesus loved the Father and us … with his life and his death, and that is exactly what he asks of us.
And with that, it makes sense that Jesus gives this lesson in the last week of his life. It also makes sense to replace the well-known query used by modern televangelists, “Are you saved?” with the more appropriate, “Do you genuinely love God and your neighbour, not for your own gain, but for truly selfless and Godly love?” Yes, it takes a little longer to convey those words but so do most important things. Being sheep of the shepherd isn’t about us. Nor is it about being saved, or getting rewards, however eternal and desirable they may be. Being sheep of the shepherd is about following our shepherd’s lead, and, again to quote St Paul, loving others as he has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2). These are words for today, this week and the coming Advent season.