A sermon by The Rev. Gene R. Tucker, given at: Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
PROPER 29: Ezekiel 34:11–17; Psalm 95:1–7; I Corinthians 15:20–28; Matthew 25:31–46
Let’s ask Matthew a question this morning (before we leave our year-long walk with him in this first year of our three-year cycle of readings):
“Which is it? Which timeframe is important?”
We ask this question because of what we read this morning, and because of what we read elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel account.
Consider the beginning of the passage we read today: “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”[1]
Obviously, Matthew is recording Jesus’ words, which refer to some time in the future….the scene is a cosmic one.
But then consider these words of Jesus that Matthew also recorded:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”[2]
This statement from our Lord Jesus Christ seems to refer to the present. Matthew seems to be reminding us that Jesus is with us, here and now, whenever we gather together in his name.
Furthermore, consider this statement, the one that closes Matthew’s Gospel account: “And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”[3]
Here again, we read another statement that seems to refer to the here and now…. “Lo, I am with you…”
So, Matthew, our question is: “Which is it? Which timeframe is important, the future, or the present?”
Matthew seems to be confusing us, isn’t he?
After all, as rational human beings, we understand we can’t reconcile present reality and future events. We can’t live in two timeframes at once.
As children of the Enlightment, that 17th and 18th century movement that maintained that human intellect and reason could understand all realities and could discern all knowledge, we know we must either choose the present, or the future.
Or must we? Must we choose either the present or the future?
Christians down through the ages have often done just that:
The present: Some choose to emphasize the aspects of the Gospel that focus on the present: “Care for the poor and the needy, the downtrodden and the oppressed is the Church’s concern and focus,” they would say. “What happens in our daily lives is the central concern for us as Christians,” they might maintain.
The future: Other Christians spend large amounts of time trying to figure out the timeline for future events, trying to guess what God’s plans and schedule for the fulfillment of His purposes for the world and for humankind are. Consider the series of books that have appeared in recent years that deal with this subject, books such as “The Late Great Planet Earth”, or the “Left Behind” series. These books sold (and sell) quite well. People are fascinated by these topics, and want to know if the authors have some “inside knowledge” by which God’s mysteries can be unraveled, at least a little bit.
So, what’s the answer, Matthew?
Do you want us to choose either the present or the future?
What would you say, dear reader (or listener)?
Let me venture an answer on Matthew’s behalf: The answer, Matthew seems to be telling us, is that we must choose both the present and the future!
“Both”, you say…..
Yes, both.
You see, Matthew seems to hold both the present reality of our daily walk with the Lord and the future reality when the Lord will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords[4] in tension with one another. Matthew never seems to think that both realities cancel each other out, or that we must choose one over the other.
And the reality of both the present and the future is present in the passage before us today….
Let’s look a little closer:
The future: We noted earlier on that the passage today begins with a cosmic scene. Recall with me the words, “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another.
Wow! Matthew now unfolds for us – in Jesus’ words – the final, climactic scene that he has alluded to all through his Gospel account. Remember that, time and again, Matthew has alluded to this final separating process, in which the good and the bad will be separated out. We’ve read and heard these words over and over, as we do (for example) in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13: 24 – 30). There, we read that the weeds that had grown up with the wheat will be pulled up “at the harvest”.
The present: But Matthew picks up on the Lord’s emphasis on the here and now, the present time of our daily lives…..
Notice how this unfolds in our narrative today: Our Lord chronicles a series of concrete, observable actions that all take place in daily life, actions that meet everyday needs. Deeds such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the prisoner, welcoming the stranger.
So, then, if we are to live with the tension of a dual focus on both the present and the future, then how to we reconcile the two?
I think the answer is that: the future makes holy the present.
Let me say that again: the future makes holy the present.
The key to understanding that important connection is found in the text….Notice how the Lord emphasizes the eternal consequences of our daily actions: “As you did it (these things) to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me.”[5] At the end of the passage, we note that these righteous will enter into eternal life.[6]
No longer can we take actions that occur in daily life as isolated, minor events. They are not isolated, not from God’s knowing and seeing, nor from the importance that God attaches to them.
Moreover, Matthew seems to be telling us through Jesus’ words that we are in charge of our own spiritual destiny. Our actions and the choices we make to do good works affect our spiritual welfare in a direct, cause-and-effect sort of a way.
Having walked with Matthew throughout this entire Church Year, we would expect nothing less….
For Matthew has the daily walk (remember that this is a key concept of Judaism – which Matthew carries over into his understanding - the daily walk (Heb: halach) with God) always in view. Matthew’s concern – unlike John, who is more concerned with our conscious decision to accept Christ as Savior, to be “born again”[7] – is with the everyday decisions and actions we make.
For the mature Christian, we must embrace these various perspectives, for no one approach can begin to comprehend the mystery of God and the scope of His workings in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So, we are called to say, with regard to our overall relating to the Lord, that we must:
- Accept Christ as Lord of our lives, being “born again”, (John’s concern) and
- Walk daily with the Lord by following Jesus’ teachings.[8] (Matthew’s focus)
And, with regard to the passage before us today, we are called to:
- Concentrate on our daily actions, our everyday choices, and
- Keep the final judgment always in view, as well.
May we, by God’s grace, embrace and hold fast to the mystery of God, revealed for all time in the teachings and life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
May we, by God’s grace, be mature in our faith, holding fast to both the present and the future realities of God’s plan for humankind.
May we, by God’s grace, accept Him as Lord and Savior, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and may we walk with Him in this life, that we may live with Him in eternity.
AMEN.
__________________________________________________________
[1] Verse 31
[2] Matthew 18: 20
[3] Matthew 28: 20
[4] This is the title we read in Revelation 17: 14 and 19: 16. (Recall Handel’s use of this title in the “Hallelujah Chorus” from “Messiah.”)
[5] Verse 40
[6] Verse 46
[7] See John 3: 3, where Jesus uses this phrase in His conversation with Nicodemus.
[8] Jesus’ teachings are another of Matthew’s major concerns.
