Paul BurkhartSermon: Matthew 25:31-46The Judgment That Saves

Text: Matthew 25:31-46

31When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;35for 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,36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.37Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?40And 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.41Then he will say to those at his left hand, You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.44Then they also will answer, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?45Then he will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Prayer for Illumination:

Lord God, Judge us, and plead our case against an unholy world; deliver us from deceitfulness and injustice, for you are the God in whom we take refuge. We ask that you would not cast us far away, but that you would draw near to us as we draw near to your Word. Do not let us walk mournfully because of the oppression around and within us. Instead, send us your light and your truth; open our eyes, so they might bring us to you and you to us. Judge us, vindicate us, save us, we pray, in the strong name of Jesus your Son. Amen.

Main Idea:

Judgment is Gods mercy, grace, and good news to us! Therefore, walk in confidence and love.

SERMON

Intro: Homeless Jesus Sculpture

Theres a sculptor named Timothy Schmalz, who does a lot of religious-oriented art. But theres one piece of his that has recently caught some attention around the world. The first installation was in front of an Episcopalian church in North Carolina. Its installed on a park bench sitting in front of the church, and its of a homeless man sleeping, with a blanket over his body and head. Sticking out from the bottom of the blanket, though, are two feet, bearing the scars of nails. Its a statue of homeless Jesus. And homeless Jesus has pulled a lot of different responses out of people. Several churches around the world have refused to have one installed in front of them. Some people have written to the local North Carolina newspaper talking about how they find it offensive and how it demeans the Son of God. One woman even called the cops on homeless Jesus. Some people have appreciated it. There are plans to place one on the way to St. Peters Basilica in Rome, and a miniature version was offered to Pope Francis. When he saw it, he walked over reverently, put his hands on Jesus knee and prayed.In this text were looking at today, in a mere matter of verses, Jesus talks of himself as a King and then a pauper. Whether he appears in strength or weakness, Jesus always evokes a response. Theres no such thing as a weak, neutral feeling about Jesus. And of all the passages that can stir our passions, this is one of the kinds that can stir them the most. Jesus the judge reveals the judge in each of us. The brokenness of this world and our hearts draws Jesus to us, and when he comes, things are laid bareJudgment comes. And yet, this is treated as good news and the fulfilling of every longing of every human heart. How can this be? Well, were going to spend some time looking at these words to see how Jesus meets us, and how we meet him, in Judgment.

Apologetic: We already believe this

But first, maybe youre here and youre already tempted to just check out for the rest of the sermon. You hear words like Judgment and eternal fire and youre already rolling your eyes. You can understand Christianity when its talking about doing good in the world and loving others, but fantastical sounding passages like this seem so disconnected from the real, rational world. The world is already mean and violentwhy do we need a God who is also mean and violent?This sounds a lot like the main character in the philosophical novel The Fall, by the mid-20th-century writer Albert Camus. The main character is a former defense attorney who sits in a bar analyzing his life, and the conclusion he keeps coming to is that, ultimately, each of us is responsible for ourselves. We shouldnt rely or wait on some God, because we are all weve got. At one point he says this:

[QUOTE]You were speaking of the Last Judgment. Allow me to laugh respectfully. I shall wait for it resolutely, for I have known what is worse, the judgment of menIll tell you a big secret, my dear. Dont wait for the Last Judgment. It takes place every day.--Albert Camus, The FallHe says that humanitys judgment is just as bad as anything a god could do. But heres what I think he profoundly demonstrates, and this is what Id say to everyone here, both Christian and otherwise: we all come to texts like this about judgment with a weird paradox inside of us. On one hand, we feel a deep discomfort with Divine Judgment, and yet something in us also cries out for it. Something in us cries out no! to the brokenness around and within us and demands that there be an answer to itand answer that is larger than ourselves.And so though you may want to laugh this Judgment stuff off as irrational and completely irrelevant to your life, just stick with me a little bit and lets see if this doesnt make profound sense of the deepest longings and aches within you.

JUDGMENT

Background

As Ive said repeatedly to my home group, and the other home group leaders, the most important thing to remember when reading any part of the book of Matthew is that it was written by a Jew, to Jewish Christians, from a Jewish worldview, to answer Jewish questions. This cant be stressed enough. When we approach a text like this, there is a whole world of thought, stories, images, and language that lives just underneath the surface of these words we read today. If we miss them, we miss the point.The Jews at this time were living under Roman rule. In their history, they had had a brief time when they were ruling their own land, but that had been ruined when they were taken into Exile by the Babylonians. Since then, they were allowed to return to this land, but it was still controlled by other powers. And so, in a real way, the Jews still felt the sting of Exile. It was like coming back to your childhood home after it had been sold to someone else. Its technically home, but theres still an ache and longing for what was.What they were longing for was an Anointed One, called the Messiah to come in and bring judgment to all those that stood against the promises he had made to his people. They believed this person would bring in The Age of the Messiah where Gods Kingdom ruled and reigned on earth, with Gods people flourishing in it. A very important thing to point out: for the Jews, Judgment was not the end of the world. It was the beginning of the world as it was promised by God to be. In their mind, this Judgment was the climax of history, not the end of it.

That brings us to our text today. At this point in the story, Jesus is in Jerusalem. It is the last week of his life. He has spent the time arguing with the Jewish leaders that he is in fact the Messiah and that God was indeed bringing in the Age of the Messiah. He pleads with them, argues with them, make fun of them, and tries to reason with them. And they fully and finally reject him. And so, he spends all of the last chapter and this one talking about his Judgment against Jerusalem and its leaders.And this is what was so offensive to those Jewish leaders. They had spent their whole lives believing that God would bring Judgment against all those that stood against all the promises of Gods people. But Jesus was saying that those Jewish leaders themselves were the one holding back the promises of God! They would be receiving the Judgment, especially in the destruction of their temple by the Romans.Gods promises were not meant to revolve around the Jews, but go through the Jews and bless the whole world. But these leaders had made it all about their own religious identity. And so Jesus declares judgment. But before we talk about this judgment, we have to see Jesus heart within it. After his pleading and the Jews rejection, right before Jesus launches into this apocalyptic tirade of judgment, he says these words at the end of Chapter 23:

[QUOTE]Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. (vv. 37-39)

So even as we stare Judgment in the face, we must not forget the heart behind it: love, longing, and lament. Even in the harshest words we have from Jesus here, there is still an ache and love for this world and its people, even in the midst of their rejection. So now lets look at what Jesus says to see some features of this Judgment:

Judgment is Universal

We first see Jesus show himself as King and declare that this Judgment is something that comes for everyone. As Jesus paints the picture of this Judgment, we see all the nations gathered before his throne. Judgment is not the same as punishment. It is Gods response to sin, brokenness, and injustice. And so, all people will face judgment. Not just those people, those hypocrites, those nationalities, those religions, those Democrats, those Republicans, or those people we disagree with.Jesus intends for all the nationsnot just Israel, not just the Churchto receive the New World that Judgment brings. Judgment is not the act of an angry Judge, but of a King who is committed to his promise to steward his world and his people out of Exile and to establish his good and loving rule and reign in this world, as well as in his people.

Judgment Reveals what was Hidden

In the Scriptures, the idea of judgment is always accompanied by the idea of revealing and making known that which was hidden. The Greek word for revealing is the word apokalyptos, where we get the word Apocalypse. Judgment and revealing are synonymous. And this is where the real terror of Judgment is. Because for some, this revealing is surprisingly bad news, and yet for others, it is the most profound, shocking, life-giving good news. And thats what this section about clothing, feeding and visiting is about. So what does this weird section mean? Is God just that nit-picky? Do we need to be terrified that every needy person we dont help will condemn us before God? Heres what I think is going on:

Illustration: Waiting for Godot

In Samuel Becketts absurdist play Waiting for Godot, there are two men that spend the entire play (you guessed it) waiting for this individual named Godot to show up. Its pretty clear that Godot represent God, and yet the world in which the play exists is one in which theres uncertainty as to whether or not Godot is even real. The characters are stuck. If Godot is going to show up, its worth waiting for. If not, they might as well kill themselves. The entire play ends with these lines:

[QUOTE]ESTRAGON: I cant go on like thisVLADIMIR: Well hang ourselves tomorrow. [Pause.] Unless Godot comes.ESTRAGON: And if he comes?VLADIMIR: Well be saved.Well, shall we go?ESTRAGON: Yes, lets go.[They do not move. Curtain.]--Samuel Beckett, Waiting For Godot

Truly believing that GodotGodwill come to make things right motivates us towards action. Its ambivalence or just going through the motions that leads us to inaction.

I think the same thing is happening in our text. Those in material need in this world serve as a reminder, a mirror, of the evendeeper, more comprehensive ways that we and the world are broken. How we respond to these material pictures of poverty and lack are an expression of how we trust that God responds to us and this world inourpoverty and lack. How we respond to those in need is adiagnostic--a litmus test--for what our heart really believes about God. They reveal our sheepness or goatness.When Martin Luther, one of the Christianitys greatest leaders of reform, died, they found a little slip of paper in his coat pocket, which simply read:

[QUOTE]We are all beggars; this much is sure.--Martin Luther

The real question that arises from this text is not "how many nice things do you do for people in need?" or "what facts about Jesus do you agree with?", but it's "who do you trust that God is when he approaches you inyourpoverty?" So howdoyou feel and respond when faced with those in materials, physical, and legal poverty? And what might this say for how you relate to God? "They need to pullthemselvesup from their bootstraps" = I need to perform to make God happy "The government needs to do more for them" = The way I'm made right with God is by going through his institution and its practices "I hope they don't ask me for money" = God is distant and uncaring. We're on our own "The problem is just too big, it paralyzes me" = God saves us, but not out of joy. He only focuses on the big stuff he can do and leaves the rest to ourselves "I've done my fair share, it's other people that need to step up" = Arrogance before God. Life with him is a game we've learned to win.

So what do we do?

First, we need to see that this vision that Jesus casts is for our good. Its not meant to evoke fear, but o invite us into a greater sense of life. Jesus here proclaims that oppression, injustice, and apathy are disfiguring to our humanity, and he gives us a way out! One of my favorite musicians, named Derek Webb, has a song that looks forward to this moment in our text. He sings:

[QUOTE]I don't know the suffering of people outside my front doorI join the oppressors of those I choose to ignoreI'm trading comfort for human lifeAnd that's not just murder, it's suicideBut this too shall be made right

I dont think the main point is to go out and start doing a bunch of good things for those in need. The first step is to Diagnose your heart. See how you respond to the cries of the world, and really dig in to see what that says about you and what is revealed by Gods Judgment. Then, Dwell deeply in who this God is to you in your need and poverty. Devote yourself to his people and his vision for the world.

Conclusion: Judgment is Salvation!

In the older traditions of the Christian Church Calendar, and even some today, this fifth Sunday of the season of Lent is called Passion Sunday. Its starts a two-week period leading up to Easter, where Christians meditate much more intently on the sufferings of Jesus leading to the Cross.In those churches that celebrate Passion Sunday, they usually take deep red or purple veils and cover up all the art, statues, and crosses throughout the church. They remain veiled until Easter. Interestingly, the Introductory prayer for Passion Sunday are these words, taken from Psalm 43:

[QUOTE]Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an unholy peopleFor you are the one in whom I take refugeSend out your light and your truth; they lead me, they bring me in, They bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

Why, on this day on which we turn our thoughts to the sufferings of Christ, have Gods people, for millennia, cried out for God to judge them?!The answer comes on Easter morning, when those veils are ripped away throughout the church. All that was hidden in the midst of the worlds suffering, borne by Jesus on his Cross, becomes revealed and known in that Great Act of Judgment we call the Resurrection, where Jesus bears the weight of all sin, brokenness, and death and Judges it, conquering it on our behalf. And in this we see the greatest mystery of Judgment; the greatest hope; and the greatest news to us weary, wounded travelers of life: in Judgment is our Salvation!In our text, we see how this Judgment against Gods people is precisely how God actually fulfills his promises to Gods people! God promised to end the worlds Exile. To establish his loving Kingdom rule in the world. To give the world as a blessing for all. To be with his people in this world. To change their hearts. To act decisively against all that is broken in the world. And in Jesus, God does this. Jesus becomes our new Temple. By dying, he took in himself the full weight of the evil, injustice, and wrong in the world. In his Resurrection, he conquered it and dealt the death blow to death itself. He established his Kingdom rule over the whole world for all people. He sent his Spirit to dwell in his family and change their hearts.

As Martin Luther said, we are surely beggars, and Jesus knows this. Thats why he is found in the depths of human need and brokenness. He has tasted it all, even to our deepest place of weakness and poverty, Death itself. And he has conquered it. We can trust him.

So Liberti Church, as you seek to be the very presence of Christ in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia, may you also meet the very presence of Christ in those very same places. And may you hope and persevere in the Day of Judgment. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.