The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew, the 25th chapter:
“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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”Thus far the text.
My dear Ava, the Coopers, and my dear friends in Christ,
The Last Sunday of the Church Year is a special day. It’s the last Sunday before Advent begins, the time where we look to the breaking of the light over the darkness of this world. This happened once, in the Incarnation, and it will happen again in the second coming of Christ. But this day, we see the culmination of the warnings of the Scripture over the last few weeks. The Lord gives us a final picture of His judgment, and it’s dark. The Lord has told us this is a dark day, the day of His coming, for the in His judgment, many will suffer. And how so?
This morning, on the Last Sunday of the Church Year, our Lord tells us of the day which is coming when He shall judge all people, even according to their deeds. It is a scary thought, isn’t it, that Jesus would look at the people He created, the people for whom He spilled His blood, and judge them either righteous or cursed? It’s not a comfortable place for us to sit, especially as we’ve just recently celebrated 500 years of the Reformation, when the Gospel, in all its glory returned to the Church.
Yet, we must take the Lord at His word. Except, if you would notice, the first thing the Lord does is separate out the peoples. To His right, He puts what He calls sheep. And to the left, He puts what He calls the goats. To the ones who were there when Jesus said this, they would think of the shepherds, working to keep their sheep together, calling them by name, looking after them and protecting them from all harm. And they would have thought of the goats, independent, stubborn, often wild. A sheep has to be tended, but a goat will find its own way.
Now, despite the fact that both lamb and goat are delicious, that is the difference this morning. Sheep need a shepherd, goats need no one. And when our Lord separates the two groups, He is pointing us to this idea. The people on His right needed and had a Shepherd, but those on His left didn’t want one.
It is only after the separation that the Lord judges the people. The sheep, and it comes as no surprise to anyone who’s read a bit of Scripture, are those who are in Christ Jesus, those who have received the grace and mercy given by Him through the waters of Baptism, just like little Ava this morning. The sheep needed their Shepherd, and they found one in Jesus Christ. Sheep aren’t the smartest of animals, I think we’ve all heard that before, they’ve got tiny little brains that basically are able to make them breathe, eat, sleep, and other basic life necessities, and so to call you a sheep isn’t exactly a compliment.
Yet, sheep have a Shepherd, and if you would be under the True Shepherd, you must be a sheep. For these sheep, the Day of Judgment is nothing to far; it’s as Ezekiel told us in the Old Testament reading: “I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.” This is good news for the simple sheep.
Yet, as much as being called a sheep is derogatory, being a goat is worse. Hairy, coarse, stubborn, going their own way, eating whatever is set before them, goats are just different. Without a Shepherd, a goat would wander into the gates of hell itself if they thought there might be food there.
So, when the Lord says that He will divide the two on the last day, He is pointing out, first, that there is a difference between those who know their Shepherd’s voice and those who don’t. We make the same distinction today between believers and unbelievers, sinners redeemed by Jesus’ blood and sinners who suffer under their own burden.
There is, however, something to be noted here. It’s not a comfortable thought, but it’s there: there are some in the category of goat who thought they were sheep. That should be a disturbing thought to us, that one could presumably be a part of the Church and yet not be saved. This is, unfortunately, a reality that we often prefer not to think about, but it’s a reality nonetheless. There may even be people who have sat in these very pews who will find themselves there among the goats.
But, do not fear. When a Christian asks if they’re a goat, the right answer is that they’re not. They have been washed, they have been fed, they have been guided by the Shepherd. Sometimes, we might put it like this: if you’re worried you’re not saved in Christ, then you shouldn’t worry; of course, you are. Only those who have even the smallest seed of faith, a gift from God Himself, would worry that they were not among the elect of Christ.
You, dear sheep, have nothing to fear when it comes to this Last Day, the Day of Judgment. You are here, you are hearing His Word, repenting of your sins, receiving Christ’s forgiveness, being strengthened for everlasting life. Our Lord does not strengthen you in your faith for no reason; He does it to bring you to Himself.
Even baby Ava this morning is now counted among the sheep. There’s nothing she can do to earn this salvation, just as there’s nothing you’ve done to be counted a sheep. All she can do, all you can do, is receive the gifts the Lord would give you. That is enough. And if our Lord would come back right now, you would be separated to the right of the Lord and counted as His own, as would Ava.
And when the separation happens, then the Lord looks at the works of His sheep and smiles. Ava, just over a week old, what works does she have? What would cause her Lord to smile upon her? The joy she brings to her parents, her family and friends. The helplessness she experiences to be fed, to be changed, to be comforted allows us to good works to her, for her. The fulfillment of a family who loves her. These are her works, for they are done as a sheep does them, unknowingly, unnoticeably, and yet they are counted as if she is serving Christ Himself.
And for you, the Lord lays out your good works: you parents, you children, you teachers, you workers, you employers, all these roles you have serve your neighbor, and as you serve your neighbor you serve Christ. The Coopers this morning took upon themselves another vocation: godparents. They are to pray for Ava and make sure that Liz and I are doing our jobs in teaching her the faith. They will continually be part of her life, and they will continue to do good works for Ava for the rest of theirs. Our Lord looks upon you and sees that even the least of your actions towards the least of people, even this little Ava who can do nothing, is counted as righteousness, Jesus’ righteousness.
Now, for those who are goats, because they reject the salvation found in Christ alone, all of their works, even though they may be the same works the sheep do, are counted as a curse to them, for they do them with sinful hands, they do them in their unrighteousness. A goat can do good works in our eyes, but they will never be good enough to bring them into eternity. Only the works done by the hands feet of Christ, and His people are His hands and feet, are counted as good.
But again, these works that the sheep do aren’t enough to earn heaven; the works that were done to earn heaven were done for them by the Lord of Creation. All that we do as we go forward in this life are counted to us as righteousness, but they earn us nothing more. The Lord looks upon our works as I do when my little boy looks at me and says, “Daddy, I build house.” Yes, you did build a house, and its beautiful. Even though it’s just a square of mismatched blocks, it’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. This is your Lord’s love toward you and all that you do.
Ava, this morning, was baptized into her Lord’s death and resurrection. She was gathered into the arms of her Savior. She was put to death in the sin that her mother and I gave her and was raised into the righteousness of Jesus. She has been given the promise of the resurrection to come, and she will be raised from the dead to live with Christ, and us, for all eternity. And so, too, have you. You have been washed, you have been fed, you have been strengthened. You’re all sheep, you all have the Shepherd, and we pray for the Lord’s quick return, that we might be saved out of this sinful life and brought into the glory of the Lord forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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