“From Death to Life” Matt. 25.31-46 Pent 25A, Nov. ‘20
1. Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word this Last Sunday of the Church Year is taken from Matt. 25:31-46, it’s entitled, “From Death to Life,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. In this context of Matthew 25 where death looms large, Jesus reveals a kingdom where life looms even larger. When you enter the chapel of the Hospital de la Caridad in Seville, Spain you are met by a greeter. It’s not a fellow parishioner with a gentle smile on her face, handing you a service folder. No, instead you are met by a painting where a figure is coming toward you. The painting is by Juan de Valdés Leal (In Ictu Oculi – In the Blink of an Eye) and the figure is death. Death is depicted as a skeleton coming toward you. Under his arm, he carries your coffin. With a skeletal hand, he snuffs out the light of life. With a skeletal foot, he steps on the world. Death confronts you with his claim to rule over you and all things.
3. But, if you go further into the chapel, you will experience a vision of life. There, deeper in the chapel, is another group of paintings. Using Old Testament and New Testament stories, the artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo created a series of paintings about acts of mercy. The paintings reveal people clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, caring for the sick, and offering hospitality to strangers. In the chapel, these paintings surround you with works of love.
4. So, when you enter the chapel of this hospital, you go from death to life, from the frightening thought that death rules over you to the comforting experience of Christ’s rule, revealing a kingdom where love is expressed in acts of mercy that endure. This hospital chapel captures the message of our text from Matthew’s gospel. Jesus is speaking to His disciples at the end of His ministry. We have come to the end of the Church Year and are reading the end of His teaching at the end of His ministry. All that is left now is Jesus’ Passover and death. Yet, in this context where death looms large, Jesus reveals a kingdom where life looms even larger.
5. Jesus reveals that, at the end of all things, He will return in glory. He will be surrounded by angels and sitting on a throne. All nations will be gathered before Him and He will judge the living and the dead. But, what amazes me about this vision, is the way in which Jesus reveals that even the smallest acts of mercy are part of His Kingdom that never ends.
6. As Jesus reveals His final judgment, those who are blessed are amazed. They are amazed by God’s unexpected presence in moments of grace. Jesus opens their eyes to see times when they were near His presence in a suffering world. Visiting someone in the hospital. Offering shelter to the homeless. Dropping a winter coat into a clothing drive. Putting a jar of peanut butter into a food bank. Such things are acts of mercy for Christ. He is here in this suffering world with you and, on the Last Day, He will remember your work of love.
7. Now let’s shift for a moment in our text here in Matthew 25 from a hospital to a courtroom. Most people have an interest in—maybe even a fascination with—the legal and judicial system. We can see this in the all the courtroom and crime dramas that can be watched on TV. Not only is Matthew 25:31-46 a picture of a hospital of helping those in need, but it’s also a courtroom scene laden with high drama and yet containing remarkable differences from the usual process. In the standard legal procedure of this world the outcome of a case rests on its merit, which is often a matter of long deliberation prior to the verdict being reached. Evidence needs to be examined, and questions need to be asked. Do the deeds committed by the accused merit an indictment or an acquittal?
8. Some non-Christians may take false comfort in this text by reasoning that, even though they don’t believe in Jesus, they still perform deeds of mercy similar to those listed here. By all external appearances some unbelievers may do just as much for those in need as any follower of Jesus. This, they hope, will be a factor in the determination of their fate on Judgment Day.
9. But, look closely at what happens in this court. The separation of the sheep and goats occurs before, not after, the listing of their deeds of mercy. Merit isn’t a consideration in this judicial decision. Here the order is reversed because questions about our worthiness have no role in the matter of salvation. Merit is related to motive. The righteous ones were surprised when they were told by the Son of Man that they were really serving Him. Their motives were pure. They were not performing their acts for purposes of recognition or reward. They didn’t say, “Yes, I was hoping You would notice.” They were simply doing what they couldn’t help but do.
10. This Judgment Day courtroom scene differs so much from worldly standards of law because it’s entirely framed by God’s grace. Merit and motive are both tied to mercy, which is always the operating principle in the lives of God’s people. We will show mercy because we have received it. We will reach out to the least, lost, and helpless of the world because that was our spiritual condition before we were rescued by our Savior.
11. We are now and forever numbered with the sheep at God’s right hand because He was the sacrificial lamb who offered His life in our place. Jesus stands the judicial system on its head. Through faith in Him our sins are forgiven, we are declared righteous, and our sins are purged from the record. Only fruits of faith, empowered by Him, remain.
12. It’s true that in our country, it’s difficult to see the presence of God. There is so much crime and so much suffering and so little acceptance of Christianity. We see the problems of homelessness and the pain of sickness, but not the power of faith. Our minds are overwhelmed by the overcrowding in prisons and the undernourishment in homes. All this suffering makes it seem like the Kingdom of God is far away. But, Jesus promises us that He is here.
13. When Christ died on the Cross, He entered suffering to conquer it and rule over it for you. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He seated Jesus at His right hand to rule over all things. Today, we remember there will come a day when Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. On that day, He will take away all suffering and bring about a new creation. That’s why this Sunday in the Church is also called, “Christ the King Sunday.”
14. But, until that time, Jesus hasn’t deserted our world. Rather, as the poet Paul Claudel once said, “Jesus enters into suffering so He might fill it with His presence.” On this, the Last day of the Church Year, we come to remember and proclaim that Jesus, our Savior, will return to restore all things. While we await His return, we aren’t disheartened by the darkness and death of our world. Like those who enter that hospital chapel in Seville, Spain, we faithfully walk past the vision of death to partake in a vision of life. We care for the poor, visit the sick, and soothe the suffering, trusting that these small acts of service have eternal significance in the Kingdom of our Lord. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment