Pilda oilor i caprelor

Matthew 25: 31-46

Introduction
Briefly reiterate the theme of these three parableswhat will happen when Jesus returns to establish God's
kingdom. We come now to the final one (read 2!"#$%&'.
(his last parable is technically not a parable) it is a simile. *t is straightforward teaching about what will happen
when Jesus returns+ likening Jesus' separation of all humanity into two groups to the way shepherds separated
sheep from goats in the morning (after the goats huddled together with the sheep for warmth during the cool
nights'. (he rest has nothing to do with shepherding. (his passage is also a challenge to interpret . . .
What does it mean?
(his passage was one of the few Bible passages * heard (at least part of it' in my liberal ,rotestant church
growing up. (he pastor's e-planation was that it doesn't matter at all what you actually belie.e about God and
Jesus. /s long as you are nice to and help people+ you're going to hea.en. ,eople who perform acts of kindness
to needy people are 01hristians unaware2 (including atheists' and going to hea.enlike e.eryone else.
(he first problem with this+ of course+ is that the rest of the Bible (and Jesus' teaching' makes it crystal clear
that the content of our faith is absolutely critical to sal.ation. God rebuked *srael for idolatry as spiritual
adultery+ and swept them away in e-ile when they refused to repent. Jesus rebuked the scribes and ,harisees
for replacing the content of God's Word with their own religious traditions (3ark 4'+ and warned them of God's
5udgment if they kept doing this (3atthew 2"'. John states that people who deny that Jesus is God's uni6ue
7a.ior87on are not accepted by the 9ather (# John 2!2"'.
/nother problem is that he didn't take the te-t seriouslyhe ne.er read the last half of the passage because he
didn't belie.e in hell. 7o this passage was amputated and mangled into an insipid moralistic platitude! Be nice+
help people+ e.erything will work out in the end anyway regardless of what you belie.e.
(here is another interpretation of this passage that is fairer to the te-t. 1onser.ati.e 1hristians with sensiti.e
social consciences often say on the basis of this parable that belie.ers will be damned by God unless we are
acti.ely in.ol.ed in ser.ing the poor+ oppressed and needy. :on 7ider+ ,resident of ;.angelicals for 7ocial
/ction+ holds this .iew! 0Jesus . . . spent considerable time ministering to lepers+ despised women+ and other
marginali<ed folk. =e healed the sick and the blind. =e fed the hungry. /nd he warned his followers in the
strongest possible words that those who do not feed the hungry+ clothe the naked+ and .isit the prisoners will
e-perience eternal damnation . . . (he meaning (of 3atthew 2!"#$%&' is clear. Jesus intends that his disciples
imitate his own concern for the poor and needy. (hose who disobey will e-perience eternal damnation.2
1
* ha.e a lot of respect for :on 7ider. We ha.e had him speak here at >enos. =is book is a must read. (he Bible
is .ery clear about God's concern for the poor and oppressed+ and about the responsibility of his people to care
for them. (he failure of the middle$class /merican e.angelical church to de.elop and e-press a 1hristian social
conscience is one of the real blemishes of our day. ?ur ministry to the poor (@rban 1oncern' and our emphasis
on economic de.elopment in our missions work grow out of this con.iction.
But ha.ing said this+ there are real problems with interpreting this passage in this way. *f we say that our
sal.ation is based on ser.ing the poor+ then we are directly contradicting what Jesus and the apostles teach
namely+ we can ne.er earn God's acceptance by our good works (Galalatians 2!#&'. :ather we recei.e God's
acceptance as a gift (paid for by Jesus' perfect and finished work' by faith (;phesians 2!A$B'. Good works (like
the ones mentioned in 3atthew 2' are a result of our sal.ation and not a condition for it (;phesians 2!A$#C'.
9or this reason+ no matter how important caring for the needy is+ it plays no part whate.er in our sal.ation.
What then shall we do with this passageD *gnore itD ;-cise itD Eo+ there is another way of understanding this
passage that takes the te-t seriously and is consistent with the rest of scripture.
?ne interpreti.e clue is the identification of 0these brothers of mine+ e.en the least of these2 (2!%C+ %'. (here
are four parties in this parable! the Fing+ the sheep+ the goats+ and 0these brothers of mine.2 *s this fourth
group anyone who is poor and oppressedor is it a more specific groupD *f we read 3atthew's gospel in one
sitting (as we should'+ by the time we came to this parable we would know that Jesus uses this phrase to refer
to his followers (and specifically his disciples' as his true family members.
:ead #2!%&$C. =ere+ Jesus redefines his true family. =e lo.es his biological family+ but his kinship is with those
who follow the 9ather's will (by responding to his teaching' are his true family.
:ead 2"!A+B. Jesus doesn't mean this literalistically in the sense that we cannot address our biological family
members as 0mother.2 0father+2 0brother+2 or sister.2 =e means that our primary+ most important relationships
with others is mediated by him! we are first of all children of God and brothers8sisters in his family.
/nother interpreti.e clue is a parallel passage in 3atthew #C. Jesus is training his disciples for their future
mission work by sending them out as his spokesmen to communicate the gospel to a number of cities in *srael.
=e warns them that many people will not recei.e them into their homes because they re5ect the message they
bring. /nd he tells them #C!#%+# (read'sound familiarD (o re5ect Jesus' spokesperson is to re5ect Jesus and
in.ite 5udgment (unless they change their minds'.
?n the other hand+ he tells them that some will recei.e them into their homes (or help them in other ways'
because they recei.e the message they bring. /nd he makes this promise concerning these people. :ead
#C!%C. (o recei.e Jesus' spokesperson (that is+ to recei.e the message he brings' is to recei.e him and his
9ather (which brings sal.ationJohn #!#2'. =e goes on to say #C!%#+%2 (read'sound familiarD *n the same
way that God would reward people in the ?ld (estament times who recei.ed a prophet8righteous person 0in
their name2 (as a spokesperson for God'+ Jesus will reward all who recei.e his followerse.en gi.ing them a
cup of cold water.
(he point of 3atthew #C G 2 is the same. Jesus is going to take the gospel to the world (0nations2' through
his followers. =e so identifies himself and his mission with his followers that the way people respond to his
ambassadors is a true indication of how they are responding to him. When Jesus returns as Fing and brings
people before him to decide their eternal destiny+ this will be based on how they responded to his followers as
they communicated his message.
(his is e-actly what ,aul emphasi<es in 2 1orinthians !#B$2C (read'. =e has made us his ambassadors in the
sense that we speak the terms of sal.ation to people in his place and with his authority.
Huke traces this same theme in /cts.
,aul considered himself a follower of God and a member of God's kingdom. But he was persecuting 1hristians.
When Jesus struck him down on the road to Iamascus+ he introduced himself to ,aul by asking him a 6uestion!
07aul+ 7aul+ why are you persecuting meD2 When ,aul asked him 0Who are youD2 Jesus replied+ 0* am Jesus
whom you are persecuting2 (/cts B!%$'. Eotice Jesus' identification with his followers! the way ,aul treated
1hristians was the way he was treating Jesus. ,aul was con.inced that since the 1hristians disagreed with his
beliefs they were e-cluded from God's kingdom. But Jesus tells him that the opposite is true! 0Jou are e-cluded
from God's kingdom because you disagree with my followers.2
Hater+ ,aul was wrongly imprisoned in ,hilippi. When God sends an earth6uake that frees ,aul from his bonds+
the 5ailer recogni<es that ,aul is a spokesman for the one true God. =e casts himself at ,aul's feet and (read
#&!"C$"%) #&!""$"% echo 3atthew 2!"$"&'. (he 5ailer's treatment of ,aul did not earn his sal.ation) it
indicated his sal.ation because it was out of gratitude for the message (spoken through ,aul' that he belie.ed.
How does it apply to my life?
Eow we can mo.e from interpretation (0What does it meanD2' to application (07o whatD2'. (he truth taught in
this passage has at least two .ery important implicationsone for those of you who are seekers+ and one for
those of us who are followers of Jesus.
*f you're here as a seeker+ you may be thinking 0God will probably re.eal himself to me through a .ision or a
personal appearance by Jesus.2 *f you wait for this+ you will probably be waiting for a long timeand then the
result won't be positi.eK According to what we!e learned this "orning# $od is alread% spea&ing to
spea& to %ou through 'esus followers. (his is ,aul's point in the passage we already looked at
(2 1orinthians !2C'.
*n fact+ God is speaking to you right now through me. Eot because *'m righteous+ not because * hold some
office in the church+ not because *'m so wise or ha.e a hot line to Jesus+ not because God speaks only through
me. But because he (by his grace' has made me his ambassador to speak what he has re.ealed through his
Word. =e has authori<ed me to tell you how to know him. Jou ha.e to admit to him that you ha.e sinned
against him and fall short of his righteous character+ and that your good works can ne.er earn God's
acceptance. Jou ha.e to admit your need for Jesus as your 7a.ior+ because he alone has li.ed the righteous life
that you owe God+ and he alone has 6ualified to suffer the penalty of death you owe God. Jou ha.e to be willing
to ask God to forgi.e you through Jesus+ and you ha.e to ask Jesus to come into your heart and make you
God's child.
*f you want to know God+ you ha.e to recei.e this message that * 5ust ga.e you. *f you decide+ 0Eo+ * can re5ect
the message of Jesus' followers and still be ?F with God in the end2you are fatally mistaken. (here is only
one way to God+ and that is through Jesus. /nd your response to what Jesus is saying to you through his
followers is how your eternal destiny will be determined. (f %ou re)ect the "essage of 'esus followers#
%ou are re)ecting $ods in!itation to his &ingdo". (his re6uires a positi.e response on your part (:7L, to
,/:(J'. What do you sayD
What does this passage ha.e for us who are followers of JesusD God ga.e us the ministry of reconciliation. God
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are 1hrist's ambassadors (2 1orinthians !#B$2C'. What
an ama<ing e-pression of God's gracethat he would not only gi.e us the free gift of sal.ation e.en though we
deser.e his 5udgment+ but that he then gi.es us (with all of our sins and problems' the pri.ilege of
communicating for him to others.
With this pri.ilege comes a sober responsibilitywe need to open our mouths and tell people about God's offer.
Jes+ you are a child+ a spouse+ a parent+ an employer or employee+ a citi<en+ a neighbor+ etc.but abo.e all you
are 1hrist's ambassador+ and you need to tell people about 1hristK Jou are positioned by God to reach certain
people for 1hrist that no one else is better positioned to reach.
Jes+ you should pray for open doors+ be sensiti.e+ tactful+ lo.ing+ etc.but you need to tell people about Jesus
because this is the most important news in the world. *f you wait until you can say it perfectly+ you will be
waiting fore.er. But if you lo.e people+ trust the =oly 7pirit and speak sincerely+ God will honor this (3??IJ /(
1/3B:*IG;'.
*f you do this+ no matter how tactful+ lo.ing+ sensiti.e you are (and you should be'+ sometimes you're going to
take some flak. (here is no .irtue in being offensi.e+ but if you are being faithful you will offend people because
you ha.e pricked their pride+ e-posed their commitment to sin+ etc. Ion't take this personally. Jesus told us to
e-pect this and that the reaction is really directed at him anyway (John #!#A$2#'. /ren't you glad someone
has the lo.e and courage to tell you about 1hrist+ e.en if you ga.e him flakD Het's worry less about how people
might hurt us and think more about this pri.ilege and the good we can do for othersK
Footnotes
1 :onald J. 7ider+ Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (Iallas! Word ,ublishing+ #BB4'+ pp. %A+C.