Microsoft’s recent ad for their Internet Explorer contains a bit of a shocking surprise at the end. The ad uses background music taken from Mozart’s Requiem, a work which deals with the final judgment which we all must face. The specific section they lifted from the Requiem is called Confutatis Maledictis. As Microsoft’s commercial comes to a close, their familiar slogan is flashed on the screen: “Where do you want to go today?” but in the background the chorus sings: “confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis..." which translates: "while the wicked are confounded, by devouring flame surrounded.” This ad embodies either a twisted sense of humor or their malevolent curse of the competition, an insult aimed at Netscape or at the government’s antitrust lawyers. The surprise though, is hidden for those who don’t know Mozart or who haven’t heard about the commercial via email. The surprise ending to a commercial about the fires of Hell is in keeping with our often humorous approach to eternal life. Plenty of jokes abound regarding heaven and hell. We’ve all heard about people meeting St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, of poor souls consigned to a torturous eternity. While a smile may rise at the punch line what is not a joke is the subject itself. Where we spend eternity is serious, but for so many what will happen at the final judgment may come as a complete surprise. A surprise in a commercial is one thing, but an eternity of surprise is another. In our passage this morning we have a description of what this judgment will be like, what we all will encounter when we stand before Jesus Christ as Judge. As Jesus wraps up His final teaching just days before His crucifixion, He spends much time on the Last Judgment. As we look at this passage there may be some surprises with which we must be made aware, so that on that last day we will not be surprised at all. 31. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34. "Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37. "Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38. When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39. When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40. "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41. "Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44. "They also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45. "He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." SURPRISED BY THE JUDGE AT JUDGMENT The Glory of the Judge Surprises. Up to this point in His ministry, Jesus often used the phrase “Son of Man” to describe His work. The Son of Man had no place to rest His head; He will be arrested, tried, and crucified. There was not much visible glory to Jesus while on earth and the term “Son of Man” certainly did not add any stature in the eyes of those who listened to Him. Jesus’s whole earthly life has been one of lowliness and service; now He looks forward to a coming that will be strikingly different, where a tremendous change is about to take place - this Son of Man will come in greatness and glory. There is pictured here a radical change from how He has appeared during His brief time on earth. His first coming was under a black cloud of obscurity; His second will be in a bright cloud of glory. The offense of the Cross, the disgrace and suffering He would face in three short days could easily have caused His disciples to conclude that He has no power, no personal glory. But here we are told that His second coming will not be like His first; when He returns He will come in glory, power, with the angels of heaven. In His first coming He came to be judged, but when He comes again He will come as the Judge. When He first came, few heard Him, little was known of Him. But when He returns at the end of the age all will be summoned before His tribunal, all of the world, from the beginning of time to the very end, from every corner of the earth. All will stand before Him. The Decision of the Judge surprises. Why a judgment of sheep and goats? With apologies to the House family who raise goats, Christ makes a sharp distinction between these two groups in a way which would surprise us, but perhaps not His hearers. Separating sheep and goats was a common event in pastoral Palestine. During the day they would graze with one another, but at night the sheep were left in the field but the goats had to be corralled into a shelter since they could not stand the cold night air. But in the Bible this difference is played out more. Sheep were thought to be better followers; they would respond to the voice of the shepherd. In John 10 Jesus likens His disciples to sheep who hear His voice and listen. Goats on the other hand don’t respond. They were considered belligerent, unruly, and destructive. This judgment is absolute and decisive. Someone as agriculturally challenged as I am can tell the difference between sheep and goats, but what surprises us is how this judgment is described. The terms of judgment seem to be based on the works, the personal merits of each person. There appears to be no connection to the gospel, to grace. Notice what Jesus says in verse 35 when explaining their entrance into heaven; it reads as though it was because of their good works. Those at His right hand, those who are favored with eternal life question the decision. They are surprised at what they hear. SURPRISED BY GRACE AT JUDGMENT The shock of Jesus’s answer is lessened as we look at verse 34. We get a glimpse here of the reason Jesus judges as He does. Notice first what He says to those at His right hand: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.” Our invitation is because of Father’s blessing God’s grace is seen in His judgment as those invited into heaven are invited because of the Father’s blessing. The verb used for "blessed" is a perfect passive participle which tells us something about what kind of blessing this is - they are blessed in the past, in the present and in the future - a continual blessing. This is the blessing we have from God which Paul speaks of in Ephesians 1 where in verse 3 he says our Heavenly Father has blessed us in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Then Paul begins to enumerate those blessings as the Father has chosen us, the Son has redeemed us and the Spirit seals our salvation. Our inheritance is because of Father’s plan. This blessing from the Father is further defined as an inheritance. But who receives an inheritance? To inherit something presupposes a prior relationship. While there is the occasional news story of an eccentric millionaire who leaves a substantial sum to an unknown person, normally those who receive an inheritance are the sons and daughters. As those who receive the blessing of the Father, being called a son or daughter because of the work of Christ on the Cross, we become heirs of God (Romans 8:17). As children adopted by God’s grace we are made His heirs and are now waiting for the time when at the end of the age we can receive our full rights as sons and daughters and we will take possession of what God has granted to those who are His. This inheritance is not something God randomly apportions at the end. Notice what this inheritance entails, “The Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Again the verb used here is a perfect passive participle; the preparation of this kingdom was established in eternity past, before the world was made. Yt stands firm now while we wait for it and we are certain to receive it in the future. In 2 Timothy 1:9-10 Paul says, "This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Before He ever created the whole universe, God chose us and blessed us in Christ! This is the starting point of the Judgment. God begins with the invitation to enter Heaven but quickly reminds those entering that they do so based on the Father’s blessing to take the inheritance which was prepared before time began. This is the pattern which Paul explains in Ephesians 2 when he says that "We are saved by grace through faith and this is not of yourselves but is a gift from God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance of us to do.” There is a relationship between God’s grace in making us His and His power which enables and causes us to do good works. Our introduction is demonstrated by our compassion to others. Confusion comes if we read “for” in verses 35 as a cause. But this word may also speak of a procedure. Jesus is not saying that these are people whose good lives have earned them salvation as their right. He is saying that God has blessed them and brought them into His kingdom, and He proceeds to cite evidence that shows that they do in fact belong in that kingdom. I can say “It has rained for the atmospheric conditions were right for rain,” or “It has rained for the streets are wet.” The “for” in one case gives the reason for the rain, and in the other case, the evidence of it. It is the in the second sense that the “for” of verse 35 must be understood. What we see here is the idea that Divine grace faithfully received leads to human mercy faithfully given. Their lives produced evidence that God was at work in them; their works then are the fruit of grace received, not the root of grace given. It is also surprising that this compassion is not in itself extraordinary. Notice what Jesus as Judge praises. What is deserving of special attention is the fact that in each case of need - I was hungry, thirsty, etc. and of the response to this need - you gave me to eat, etc. - it is the faithful discharge of basic duties. This is about day to day living. In your daily life and conduct, in what you think are the little things of life, you have the opportunity to furnish evidence of God’s grace in you. Notice what we don’t hear. Jesus doesn’t say, “I was hungry and you created food, I was sick and you healed me, I was in prison and you liberated me." This is not about big miracles, but rather just little ministries. Yet in the midst of these little ministries the greatest miracle is evidenced - regeneration. It is interesting to compare this to what Jesus said back in chapter seven about those who do the big show miracles. To the superdiciples who prophesied, cast out demons and healed people: “You I did not know, get lost!” Rather here there is something each of us can do. It is the simple caring for another. What is the object of this compassion? “One of the least of these brothers of mine.” This helps us see what the relationship between their faith in Christ’s work and the work for Christ which evidences their faith. The “brothers” clarifies the reason why their actions are so important. In Matthew 10 Jesus has just sent out the disciples on their first missionary journey. As part of their instructions He makes it clear that how they are received by people demonstrates the people’s response to the Gospel message. "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:40-42 To receive Jesus’s disciple is to receive Jesus. This relationship of how we treat the messenger of the gospel applies not just to those who are impressive, but even to the least, to the one who receives a simple cup of cold water. Good deeds done to Jesus’s followers, even the least of them, are not only works of compassion but reflections of faith in Jesus. In the same way when Saul of Tarsus in Acts set off for Damascus in search of believers to torture, as he had done with Stephen, Jesus stops him on the road and asks him a simple question: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Jesus so identifies Himself with His people that our hunger is His hunger, our sickness is His sickness. The treatment of those who come with the message of the gospel demonstrates either the acceptance or rejection of that message. How does this help us? Did you notice the response of those blessed by the Father, ready to receive their inheritance? They were surprised not so much by their reception of eternal life, but the evidence used to support it. They never made the connection between Whom they trusted and those they served. Luther warned: “Don’t look for good works in your own life, you won’t see them, but your neighbor will!” The surprise of the righteous should encourage you, as you look at your own life and at times wonder if there is any real spiritual vitality. Sure, you believe that which is true and by God’s grace seek to obey Him. But there is no flash, no spectacular evidences of faith. You will be as surprised as these sheep on the Day of Judgment when God reveals to you what the Spirit did through you in your life. SURPRISED BY CONDEMNATION AT JUDGMENT Consignment with Satan. For the goats, those on Jesus’s left side, the side of disfavor, there is condemnation. They are cursed, cut off from God’s blessing, having no inheritance. What they do receive is that which was prepared by God for Satan and his legions. This is a banishment from the presence of God’s love, but not from God altogether - his wrath will be there. This fire speaks of his wrath, as in the previous passages in Matthew darkness pictures the removal of the wicked from God’s light of mercy and grace. The fire and darkness are the only way to describe an eternity which far exceeds our own understanding. Condemnation because of omission. Again Jesus begins by stating their eternal destiny and then describes how that blessing or curse was evidenced by those who stand before the Judge. With those on His left, notice what our Lord points to. He lists again the same items as before, but this time in the negative: they did not feed Jesus when hungry or give Him a drink; He was not invited in nor clothed, nor cared for. We might expect Jesus to offer a list of horrible sins that would confine the wicked to eternal torment, but, like the servant who did nothing with the one talent, these people are damned because of their inactivity. This neglect, these sins of omission proves that these people have not believed in the Son of Man. For this unbelief, thus demonstrated, they are condemned. They answered the accusation with great surprise, for they could not think of a time when they ever saw Jesus in those conditions. Perhaps they could recall detailed descriptions of what they did. They could total up large sums of money given, complete with income tax receipts. No doubt the amount of money so expended is terribly impressive, for as someone has remarked, it takes a great deal of philanthropy to deodorize a fortune! They have even put in long hours working for charity, fighting for racial equality, or protecting the helpless. To these self-justifying persons the King says: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. " The root of the question reveals a sharp contrast. In the case of the righteous we are dealing with astonishment borne of service gratefully rendered, and then completely forgotten. In the case of the wicked the expression of surprise is rooted in self-delusion, the product of unbelief. The shock of the wicked is that while they may have done that which is thought to be good, to do good, apart from faith in Christ, has no merit before God. There is no mediator for them, there is no one who will take their sinful efforts and pronounce them good. The response you and I have to others says much about what we believe. Our willingness to serve, to help, speaks volumes. If you were to stand before the Judge now, what response would He give? As you consider the answer, if you question whether you might find yourself in the company of goats, how is the problem handled? It is not solved by saying, “I’ll try harder to be nice, to show compassion, maybe then I’ll be let into heaven.” Such a response is nothing but a billy-goat bray. You can not produce what is not already within. Don’t be caught surprised at the Judgment by trying the wrong remedy to a problem you can not correct. Rather, as this story tells us, our right actions flow out of right faith. Like the white light which flows from the flashlight, when it meets with the prism, shows itself in a variety of colors. So also when your faith is placed in the all sufficient power of Jesus Christ, because of His death for your sins and His righteous keeping of the Law for you, He takes that weak and mean faith and breaks it down into a rainbow of work. Begin today with trusting in Christ and be prepared to receive your Father’s inheritance. |
