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"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then 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; for 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, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then 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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And 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.' Then 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; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I 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.' Then they will also 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?' Then 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.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Theme

A popular Christian hymn starts, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." Service to others has always been an integral part of the Christian message. For centuries men and women, famous and unknown, have carried out Jesus' dictate to love by caring for the needs and desires of others. In Matthew's depiction of the Last Judgment we are challenged to see the face of Christ in all and to render service to them as we would to the Lord himself. Kindness done to a person in need will bring not only a warmth in our hearts, it is one of the criteria used by God to determine our eternal fate. May we respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers and in the process meet Jesus face to face.

Spiritual Food For The Journey

When I was in the fifth grade or thereabouts, as I best recall, there was a popular song on the radio, "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word." The song was written and sung by Joan Baez, a well-known folk singer in the 1960s. In the lyrics of the song, Ms. Baez tried to show that love, although it has only four letters, and therefore might be thought by some to a simple word because it is so short, is in reality a very complex concept. All of us through life experience know that love is a very involved idea.

The ancient Greeks, a highly intelligent and civilized people, also realized that love was a complicated idea. Among the many gifts that the Greeks gave us was the study of philosophy, the science of thought. In philosophy and in language, the Greeks used three different words to express adequately the multiple concepts of love. The first type of love for the Greeks was phileo. This is brotherly and sisterly love. It is the type of love expressed between siblings, the love shared with a best friend. This is certainly a special form of love and highly expressive in our world. The second word the Greeks used to express love was eros. This is romantic love, the love between one man and one woman. This type of love is centered in self. Although we may give much to the one we love in such a way, eros is an emotion which is self-satisfying, a personal need that all people feel and desire. The third form, and for the Greeks the highest form of love, is agapao, commonly known as agape. This is the love we outwardly express in our service, ministry, and relations with others. Agape is centered on the other, not the self. It is, therefore, a special and powerful love which is rooted in the Christian understanding of faith and Jesus' message of love and service.

Service, for the Greeks the highest form of love, must be an integral part of our everyday lives. It is easy to say, I am too busy, I don't have the expertise, or I don't have the resources to assist. These are simply excuses which do not erase the Christian responsibility we have to serve others. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. If we wish to walk in the footsteps of the Lord, then we cannot shirk our duties to others. Let us demonstrate love by being people of service, assisting others, and in the process building God's Kingdom on earth.

Application Of The Parable To Contemporary Life

Sermon Openings
1. The call came one day in a subtle and very quiet way. There was a knock on the door to a Lower East Side Manhattan apartment. It was December, 1932. The nation was mired in the Great Depression; unemployment and poverty were everywhere. The man who knocked at the door wore baggy pants and a tattered coat; he was unshaven. The man who came to the door that day was a visionary named Peter Maurin; he had come to visit Dorothy Day. As an immigrant to the United States from France, Maurin had personally experienced the depths of despair in which many people presently found themselves. His solution was threefold: roundtable discussions where the issues of the day could be debated and solutions sought, farming communes where community could be built and appreciated, and houses of hospitality where the poor could be serviced with dignity. Peter Maurin had a vision which required a person of action.

The knock on the door that December morning was the answer to a prayer for Dorothy Day. Dorothy had worked as a journalist for radical newspapers in New York; she had been searching for the elusive vocation which is the desire of all women and men. Her journey had been difficult; poverty, a short-lived marriage, and an abortion had been her experience. Yet, Dorothy had found Catholicism, was now a mother, and needed a way to implement the God-given gifts she possessed. In the call from Peter Maurin she found where she must go.

God's call for Dorothy Day became concrete that December day. She was able to combine her ability to write and her need for action with the ideas of Peter Maurin to form a new movement, the Catholic Worker. It began as a one cent per copy newspaper first issued on May Day, 1933, in Union Square, New York. It grew into many houses of hospitality, which fed and sheltered the poor and marginal of society, in Manhattan and other major metropolitan areas. Later a farming commune was established outside Easton, Pennsylvania, to encourage community life and prayer. The Catholic Worker became for Dorothy Day and many women and men who followed her lead a passion, a way of life. The Catholic Worker still lives today in many American cities. The knock on the door that day changed Dorothy Day forever. For her it was a call to holiness, her call to discipleship.

Dorothy Day's life, recently depicted in a motion picture, Entertaining Angels, models the understanding of Christian service, especially to those who are poor, weak, and marginalized in society -- the least of our brothers and sisters. Matthew's apocalyptic drama of the sheep and the goats challenges us to lead lives of service as the main criterion for eternal life.

2. The Black experience of Christians in the United States, especially Roman Catholics, has been one of much pain and anguish. Often denied the opportunity to worship and certainly the freedom to freely exercise their faith as they chose, it is almost inconceivable that a former slave would rise to success and fame through his service to others. Yet, this is exactly the story of Pierre Toussaint, a man who is little known to history, but one whose inspiring story should be heard by all.

Toussaint was born into slavery in the French colony of Dominique, now Haiti, in 1766. The plantation owner where Pierre lived was a devout Catholic who treated his slaves in a relatively humane manner. When he was 21, Toussaint came with his owner to the newly-established United States and settled in New York City. When his owner suddenly died, Toussaint found himself in the odd position of having financially to support himself and his owner's widow, who was penniless. Having been taught the elements of hairdressing, Toussaint was able to earn enough money to support all in his care. Because of his loyalty, Toussaint was given his freedom in 1807. Later he was able to purchase the freedom of his sister and a second woman, Mary Rose Juliette, whom he married in 1811.

Toussaint's economic success as a hairdresser did not mean that he avoided the prejudice of the day. As a black among Catholics and a Haitian among blacks he was a minority within each of these minorities. Even though he was a pewholder in St. Peter's Church, the oldest Catholic parish in New York, he felt the scourge of racial prejudice from many Catholics in the city. Many objected to the presence of him and his wife in the congregation. Toussaint took the slight in stride as a necessary evil of the day.

Pierre Toussaint was a generous benefactor of many church projects in New York. He economically supported the Catholic Orphan asylum of New York and regularly assisted St. Vincent de Paul Church, the first French parish in the city. Though he and his wife remained childless, they took into their home many destitute black children whom they sheltered and educated until they were able to fend for themselves. Daily after attending church services, Toussaint walked the streets of the city, aiding the poor by meeting the needs that they faced. His charity and piety became known throughout the city. Until his death in June 1853, he remained a man of peace and service to all in need. In 1997 he was declared venerable, the first stage in Roman Catholicism on the path to canonization.

Pierre Toussaint overcame the prejudice and evil of society in providing loving service to many in the city of New York. He stands as an outstanding example of Jesus' exhortation in today's Gospel to serve those who are our least brothers and sisters, for through such action we serve the Lord Himself.

Points Of Challenge And Questions To Ponder

1. God's call as evidenced by the story of sheep and goats is one of action. How much effort do we make to assist others? What kind of priority does service rate in our lives?

2. Do we take the time that is necessary to be with people or are we too "tied up" with our own lives? Do we find the needs of others to be an intrusion in our lives?

3. When we encounter a person on the street who needs our assistance, what has been our response in the past? Have we assisted or walked by? What has been our attitude?

4. Do we hear the cry of the poor throughout the world? Are we too comfortable in our first-world environment to look outside ourselves and see the needs that face most of the world's inhabitants?

5. Can we perceive the reality of social sin in our nation and world? Do we notice unjust practices in business or government that keep some at a disadvantage while extending privileges to others?

Exegesis And Explanation Of The Parable

Most scholars believe that Matthew 25:31-46, the so-called parable of the sheep and goats, is an apocalyptic drama of the Last Judgment. This pericope is the final scene in a series of judgment passages (24:42--25:46) that the evangelist uses to close Jesus' apocalyptic discourse. The parables of the thief, servant, wise and foolish virgins, and talents are capped by this passage of the Last Judgment. Most Scripture exegetes fail to see in this pericope the basic form of parable, namely, where a familiar scene of the world is moderated to a new dimension of meaning. This passage, in contrast, begins with an otherworldly depiction of the Parousia -- the coming of the Son of Man with his angels and the gathering of nations before the throne -- then modulates into affirmation of the importance of everyday worldly deeds. Scholars differ on their understanding of the passage's origins, but it is almost universally agreed that the pericope is not a parable in the strict sense of the term.

It has been customary to interpret this passage in universal terms where all people will be judged based on how they have treated the needy and distressed of the world. This understanding, while providing a needed corrective that places a high priority on service to the poor, is plagued with problems. First, the principal teaching of the story is not strictly Christian. Ancient Egyptians, for example, believed that good deeds would win them life after death. Thus, the Christian doctrine of faith appears to play no role. Those saved have done their good deeds without any apparent thought that they were serving Christ. The pericope also lacks any reference to the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins or the grace of God. The righteous are invited to enter into the Kingdom because they have shown themselves worthy by deed, not because their sins are forgiven. There is no mercy for the accursed and the blessed have no need for mercy. There is justice for all, but scholars have suggested that justice without mercy is not Christian in nature. Another difficulty with this pericope is that it ignores suggestions from earlier chapters in Matthew: (1) Jews will be judged on the basis of their rejection of the Messiah (23:29-39), (2) Christians will be evaluated regarding their faith in Christ and their performance of assigned tasks (24:45-51, 25:14-30), (3) humans will be judged on the basis of good deeds and their avoidance of bad behavior (25:1-13).

Matthew's Last Judgment scene poses a major question of interpretation concerning the identification of "all the nations" who assemble before the Son of Man and his angels. Some experts believe that the evangelist is referring to all people, but others suggest from analysis of the Hebrew text that the Gentiles alone are present. Jewish and Christian apocalyptic writers often speak of two or more judgments, sometimes explicitly differentiating the judgment of Israel from that of the Gentiles. Many scholars thus see "all nations" as pagans who are neither Jewish proselytes nor converts to Christianity. Others maintain, on the other hand, that there is no separate standard for Jews and Gentiles; the judge separates as individuals, not as groups.

The other major question of interpretation is the identity of "one of the least of these who are members of my family." Some scholars point out that Jesus did identify himself with the poor, needy, and persecuted in Matthew 10:40-42 and Acts 9:4, 22:7, and 26:14. In a similar vein, exegetes claim that Jesus' solidarity with the poor is reflective of the Jewish shaliach principle: "a man's representative is as the man himself." What is distinctive in this passage in Matthew is the notion that all vulnerable people, even those with no conscious relationship with Christ, are nonetheless his representatives. In Matthew 25:31-46 this principle is extended to include all the world's powerless and needy.

A second school of thought is not as universal in its understanding of those identified with Jesus. Some Scripture experts believe that Jesus' self-identification with "least members of his family" does not extend in general to the poor and needy. To understand this passage as a basis for Christian love for the poor, indiscriminately considered, because the poor represent Christ, is reading into the text. These scholars suggest that for Matthew the term "brother" does not apply to all, but only to those who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Thus, for Matthew "brother" is a disciple or follower of Jesus. In this passage, therefore, "brothers" refers to members of the church. Some exegetes go as far as to limit Jesus' words to Christian missionaries, beginning with the apostles, who have been commissioned by Christ to preach his message in the world.

Interpretative questions also raise the issue of the passage's origins. Evidence, especially the pericope's startling originality, abounds that the passage is Matthean. The evangelist has prepared his readers with many earlier references to the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus' coming will be sudden and as conspicuous as lightning (24:27). He will be seen on the clouds of heaven and will send out his angels with a loud trumpet and gather the elect from the four winds (24:30f). The day and the hour of the Parousia are unknown; the world will be taken by surprise (24:36-42). The Last Judgment will be a day of reckoning (24:45-51) that may be delayed, but it will come nonetheless (24:48, 25:5, 19). Of all the evangelists only Matthew speaks of Christ's enthronement (19:28). He uses it in this Last Judgment passage to show Jesus as judge, as stated clearly in verse 31 and implied by the use of the term Lord as a title of address for the judge. The role of the Messiah as judge is almost without parallel in Judaism.

Another Matthean technique used in this passage is the principle of separation and judgment. In his Gospel the evangelist speaks of gathering wheat but burning chaff (3:12), separating weeds from wheat (13:30), angels separating the righteous from the wicked (13:49-50), five bridesmaids who enter and five who are locked out (25:12), and the lazy slave who buried his talent and is cast into the darkness (25:30). In separating sheep from goats Matthew is making yet another distinction between the elect and the damned.

Matthew also uses this pericope to express his Christology. In his Gospel the evangelist uses many titles for Christ -- Son of Man (25:31), Messiah and Son of David (1:1--2:2, 21:4-9), Lord (25:37, 44), Messianic shepherd who cares for the sheep (2:6, 9:36, 18:12, 26:31), and judge who makes the final separation of the righteous and the evil (25:31). The many terms for Christ in this passage make it highly Christological. For Matthew it is this understanding of Jesus, and not a general humanitarianism, that validates the ethic of love and mercy that became the eschatological criterion for salvation.

The ultimate value of this passage is the concrete questions it raises in what criterion will be used at the Last Judgment. The answer appears to be that God will look for faith that has been lived in service to others. All the nations, however this is interpreted, will be examined concerning the acts of love which they have shown to Christ, who comes (again with different interpretations) in the form of the afflicted. Those who demonstrate such love will be granted the grace of a share in the Kingdom. One specific measure of this lived faith is the reception of Christian missionaries. Scholars suggest that Jesus is challenging all people to be open to his message as it will be promulgated by the apostles and their successors.

The end of Jesus' apocalyptic discourse raises a final question on Matthew's understanding of the Parousia. All indications are that Matthew expected the Second Coming in his lifetime. By the time his Gospel was composed a delay was already evident, meaning for him and others who believed similarly that the end was closer than ever. Matthew's conviction of the imminence of the Parousia is not speculative interest in calculating a time for the end, but rather is a pastoral concern. He wants Christians to be ready and to use their time wisely in the interim. Although writers have through the centuries devised many ways to try to rescue Matthew's misperception about the Parousia, it is more in accord with the nature of Scripture and the integrity to which the interpreter is called to allow Matthew to express his faith in apocalyptic terms, including its mistaken temporalities. Matthew will not be forced to become modern, but the contemporary reader can still be challenged by the apocalyptic message in all its urgency and compelling power.

Context Of The Parable

Context In The Church Year

The last Sunday of the liturgical year, known in many denominations as the Feast of Christ the King, closes the story of salvation history. The church has come full circle from Advent, which emphasized the Second Coming of Christ as well as preparation for the Lord's birth in history. Through the year the Christian community has walked with Jesus through his public ministry, stood by him as he trod the Via Dolorosa, and celebrated the resurrection with great fervor.

While Jesus is the high point of salvation history, its last chapter will be written at the Last Judgment, when all the nations will be assembled before the Lord and a separation will be made between the elect and the damned. It is appropriate, therefore, as the liturgical year closes that we hear the story of the final judgment and what criterion will be used by God to choose those who will inherit eternal life. The story of the sheep and goats forces us to pause in our busy lives, look inside, and ask, "Have I recognized Christ today?"

Context With The Other Gospels

While the synoptics and John make references to Jesus' return, this story of the sheep and goats is unique to Matthew. Sources of the story appear to be Mark (8:26f), as read and interpreted by Matthew in light of his concerns, Revelation, and the Hebrew Scriptures. The Q source does not seem to apply in this passage. The Book of Revelation (especially 20:11-15) is John the Evangelist's self-contained treatise on the Second Coming. In Ezekiel (34:17) the prophet speaks of God's separating Israel in groups -- sheep and sheep, rams and goats. Old Testament references to God as king in an eschatological context (Isaiah 24:23, 33:22, Zephaniah 3:15, Obadiah 21, and Zechariah 14:16-17) lead scholars to believe this pericope may have some roots in Jewish literature. In Judaism the Messiah occasionally appears as King (Zechariah 9:9) and exercises God's sovereignty (Micah 5:1, 1 Chronicles 17:14). The apocryphal Book of Enoch's "The Epiphany of the Son of Man" (chapter 10, section 12) poses a similar scenario to Matthew's story.

Context With First And Second Lessons
First Lesson: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24. The prophet Ezekiel presents two separate images of God as a shepherd. In the first half of this reading we hear an image similar to the Good Shepherd of John's Gospel. God will rescue those who have been scattered. The Hebrews in exile in Babylon at the time of Ezekiel's writing would certainly have welcomed a message that spoke of how God would return the people to their land and give them rest. The prophet provides a message of hope in the midst of a sea of gloom.

In the second half of this pericope we are presented with a more sobering message. God will rescue the people, but the Lord will also judge the nation of Israel. Those who have abused the weak will be punished for their actions. God will appoint one shepherd to pasture the sheep at the direction of God. This foreshadowing of the coming of Christ shows that the Messiah will be both savior and judge.

Second Lesson: Ephesians 1:15-23. Saint Paul tells the Ephesians that Christ is the head of the church and God the Father is the source of all wisdom. In the church all is subject to Christ, for the church is his body in all its universal parts. Christ is high above all principalities and dominations in this age or the age to come. It is the wisdom of God that will bring us insight to be able to know the Lord more fully and clearly.

Christ, the head of the church, challenges us to seek the wisdom of God that will place others before us. It is service, like that rendered by Paul, that will be the criterion upon which God will evaluate our lives. Following the lead of Christ in his public ministry will bring us home to eternal life with God.