Matthew
25:34-40
When I was in seminary Tony Campolo came to speak in a chapel
service. He set off quite a
controversy because he began with these words – I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were
sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to
malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a (blank). What's worse is that you're more upset
with the fact that I said (blank) than the fact that 30,000 kids died last
night.
That comment was quite the conversation starter around campus. Quite a few people were offended by
Campolo’s words. In one class, as
people complained about his language, the professor said, well, you’ve proved his point, haven’t you?
Perhaps there are times
when we need a jolt to get our attention.
In our Scripture passage for this morning, Jesus gives us just such a
jolt. Remember that we have been
studying the final days of Jesus, as found in the gospel of Matthew. In those final days Jesus seeks to
drive home some of his most important teachings to his disciples and his
followers. As we read a portion of
a longer passage, we hear Jesus talking about the importance of deeds over words.
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, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Jesus pulls no punches in
this passage. He steps on toes. He goes from preaching to meddling. Jesus says, in essence, we will be
judged by our deeds, and specifically those deeds that are directed at the least of these. It is tempting to try and take the edge off of
this passage. It is much easier to
talk about God’s grace and his love than it is to share the tougher passages,
such as this one. But it’s a tough
passage, and there is no way to remove the edge from these words.
I’m an optimist at heart and I try to paint everything in as
positive a light as possible. If
our house burned down and I had to call and break the news to Tanya, my
approach would be guess what! You know that skylight you wanted? It’s tempting for me to want to sugarcoat
things, especially difficult or bad news, or even worse, the challenging words
of the gospel. I love to talk
about grace and love, but there are some very challenging words in the gospels
as well, and it’s not nearly as fun to talk about those words.
James, the brother of Jesus, really
absorbed these words. Listen to
what James writes, in 2:14-18, showing just how deeply he allowed these words of
Jesus to sink into his heart -
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if
someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is
without clothes and daily food. 16 If
one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does
nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have
deeds.” Show me your faith without
deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
Interestingly, Martin Luther, the
great Reformer, was so disturbed by those words that he believed the book of
James should be removed from the New Testament. Imagine that! It bothered Luther to read words that seem to
indicate our faith is judged by our actions, so he wanted to remove them.
In terms of our relationship with
society, people are looking to see if people of faith will live out their words by their deeds. People want to
know that we are not just talking about the importance of love, but actually
living the way of love in our daily lives. People want to know that we are not just talking about the
importance of reaching out to others; they want to see us actually practicing
it. People want to know that we
are not just taking about the importance of being welcoming to all people; they
want to see us actually practicing it. They want, in short, to see us
emphasizing deeds over words. The most effective way for
churches to connect with, and make a difference in, their communities will be
to live out their words through their
deeds.
The world of unbelief has heard all
the words; they need to see the deeds. Jesus was loved and accepted by crowds of people because of
his deeds – his love, his compassion,
and his care. Many of the
religious leaders of his day, by comparison, were very good at talking, but not
at acting, on their words. Jesus
was a person of action. He
certainly talked – a lot – but his words
were always brought to life by his actions.
I was fascinated by the coverage of
the election of a new pope. Did
you watch the video feed of the chimney to see when the smoke would come out? I got excited when I saw white smoke
coming out of the tailpipe of my car the other morning.
I was really fascinated that the
new pope took the name of Francis, after Francis of Assisi. Francis believed the church needed to
reform, so choosing that name is a really big deal, and it will take a lot to
live up to the name. The world is
watching, and in choosing the name of Francis the pope is going to have to move
quickly on some important matters, especially the scandal of abuse that has so
shaken the Catholic Church.
Perhaps you wonder why it would
matter to those of us who are Protestants. It matters a great deal, because the world of skepticism and
unbelief does not make distinctions between denominations; they simply see us
as one group of religious people and every scandal in the church world,
wherever it takes place, taints us all in their eyes. But the reality is, abuse happens in all kinds of churches,
and it is not always dealt with in the proper manner. One Protestant denomination actually refused to create a
list of perpetrators of abuse so other churches would not risk the chance of
calling an abuser.
Churches can’t give mere lip
service to such matters. I’m
grateful that in Disciples churches there is a process that guarantees that if
I do something improper I will lose my ministerial standing and every church in
North America will know to stay away from me.
The heart of our congregation is in
our deeds. I’m grateful for the
ministry of our congregation and what you do. The CWF ladies had their tables set up this morning. Do you know what they do with the money
they raise? It goes to the
Disciples Mission Fund – $4,000.00 a year. The Disciples Mission Fund supports 72 different ministries
in our country and around the world, reaching into countless lives. Every month we serve at God’s Kitchen
downtown, serving people who need a meal.
Dinner is taken to the Men’s Shelter. Dozens of baskets of food are delivered at Christmas
time. Dozens of kids are tutored
through Arriba Ninos. That’s how
people really learn who we are – through our deeds.
I heard the head of a relief agency once describe traveling to a
place of great need. As she walked
through an area where young children were being treated for malnutrition and
other health difficulties, she saw a young child in a bed and because he looked
so malnourished and so weak she thought he had passed away. As she stepped up to his bed she
realized he was still alive, but not by much. She put her hand behind the
child’s back and head, and could feel the ribs as though they were ready to
break through the skin. In telling
of the experience later she said, hunger
seems very real when you can touch it.
In telling that story she was trying to make real to us, as did
Jesus, how difficult things are for so many people. In the time of Jesus
the majority of people would have been classified as the least of these.
There was a small, wealthy, upper class; a very small group of what we
would call a middle class; and a large number of people who struggled to earn
enough to survive on a day-to-day basis.
Among the wealthy were some of the religious leaders, who could be
particularly callous toward the poor.
Jesus challenged them to move beyond mere words, and into deeds.
We must touch the hurts and the
suffering of the world. I
think that people outside the church world are looking for deeds more than they
are words, and when they see deeds rising to a level beyond mere words they
will be much more interested in what we have to say.
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