Some of you may not realize this as I wear contacts, but I have terrible, terrible vision. Without my contacts in I cannot see clearly more than a foot in front of my face. When I wake up in the morning, everything is a blur, until that moment when I put on my glasses. I can try to squint and pull on my eyelids and get fleeting glimpses of things, but nothing is truly crisp until I put my glasses on. Then all those colorful blobs became clear and sharp. For you, O Christian, the end times should hold no more fear than simply putting on a pair of needed glasses does – because what Christ describes in the Gospel here, when He describes the end times, is simply Christians and non-Christians both seeing clearly who God is and seeing clearly how this impacts their earthly life. Everything Christ goes over here in this text, we know now. Of course we know it now, He’s told it to us! But what He says, what He teaches, we don’t see clearly all the time, and indeed, we will see it most clearly on the last day. But let us learn and remember our Lord’s Words this day.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And this is why we call the Last Day “Judgment Day.” This is what we refer to when we confess that He will come to “judge both the living and the dead.” God will look upon us, and decide whether we go to His right with the sheep waiting for green pastures, or to His left with the goats awaiting the fires of hell. Does that make you nervous? Does the idea of separation between the sheep and the goats make you a little on edge? It shouldn’t, not in the slightest. Whenever there is a judgment, whenever there is a competition, it is vital to know what the criteria of judgment is. If I were to suddenly decide to raise a sheep for the county fair, I’d do horrible, because I’m a city boy who has absolutely no idea what the standard of judgment is. But you, O Christian, you do know what God’s standard of Judgment is. What does Scripture say that Christ is separating here? It says He separates the sheep from the goats. It’s a simple distinction in life, and it’s simple in the text.
The question here, the basis of division at the end, is simply this. Are you a child of God, brought into His Kingdom, washed of your sins? Simple as that. Do you believe on Christ, who has purchased you from all sins? Are you His baptized child? Then you are a sheep. You see, the fact that Christ describes this as a separation between sheep and goats is such a comfort. It’s not a matter of good and bad, it’s not a matter of have I done enough stuff to earn my way into heaven. Simply, are you a sheep, or are you a goat? And this isn’t a matter of anything you do. A goat can’t do anything to suddenly become a sheep. Rather this – this whole image describes Christ simply calling His own, His own people whom He has redeemed and forgiven, the Shepherd calling His sheep to His right hand. And that’s what you are. So the day of Judgment should hold no fear for you. Hasn't Christ already declared you to be His own? He claimed you in Baptism, He sees you preached to, He feeds you His Supper. You are a sheep – relax, rejoice, and give thanks to God for His blessings to you.
Listen again to the words the Christ will speak to you on the last day, and hear how they focus on what He has done for you. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Do you hear the comfort in those words? Why are you a sheep? Because you are blessed, you receive blessings from God. Because you inherit, you receive as a Gift the benefits of the works of Christ, His life and death and resurrection, you receive a kingdom which has been prepared for you since the foundation of the world. Do you note that? At the moment God creates the world, He knows already and is preparing already eternal life for you. This says so much about God and His love for you – that it is utterly unconditional, that even before you exist He has such great love towards you. It is a wonder and a marvel, and one that we will only see clearly and fully at the End. Christ tells us, and so we know now, but then we will see face to face.
And it is not only Christ’s love that we will see and understand, it will be the love that we show in our own life, at the end we will understand this fully as well. Now listen to one of the most wondrous verses in all of Scripture. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.” Christ then begins to describe the life of the sheep. He says, “Look, O My sheep, My own forgiven ones, at what your life was. Look at the love you showed forth to Me all your days, at which I, God Almighty, rejoice.” And all the sheep say, “Huh?” Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You a drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?” When? When did we do these things that You find so pleasing, Jesus? When did we do all this great stuff? Christ paints a picture of just dumbfoundment here – one sheep asking another, “You remember doing this Bob?” “No I sure don’t Jim. You know what He’s talking about Tom?” “Nope.” And here comes the kicker, when Christ explains it. And the King answered them, “Truly, I say unto you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to me.”
Do you see what Christ’s answer says about your life? Do you see, just for a moment the truth that we forget, that slides on by us so often? Every action, every kind word you say, every bit of love that you as a Christian show – even the simple things, indeed, especially the simple things that we over look, are done unto Christ and give Him great joy. The simple moments of care that you show your family, your friends, and indeed, which you ought to show strangers, are good works done to the glory and pleasure of God. And these are so often simple things – yet Christ points them out with praise. How many of you have ever fed an infant, or changed a diaper? Well done, good and faithful servant. You have served Christ. How many of you have ever put food on your family’s table, or cleaned the dishes off of that table? Well done, for you have served Christ. How many of you have shown simple kindness to a stranger, opened a door, offered to carry a bag, been polite? Well done, for you have served Christ. How many of you have done your job, studied in school, or even sat and let another show their love to you by their good works? Well done, for in this you have served Christ.
This is the image, this is the wonder, this is what we will understand fully on the last day. That our lives are really and truly lives of Good Works, works that flow without our notice, works that come forth and come forth, over and over. That while we are still sinners, that while we sin and mess up all the time, yet what does God see, what does God do with our lives? He brings forth from us mountains of Good Works that we rarely even notice or think about, He works in us and through us and is well pleased. Your entire life, everything you do, is shaped by Christ. And we get little bits and glimpses of this now, but it is only at the end when we will fully understand and appreciate and realize the impact that Christ has upon our life now. And indeed, while we are still here in this world of struggle, we will continually ask God for more strength, ask that He might work in us and through us more and more, ask that He might strengthen us by His Word and Sacraments so that we might continually live out the life here and do the works here that He has prepared for us – works that are not a burden or harsh – but works that simply come, that we simply do, as naturally as breathing, without any fanfare, without any note – simply because that’s who we are in Christ.
I do want to bring up one more thing – there is a whole other section in our Gospel, where Christ addresses the goats, the unbelievers. And I’m not going to go over this in full detail – even though there’s nothing wrong with a 20 minute sermon, I’m not going to preach one today. But just a simple thing to think about this week for when you have to deal with people who in some way hurt you. In the text, we have Christ lay the charge against the unbelievers – you didn’t do any of this good stuff. And they say, “when did we see You and not help You?” And this is how Christ responds. Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. When someone sins against you, when they do you wrong, when you feel hurt, when you feel anger – rather than holding on to that hurt, rather than acting out in anger – remember this. It was not done against you, that sin is against God, and let God deal with it how He will. This is another reality that we only glimpse briefly. We have no need to hold on to hurts, to anger – we can let all of these slide off of us – because we are attached to Christ, He is our strength and our shield – and He will handle it. Remember that all this week when things go against you, when people are harsh and cruel. So be it – it’s hard and rough in this world – but it doesn’t change the fact that you are a forgiven child of God who shows forth love and awaits eternal life. Try to keep your eyes focused there, and let no one here blur your vision of the everlasting realities.
So dear friends, in this life, we so rarely see, so rarely ponder the actual reality of our lives – that we are God’s own children, and that everything, this life, the afterlife, both in heaven and earth, are shaped by Christ and His love for us. Be at peace, O sheep, your Shepherd knows you by name. Amen.
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