The Second Last Sunday in the Church Year

 The Second Last Sunday in the Church Year – November 14, 2021

Psalm 54; Daniel 7:9-14; 2 Peter 3:3-14

St. Matthew 25:31-46

In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christ our Lord has two primary lessons for us to learn this morning, both concerning the division of the Sheep and the Goats. First, we will examine the fact that the Sheep and the Goats are divided based on who or what they are, not by their actions. Second, we will see the fruit born of this identity and how it applies to us today.

The beginning of today’s lesson tells us that Christ is speaking of his second coming. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”[1] On the last day, Jesus will return as he ascended, riding on a cloud. However, it will not only be visible to those gathered on a mountain top. There will be lightening in the East and all eyes will see him coming in glory. Christ will descend with all the heavenly host such that no living thing will miss it. All the nations, every human being will be gathered before him. After everyone has been gathered, Christ will separate humanity. He will divide his sheep from the goats.

When a shepherd divides his flock, placing the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, he is not judging the amount of wool a particular animal has provided nor the quality of cheese made from its milk. The shepherd divides the animals according to what they are – sheep and goats are different animals.

So too, when the Good Shepherd divides the flock of humanity, we will be divided based on who or what we are. Are you a child of God? Are you a baptized child of the Heavenly Father? Are you a repentant sinner? Do you have a white garment with your name on it in the Heavenly banquet hall? Do believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, who died for your sins? Then the Shepherd sets you to his right.

The Goats are more difficult to comprehend. The obvious goats are all who have rejected the Son of God. All supposed atheists, Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, “spiritual but not religious,” and any other worshipers of false gods are clearly goats. But there are also goats in sheep’s clothing. These are those who have despised their Baptism. He might attend the Sunday service regularly but sees it as a networking opportunity. She might volunteer for every board so that the other ladies will be jealous of her status masquerading as piety. These goats are the hypocrites in the Church, who confess with their lips, but their heart is far from God.

It is these goats in sheep’s clothing who will protest the judgment of Christ most loudly. “How dare you call me a goat! I did everything you said, and I still get no thanks. What kind of God are you?” Sadly, these goats may even be more sympathetic. “How could you God? I did everything you asked of me and still I suffered. In my day of need you were silent. If I have rejected you its your own fault!”

The goats have long since evicted the Holy Spirit from the temple of their soul. The goats have kept the law outwardly but are spiritually dead. They are no different than the Pharisees whom Christ calls “whitewashed tombs.”[2] The temptation to become a goat is often in the name of hypocrisy. The goats are the most likely to complain, “The church is too interested in right doctrine. The church doesn’t do enough for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, or imprisoned. This should be our focus!”

The church absolutely should care for these people. But care for the poor is for the purpose of the salvation of his soul. The primary purpose of the church is to preach the gospel, the pure gospel of Christ – which means calling sinners to repentance and forgiving the sins of the repentant. The preaching of the gospel requires pure doctrine. If our doctrine is false or muted by the whims of the world, we risk preaching people into goats. We risk raising an entire flock of goats rather than sheep. We risk damning those we encounter rather than speaking to them salvation in Christ.

Having an idea of who the Sheep and the Goats are, we must again notice they are divided long before their works are recounted. The Sheep are Sheep. The Goats are Goats. Sheep go to the right. Goats go to the left. They are divided based on their identity, who and what they are, not what they’ve done.

After the division, our Lord speaks to each group in turn and recounts their works, or their lack thereof; but before we can examine the list of works, there is one more character in this parable that we must define: “the least of these My brethren.”[3] This phrase could simply refer to the destitute, anyone who is hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison. There is certainly a truth in this. All Christians are called to serve their neighbor, especially those of the household of faith, and especially in her time of need.[4]

The key phrase in this word of our Lord is “My brethren.” There is only one group of people in Scripture to whom our Lord refers as “My brethren”: The Twelve. The Twelve Apostles are the only group which Jesus calls “My brothers” in Scripture. All Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ, but our Lord reserved this title especially for those men called into the Office of the Holy Ministry because these men are called to serve in his stead, enduring particular hardships and receiving particular blessings. Thus, it is natural to read, “the least of these My brethren” as referring to pastors.

In this case, the works which are recounted by Christ refer to how the Sheep or the Goats received their pastors. These works are not strictly about how often you’ve served in the soup kitchen but rather how you received the man sent to you by God to bear God’s gifts to you. How have you received the man who bears the medicine of immortality, the Word of Life, and the font of pure water?

None of this is to say, how have you judged the individual called to minister to you. There is a distinction between the man and the Office but the Office is filled by an individual. What does a hearer owe his pastor according to his Office?[5]

·         “The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”[6]

·         “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”[7]

·         “The pastors who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘the worker deserves his wages.’”[8]

·         “We ask you brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”[9]

·         “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”[10]

The Sheep in the parable have heard the preaching of the Gospel and responded with joy. They have recognized the beautiful feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things, who proclaim salvation and says to the Church, “Your God reigns!”[11]

It is true that I, nor the vast majority of pastors preaching in Christ’s church in the West, have never truly experienced hunger, thirst, homelessness, poverty, or prison. It is in the nature of the Office of the Holy Ministry to experience being a stranger. Often, we are called far away from our family, even if for just the four years of seminary. When we receive a call to a congregation, very rarely will we arrive knowing anyone or anything in the area. Making friends is very difficult because of the demands of the Office and our families. Those closest to us in the church are still our parishioners, still our spiritual children, and thus not candidates for the closest of friends.

What then do the actions of the Sheep look like in the modern West? Ensuring your pastor has a living wage and the ability to care for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of his family, including their health. It also looks like making sure he has the opportunity to study the Word of God so that he is able to minister to you; to purchase books to broaden his knowledge so that he is able to teach you; to have time and space to contemplate the needs of the congregation and the mysteries of God. It looks like ensuring he has time to pray for you and his family. It looks like sitting attentively during the Divine Service, Bible Study, and when your pastor comes to visit you. The actions of the Sheep look like communicating with your pastor and thinking twice before disregarding his words.

The actions of the Sheep look like sharing the fruits of your garden with your pastor’s family or taking him out for lunch to talk about sports, books, or home improvement. It looks like giving him the opportunity to attend conferences, visit brothers in the ministry, and subscribe to journals so that he might be refreshed in his zeal for the Lord.

The actions of the Sheep also look like ensuring your pastor has time to rest; has time to play with his children; has opportunity to attend to his house; and is able to be the husband and father God has called him to be. It looks like encouraging him to care for his beloved wife so that she does not become lonely, isolated, or resentful.

This exhortation is not a checklist of necessary actions for your salvation nor is it a laundry list of my personal complaints. It is however, a list of examples of what it means to serve the ‘least of these, Christ’s brethren.’ This service should be rendered with a joyful heart, such that you might not even realize what you’ve done. The Sheep have no idea what they’ve done because they were simply grateful to have the Word of God preached to them so that they would be saved; so that they would be numbered among the Sheep at the final judgement.

The Goats respond to Christ’s judgment by calling themselves ministers. ‘When did we see you in these situations and not minister to you?’[12] The Goats believe they know better how to manage God’s church than the men called to serve, and yet they refused to seek this knowledge in the Word of God. They are set in the ways of the world and have no heart for the ways of God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Most certainly, each of us has Goat moments. If we are honest and measure ourselves according to the Word of God, examining our own consciences against the Ten Commandments, we will quickly see there is no hope for us. Each of has despised the Office of the Holy Ministry, sinned against our own pastor or another man called to be a pastor. If you have the slightest bit of humility, you will know that you deserve to be a Goat.

Thanks be to God you are not the one who determines when and how you become a Sheep. The Blood of Christ sheers the coarse goat fur from your back and replaces it with white wool. For each of those Goat moments, cry out to the Father for mercy for the sake of Jesus. The Sheep are marked by repentance, for they know they are poor, miserable sinners. The Sheep also know they are pure as fresh snow on account of the forgiveness of Christ. You became a Sheep when the Name of the Triune God was placed upon you in Holy Baptism. To endure as a Sheep in this world is to receive the gifts of God from your pastor as from God himself. When you get your Goat up, repent and receive the gift of absolution from your pastor as from God himself. Pray for your pastor. Honor your pastor. Treat him as an angel, a messenger, of God. Above all, receive the Word of your pastor for it is not his word, but the Word of God.[13]

In T Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Matthew 25:31.

[2] St. Matthew 23:27: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

[3] St. Matthew 25:40.

[4] Acts 11:27-30; Galatians 6:9-10; James 1:27; 1 Timothy 6:18-19.

[5] According to the Table of Duties in Luther’s Small Catechism.

[6] 1 Corinthians 9:14.

[7] Galatians 6:6-7.

[8] 1 Timothy 5:17-18.

[9] 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.

[10] Hebrews 13:17.

[11] Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15.

[12] St. Matthew 25:44.

[13] Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:8; Revelation 1:20.