Prayer:  Jesus, we honour you today as the King of all the nations, but also the servant King who came to serve the least of these.  Open our eyes, ears and hearts to hear your message today that we may follow you more closely, serving as you have served.  In your name.  Amen.

Listen to these two stories of Christlike love.

Francis of Assisi, wealthy and high-born, was out riding one day and met a man disfigured by leprosy.  Francis was moved to dismount and hug the poor man.  As he did so, the face of the leprosy sufferer changed into the face of Christ.

Martin of Tours was a Roman Soldier and a Christian.  One freezing day a beggar asked him for some alms.  Martin had no money, but, seeing the man blue with cold, he ripped his soldier’s cloak in half and gave one part to the beggar.  That night he had a dream.  He saw Jesus in the courts of heaven, wearing half of his cloak.  He heard an angel ask, ‘Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak?  Who gave it to you?  And Jesus replied, ‘My servant Martin gave it to me.’

Theologian and commentary writer William Barclay shared these stories that beautifully illustrate today’s message was we come to the last of Jesus’ parables in the book of Matthew before the gospel turns to the story of Jesus’ final journey to the cross.  It doesn’t have all the elements of a typical parable, but there are certainly parabolic elements in this final eschatological teaching from Jesus on how his disciples should be living as they wait for his return.  Over the past few weeks, we have heard that we will not know the hour or the day when Jesus will come again, but that we need to be alert and ready.

We will be ready as we put our faith and trust in Jesus, seeking to follow him and living out the two greatest commandments.  Loving God and loving others.

While after this parable Matthews gospel goes on to Christ’s journey to the cross, we however will turn our preparations to Jesus’ birth that we celebrate in just a few weeks!  The day God became flesh and lived as one of us.  Jesus lived as an ordinary human, experiencing pain, heartache, loneliness, he was despised and rejected.  He knows what it feels like to be an outcast.  And while on earth Jesus loved ‘the least of these’.  He hugged and welcomed the child, the leper, the sinner, the women, the cripple, he fed the hungry, he healed the sick.  As his disciples, he tells us to go and do likewise.

When Jesus comes again, it won’t be as a baby in a lowly stable.  He will be coming in all his glory with all the angels.  He will sit on a glorious throne. 

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.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:32-33)

Some of you may remember that during the covid lockdown in 2020, Michael and I got a new ‘kid’.  A 3-day old goat.  Gillie was his name, and he was adorable.  Sadly, he only lived a few months.  Gillie liked to sleep with our chickens in their hutch, but as he grew, we had to separate him as he was breaking their house!

I am pleased to say that the illustration of the sheep and the goats in this parable is just that – an illustration.  We do not need to read into it that sheep are good, and goats are bad!  Though we could take the sheep metaphor further if we wanted to, thinking of Jesus as the shepherd of the sheep and in John 10 he talks about the sheep following in his ways, knowing his voice, and he knowing them.

In Jesus’ day sheep and goats were often herded together but were separated when the goats were milked, and the sheep were shorn.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between the sheep and the goats. (pic) You might remember Cameron Brett from Prison Fellowship showing us this picture as he spoke on this passage a couple of months ago sharing about how we can care for those in prison.

When Jesus comes again to judge all the peoples from every nation, many people may look similar, but Jesus will know the difference between those who truly cared for the ‘least of these’ and those who didn’t, he can see the hearts of all.  Some like the Pharisees will be surprised to be sent to his left – those who professed faith with their lips but not their hearts.  In Matthew 15 Jesus quotes from the prophet Isaiah as he calls out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.

And there will be those, humble lowly servant hearted people, who will be surprised that they will be honoured and welcomed to the kingdom to be on Jesus’ right.

Both groups claim that they didn’t know they were either caring for Jesus or omitting to care.  To their query of when did we or didn’t we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or sick or in prison or needing clothes – he replies, ‘Whenever you did – or didn’t do to the least of these’.

This passage had a major impact on the ministry of Mother Teresa, who ministered to the least of those in Calcutta, India.  She saw that she and her fellow workers did what they did ‘for, with and to Jesus’.

“We serve him in the neighbour, see him in the poor, nurse him in the sick; we comfort him in his afflicted brothers and sisters.” They saw Christ in the disfigured faces of the despised.

Jesus’ words in this passage tell us that his face is hidden in the sick, the suffering and despised.  To keep this in mind, (to picture Christ in the homeless, the hungry, the refugee, the poor, the sick, the elderly, those with a disability, those with mental health issues) will surely motivate us to reach out, and like Mother Teresa or Francis of Assisi or Martin of Tours, get close and personal in loving them, for in doing so we are loving and serving Christ.

There are 6 deeds of mercies in this parable; food, drink, hospitality, clothing, nursing care, and visitation.  This is an illustrative list, not an exhaustive one.  There are many and varied ways we can show love to our neighbour.

We do it every time we put some extra food in our shopping trolleys to bring to church to give to Hobart City Mission or Anglicare to give to those who are hungry.  We do it when we go and visit someone who is lonely.  If you think that is something you could do, speak to me or Erna, we have elderly members of this community who are now housebound or in a nursing home who would love a visit. Some of you do this really well, but perhaps we could think outside the box.  I was talking to someone yesterday about this message, and she remembered that she hadn’t checked in on an isolated elderly neighbour since the Covid lockdown.

We love and care for Jesus when we give financially to those aid agencies helping people in crisis during natural disasters or conflicts.  There is so much need in the world right now.  Are you able to give to the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, the details have been in the bulletin for weeks?  We love Jesus when we smile at a homeless person and acknowledge their humanity.

We may not be able to save the hold world, only Jesus can do that.  But he wants us to be his hands and feet, his loving arms that extend a hug around those who are suffering.

Like last week’s parable of the talents, some may be concerned that this passage talks too much about works, rather than faith.  However, we know that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not by works. This passage does not nullify the message of grace, this one parable is not giving us an entire theological understanding in one story!  But Jesus is teaching us an important message through this passage.  We need to take note of these parables about his second coming and how we are to be found living when he returns, faith with action. We don’t like to hear about judgement, but as sure as Jesus came to earth over 2000 years ago, he will return again, as we say in the creed each week, to judge the living and the dead.

We do not need to fear judgement as we keep our eyes on Jesus, persevering and running the race set out before us.  God’s grace is greater than we can imagine. As I said a couple of weeks ago, Jesus delays his coming because he does not want anyone to perish.  Until Jesus returns, we are however, to live responsibly with kingdom values and with accountability to him.  We are to abide in him, to live in his love, and as we grow in faith and in his grace, we will be transformed to be more and more like Jesus.

To be like Jesus means we will have hearts full of compassion and love for ‘the least of these’.  When we see someone hurting, we will respond, we will not walk by on the other side of the road.  We will be generous with the gifts we are blessed with.  We will love and pray and speak hope and share the good news of the love of Jesus.

As I finish, I will share with you this little message I saw during the week, possibly someone posted on Facebook and I think it speaks to this parable today.  Words from Dan Sadlier…

Christianity can be confusing, but the way of Jesus was pretty clear.

Move toward the poor

Empower the woman

Create space at the table

Throw parties

Widen the family boundaries

Poke holes in oppressive systems

Don’t retaliate with violence

Forgive your enemy

Don’t store up wealth

Be present with people

 Heal

Announce

Push back darkness

The Kingdom of God is near.

Let’s pray.  Lord Jesus, we know you are full of grace and mercy for all people.  Fill us with your Spirit that we may walk in your ways and counted among your sheep.  Help us see you in the faces ‘of the least of these’ that we may love as you love.  In your name we pray.  Amen.