Ordinary Time Week 24

Psalm: Psalm 100 or Psalm 95:1-7a 

Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 

Epistle: Ephesians 1:15-23

The last few weeks, the theme has definitely been the final Judgment at the end of the age. In some churches, this type of topic might get a lot of pulpit time and thought. I have never been in a church where the end times was the primary doctrine that determined all else. But, I think we have all heard of churches and denominations where the end-times – pre-tribulation or post-tribulation, rapture or no rapture, a few elect and baptized saved or pretty much everyone going to heaven – is hotly debated and declared.  I, as do many others, believe a more moderate view that holds to the basic tenant that Jesus is coming back, so be ready. I must say from my perspective, this is the safest view based on the amount of predictions that have been wrong since Jesus’ Ascension and Jesus’ words that no one knows the day or the hour of the Son of Man’s return except the Father.  It is a bit ironic that those who profess to know when Christ will return base their predictions from the Bible when the Bible itself says no one knows the time.

Let’s turn to the 2 specific passages this week that deal with this theme of judgment. In Ezekiel, Israel is described as a flock of sheep whose shepherds have utterly let them down. The shepherds took all that was good and left the sheep to defend for themselves. Thus, the sheep were being attacked and eaten by wild animals. This is a pretty apt image of an Israel already in exile. The kings and priests of Israel had turned from God and let the people down, thus foreign kingdoms came in and conquered the people of God. But this passage from Ezekiel is actually a passage of hope where God declares that he will set up his shepherd, his servant David, to rightly care for the flock. Admittedly, this is not quite a passage on the “end-times” as people traditionally think of them. However, this is a vision from Ezekiel of how things will look when God’s rule is perfected and the Good Shepherd is in control.  We can look forward to this as well when Christ returns again.

The reading from Matthew is the classic words from Jesus when he said “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; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” The disciples wonder when they did this, and Jesus responds, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” Jesus separated the sheep on his right and the goats on his left and those who served the neediest people were invited into his Kingdom. This is one of those passages that should make us pause and ask in what ways are we serving those in need.  It is not that we are trying to earn our salvation or that the way to the Kingdom is service to the poor. Jesus is the still the way, the truth, and the life, but those who truly follow him are moved with compassion and love to serve those around them.

What can we say after reading these two passages? Basically, we are where we started; Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. We don’t know when, but we do believe and confess that Christ will return as Christians have done since the beginning. I think sometimes Christ’s return has been used as a fear tactic to get people to “turn or burn.” God is a God of justice and judgment, but he is also a God of love. We pray the words Jesus taught us “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and repeat Paul’s words in 1 Cor.-- Marana tha, “our lord, come” because we truly desire that God’s new creation will come and pain, hurt, sorrow, and death will see their defeat. We, like Christ, desire that all will be saved and God’s Kingdom will include as many as possible.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Grace and Peace.