Pastor B.J. Froiland
2nd Last Sunday in the Church Year
Matthew 25:31-46
November 15th, 2009
In the Name of the Father and of the Son X and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The courtroom scene took place in the middle of the night. The Lord of all Righteousness took His place in the dock. Slander was heaped upon His innocence by those who hated Him. Caiaphas, the high priest, and all the Council of the Sanhedrin gathered together to seek false testimony against Him to put Him to death. 1, 2, 3, 4, and so many false witnesses came forward. “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” Silence was His answer. They berated Him, “… Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” The Lord said, “… I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” “Blasphemy” they said. What further false witness did they need? They declared the Sinless Son of God guilty. And for His judgment? The decision was unanimous: “He deserves death.” His death was carried out upon a cross.
But, Dearly Beloved, a curious thing happened not long after His death. The words of His courtroom testimony rang true: “… I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The ultimate reversal takes place. The One Who was Judged is now THE Judge. Christ, who was condemned on earth, reigns supreme as the Eternal Judge. Because He took on human flesh, He will be the Judge over all men, on whose behalf He was innocently condemned.
Matthew tells us that the Lord as Judge “will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” And while the Lord will separate person from person, isn’t there a sheep and a goat dwelling within each one of us? Aren’t we both sinners and saints in this lifetime? Can’t we also identify with St. Paul who said, “I do not do the thing that I want, but I do the very thing I hate … for I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh … For I do not do what I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing … I see another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Doesn’t wretched sin infect your life?
In the book The Hammer of God, a novel by Bishop Bo Giertz, the author describes a pious young pastor at the bedside of an aged and delirious man who is near death. The old man was sprouting out profanities and hateful words in his fevered condition. In one brief moment when the old man came to, it was asked of this old man, “You are thinking of Jesus, are you not?” His only response was, “I am not able to … I can’t think any longer. But I know that Jesus is thinking of me.”
Dearly Beloved, there is no confidence in the flesh. Even the flesh of the pious. Note the young pastor’s next thoughts: “Was it really anything other than hypocrisy? Here he was supposed to bring comfort, and he himself was chockfull of sin as this dying old man. The only difference was that he was still in possession of his full senses, and in the interest of his good reputation must cover up tightly all the uncleanness within. As for the poor old man, his lid had fallen off, and everything lay bare. But for God, to be sure, everything was always naked to his eyes.”
Even goats can hide their horns and your hooves behind fake sheep’s wool in this life. You can hide your hateful thoughts and words behind a nice smile and pleasant conversation. You can use your good reputation to cover up tightly the uncleanness within you. But don’t you know that before God, everything lays bare? Don’t you know that everything is always naked before His eyes, both now and eternally? “He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall not He see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not He correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not He know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men …” The Lord knows all secret sins.
On Judgment Day, will not all your sins be revealed to the whole world? Hear St. John’s words in the book of Revelation: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men. The Lord knows all wicked deeds. What will you hide behind in that day, when the Lord judges all? Or as St. Paul said, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Thanks be to God through the Good Shepherd. The Lord knows those who are His sheep. They are the ones who hear His voice. The sheep follow the voice of their Shepherd Christ. The Lord said, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
The Good Shepherd calls you to Himself. “Come here, you have found your way to me; you heard my voice when I called you. Come to Me, all you who are heavy-laden, I will give you rest. Come to Me and I will never cast you away. When you thirst, come to Me; take the water of life freely. Come now to Me; I will take you into my kingdom; where I am, you will also be.”
You are the blessed and beloved children of God. The eternal heavenly Father blesses you with all kinds of spiritual blessings. You are spiritual Israelites who cling to Him. You are partakers of the Eternal Blessing and you are delivered from the curse of the Law. You inherit the kingdom and are children of God. He distributes the inheritance of the eternal kingdom to you, because how can there be an inheritance without heirs?
Dearly Beloved, what is the Judge’s final ruling? Mercy for you on the Last Day! Even though you are all cursed goats, there’s the one time the Good Shepherd called out to you with His voice, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Even though you are all cursed goats, you trust in the Lord who says to you, “I forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Even though you are all cursed goats, and yet you aren’t, because you trust the Words, “the Body of Christ, given for you” and “the Blood of Christ, shed for you.” Remain in The Good Shepherd’s words. By His words, you sheep inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Amen.
The Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
XBJFX