It is the last Sunday of the Church year. The listed readings are Ezekiel 34:1-16, 20-24; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and Matthew 25:31-46. Selected to preach on is verse 41 of Matthew 25, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
And what was the apparent reason for the goats being cursed? Because they did not give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty among others? Who in their life has not given something to eat and drink to those in need of it? Parents do so for their children; spouses for one another and the list goes on. And how do we understand the apparent conclusion that salvation for the sheep is because of their works?
How does one preach this text without giving the impression that works are the basis for salvation? Perhaps the following analogy might be helpful. School kids are walking home from school. Two of them leave the group as they walk up a porch, take out keys, open the door and go in. One of the other students says, “I didn’t know that they were the children of those parents.”
Now what made them “children of those parents”? Was it that they had keys? Was it that they could walk into the house? No, it was because they had been either born or adopted into the family. The keys and ability to walk into the house were only evidence of their already having been children of those parents through no contribution of their own.
So also, when Jesus points out the “works” of the sheep, in reality those “works” are evidence that the sheep were members of the family by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, they are not their own “works” at all but “fruit of the Holy Spirit.” The difference between the two (works and fruit) is motivation. Good works are motivated through self-centered motivation while fruit of the Holy Spirit are motivated by love of Christ. Goats (unbelievers) can never do fruit because they reject the Spirit.
The real difference between the sheep and goats is that the sheep are believers and the goats are unbelievers. The sheep have the evidence of being members of the family because as Romans 11 reveals, they were grafted on to the vine. As Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Without Me, you can do nothing.”
While the Law of the sermon would demonstrate our inability to do the works perfectly that are necessary, the Gospel is the good news that God’s judgment of us occurs as we have been forgiven all our sins and are wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness. We are not assured of our salvation because we see the evidence of spiritual fruit as God is able to do but because we have been baptized (adopted) into the family of God through Word and Sacrament.
Name:Tom Baker
Pastor Tom
we were just graced with outrageous Grace and the gift of God to the body, Dr. Steven Hien and his wife, this time!
When will you do the same? grrrrr??
Anyway you wrote: As Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Without Me, you can do nothing.”
Dr. Hien, when here was focusing on the parable explanation of the wheat and weeds, Matthew 13,
Dr. Hien made a most wonderful point about “doing”.
His point, as yours is here today, is “Someone” did something.
God did something.
The Devil did something.
God sowed “good” seed.
The Devil sowed “weed” seed.
There is the saying that the “fruit” doesn’t drop far away from the vine!
Neither does the weed. In fact, it is at the time of harvest that one tells if it is indeed a Wheat or a Weed. Wheat bear its own kind, Wheat. Weeds, well, they don’t bear any fruit at all. They are just weeds!
The more I am put to death to thinking “I do something” the more I understand the proper distinction between the Law and Gospel. And the more I am able to make proper distinctions between the Law and Gospel, the more useful I become in God’s field!
You, you have been very helpful to me in making proper distinctions between Law and Gospel!
Thanks Tom, may God richly reward the work of Grace and Mercy He does by you! It indeed produces Peace!