Jesus Incognito

Scripture:
Mt. 25:31-45: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his 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."Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For 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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
 

These are the reflections Jo Bateman provided on choosing her favorite text:
I thought long and hard about choosing this passage. As a person who was created very left handed, and deals with the challenges of living in a world designed for right handed people, it bothers me that, even in scripture, the left hand is considered the negative side.   Couldn't it just say "some on one hand and some on the other?" And, what about the goats? Depending on your situation, couldn't goats be as valuable as sheep?   But moving past these distractions, I find this scripture meaningful for two reasons.  First of all, it clearly describes what it means to live like Christ, to step out of our comfort zone and serve others with love and compassion, treating them as we would want to be treated or have our loved ones treated. Secondly,  we are told this love loving care of others is the basis on which we will be judged by our God, and not by standards we or others might choose. It is humbling to realize how many times each and every day, through our interactions with others, we have the opportunity to live as Christ would have us live, doing our part making life better for our fellow children of God.  As we are often told "It is all that easy and it is all that hard."
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Sermon excerpt (August 14, 2016)
"Trois Pommes" is a little boutique in Zurich's prime shopping district. It sells purses and handbags - and not exactly the cheapest ones.. On an rainy day in August, a woman enters the store and begins to browse. At some point she goes up to the clerk and asks if she could have a closer look of that black bag on display behind her.
The clerk looks at her - and then says: How about you have a look at this one instead, because that one will cost too much, you will not be able to afford that one.
Now granted the purse was indeed very expensive, and the clerk maybe really just wanted to look out for her customer. And yet, this probably wasn't the best customer service. What made matters even more controversial was the fact that the customer in this instance was black. However, what made the story actually hit the media was the fact that the black woman was Oprah Winfrey who happened to be in Switzerland for Tina Turner's wedding.
I'm sure there were many things that went through that store clerk's head after this incident. One of them, I imagine, was: "If only I had known it was her!"
I remember in my days as a seminary student, in my part-time job at the gym (...), every once in a while our boss would call us all together, all employees, and said: be en guard. We all knew what that meant.
For a the next couple weeks, we tried super hard to be more friendly on the phone as usual. We tried to be even more knowledgeable to people who inquired about our contracts or our programs. We would mix that protein shake graciously and with a dedication as if our lives depended on it.
Because chances were that the random stranger we were talking to was the one who would decide if we would retain or lose the accreditation with the nationwide gym association. As you imagine, the air was usually a little bit tense. But then again, at least it was not unannounced.
I don't know about you, but I am not a big fan of being under judgment.
And this includes the idea of the final judgment.
I struggle with 'judgment Jesus'. If I could pick just one, I would stick with 'gentle savior Jesus'. The one who blesses the children and welcomes those who carry heavy burdens. The one who heals, who eats and drinks with sinners and outcasts and gives second chances to those caught doing wrong. The one who stretches his arms open wide on the cross, praying, father forgive, for they do not know... and two days later breathes the spirit of forgiveness and new life into the disciples' heart who were overcome by fear and guilt. That is the Jesus I love.
I struggle with this image of the Son of Man in our text: who is to come with the clouds, takes a seat on the throne, and then begins the harsh business of sorting out.
I wonder: How do these two fit together?
Can I trust the one who offers grace and forgiveness, or is he in the end going to say: sorry, but you should have tried a little harder? (You're fired!)
I struggle with the vision of a final judgment - especially, when it is, like our text seems to suggest, a judgment based solely on what we did, not on what we said or believed. And I want to say: Matthew, did you not read what Paul wrote: we're saved by grace and not by works? What are you holding up this vision of the final judgment here at the end of your gospel? I don't like this emphasis on judgment. I am afraid I'll never pass the test.
But maybe this image of the judgment isn't here to scare us - but more as a reminder to check our pulse. The Rev. Lindsey P. Anderson in a commentary compares it to her annual wellness check - something that can be very uncomfortable, and yet life saving! Because it is so easy to get off track, especially when 'life happens' and we think we have it all figured out.
When Jesus preaches judgment, she says, it is with our overall wellness in mind: "It's purpose is not to condemn or scare but to provide a s snapshot of our overall health (...) and growth that should lead to new habits and ays of life. After all, as our doctor wants us to flourish, so does our Creator, Redeemer, Judge, and King."
Heart health is crucial. The image of the Son of Man separating the sheep and goats shakes up our self-centered living, especially whe we run in danger that we're distancing ourselves from others, allowing apathy to grow in us like a tumor, expecting that our actions have no real consequences. This wellness check lifts up the importance of what we do with our lives, and whether we actually mean it when we say we love our neighbor as ourselves, and whether or not it includes those that the world finds unlovable.
When I think back of middle school, there are not too many memories. And I'm grateful for that. Because, life in middle school was tough. Somehow I didn't get the memo that trying to be the teacher's pet and a church mouse won't make me the most popular kid in class. There was only one consolation. A farm girl - let's call her Tammy - who was just one, two ranks below me on the social latter. "She stinks", we'd say. And I was just happy for not being the butt of the joke for once.
Then one day, we lost a classmate through a tragic accident. And the idea of death entered the conversations of these 5th graders. As well as our dreams.
One dream I will never forget. I dreamed I had died. I wasn't afraid or anything, because I believed in Jesus, and was this good kid. In fact I was actually very excited to see Jesus for the first time from face to face. And then heaven's gate opens. And then I see the face of Tammy.
One key element of this judgment scene is that it is a moment of surprise.
Where did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick or in prison, and we didn't serve you, the goats protest at the end of the parable in shock. What they're actually saying is: If we had known it was you... If I had known we'd get inspected today... if I had known Oprah came to my store... then of course we would have acted differently! They still don't get it.
And maybe this is what really separates them from the sheep: Because those have shown love, true love, by serving freely, completely unaware that they were doing any of this for the King of all creation.
And this is the love Christ is looking for: Love experienced in deeds of love and mercy. Love that is not calculated or expected. Love that reaches out to those undervalued by the standards of this world. Love that leads us to the places where it hurts.
And Christ is already there.
Thomas Dummermuth (tdummermuth@eastridge.org)