April 23, 2001

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May 13 Lesson

Salvation's evidence: Love for the 'least of these' ___Matthew 25:31-46 ___31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All 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. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ___34"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. 35For 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, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ___37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ___40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ___41"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. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I 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.' ___44"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?' ___45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ___46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

___By Scott Collins
___Not long ago, a young man appeared on the doorstep of Buckner Children's Home in Dallas. It was early in the morning, and one of our workers happened to see the teenager sitting in front of the administration building. When she asked if she could help him, he told her he had nowhere to live and no family. He was looking for a home. In the fresh beginning of that new day, it would have been easy to hear Jesus whispering, "I was a stranger and you invited me in." And that is what we did.
___This young man's story is a reminder that even today, with all of our amazing advancements in technology, space travel, computers and communications, we still have people like those Jesus described in Matthew 25. In spite of (or maybe because of) a growing economy and expanding cities thriving with industry, there remain people who have no home to go to, no means of income, no circle of caring friends and no family to love them.
___In today's vernacular, we refer to these people, children and adults, as "social orphans."
___As Texas Baptists, we have a long and storied history of missions and evangelism. Without a doubt, the tremendous growth of Baptists in our state is directly attributed to our fervent and dedicated telling of the gospel story. What too many of our fellow Texans do not realize is that for more than 122 years, Baptists in our state have been at the forefront of caring for those lined up in Matthew 25--the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned.
___Through hospitals and children's homes, retirement communities and church food pantries, in the squalid conditions of colonias that encircle our state, Texas Baptists have ministered in the name of Jesus to "the least of these."
___But we can only minister to those in need as we are aware of their needs. That is why it is important that your church, your Sunday School class and you as a "priest" be informed about the needs in our state, nation and the world at large.
___Don't stick your head in the sand. Read the Baptist Standard and discover what Texas Baptists are doing and how you can be involved. That is the command and expectation of Christ in these verses.
___What to expect
___Matthew 24 and 25 open a window to the future when Christ will return again "in all his glory." The discourse of these chapters is spurred, as is usual, by a somewhat benign observation from the unsuspecting disciples who call Jesus' attention to the buildings surrounding the temple area (Matthew 24:1).
___What follows then is the sixth and longest discourse given to us by Matthew in this gospel. Though much of Matthew 24 is paralleled in Mark and Luke, they in turn contain a few passages not found in Matthew. This sermon by Christ is generally known as "Christ's Eschatological Discourse" or "Discourse on the Last Things."
___The prophecies of Jesus in this section refer not only to events that are about to happen (24:16), but also to those events stretching far into the future--events for which we still wait today. In this eschatological message, Jesus merges historic events into one message, namely the impending judgment and fall of Jerusalem (which occurs in A.D. 70) and the final judgment of the nations at the world's close.
___While the focus of our lesson is Matthew 25:31-46, these verses must be read in the broader context of this "last things" message of Jesus beginning in chapter 24. This is the obvious intention of Christ as Matthew gives us the opening of these verses: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory ..." to judge the nations (v. 31).
___This section is "framed under the symbolism of a shepherd who puts the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Those on the right, subsequently called 'the righteous,' shall be rewarded with everlasting life. The loving service which by grace they have spontaneously rendered to Christ's brothers and sisters, even to 'the least of these,' and therefore to Christ himself, shows their faith was genuine. So, also, the lack of this loving service proves the opposite for those on the left, the wicked, who are condemned to everlasting punishment" (Hendricksen).
___As this section opens in verse 31, Jesus is coming "in his glory" with all the angels. Seated on his throne, it is obvious that the purpose of his coming is to judge.
___Notice this glorious throne belongs to him. He has earned the right to sit on the throne, and the honor of judging has been bestowed upon the Mediator Jesus Christ as a reward for what he has accomplished through his shed blood.
___Where do you stand?
___Like any judge at a trial, Jesus is looking for evidence. In this case, the evidence is intended to prove the eternal spiritual condition of those on trial. Saved or unsaved? Sheep or goats?
___To be sure, we have no excuse. There are no surprises for us who claim the name of Jesus and who are the sheep of this shepherd. Is this a salvation determined by works? As Paul says, "May it never be!" Rather, Jesus is looking for evidence that proves the condition of our souls already exists.
___If you are saved and a follower of Christ, you will give evidence of this salvation by how you treat "the least of these." That does not save you; rather, it is proof of your salvation. As a former pastor of mine was fond of saying, you can tell a lot about a person's theology by how that person treats the very least in our society.
___As the nations gather before the throne of Christ for judgment, it is apparent the "sheep and goats" are standing together, intermingling, perhaps chatting with one another. And though sheep and goats often mix during the day as they graze in the field, yet when the shepherd calls the sheep, they know his voice and respond. Jesus tells us that at this point, there is a separation.
___It is a division between those for whom the evidence of their lives proves their belief in Jesus and those for whom the evidence is lacking. It is a separation between those who will spend eternity with Christ, the righteous, and those who will spend eternity being punished, the unrighteous (verse 46). The question is, "Where do you stand?"
___Proof positive
___Several years ago, not long before he died, the gifted Catholic Bishop Fulton Sheen was interviewed in his New York apartment. He told the man who had come to see him about a young priest who had gone to Calcutta, India, to interview the late Mother Teresa. As they walked the streets of that city of broken humanity, the young man asked Mother Teresa: "How can you minister to these people? They are pus-filled, shabbily-dressed, stinking."
___With a twinkle in her eyes, she asked simply, "Are they?"
___Sheen's eyes sparkled as he said to the interviewer, "She was so much in love with God that she could only see with his eyes."
___What a beautiful picture of what Jesus was talking about when he talked about the sheep who willingly and even unintentionally ministered to the very least. His sheep, the church, should be a gathering of people so much in love with God that we see only with his eyes. To do so, we must keep ourselves in memory of what Jesus has done for us, who by comparison to Christ's heavenly nature must appear as desperate as those people on the streets of Calcutta. Yet he looks at us through eyes of love and compassion.
___What Jesus seems to be saying is that in our daily life and conduct, his followers have furnished proof positive we are truly his disciples.
___What a comfort it is to know the proof of our salvation is found not in casting out demons or in accomplishing mighty works in his name. In fact, for those who boast about such things, there is no room (Matthew 7:22, 23).
___You do not have to be the theological genius of your Sunday School class, pray 10 hours every day, preach sermons or memorize vast passages of the Bible to prove your salvation.
___Rather, it is Christ's desire that his followers manifest him in their unpretentious but sincere way of living that honors him in the common things of life.
___How appropriate it is that in this passage Jesus gives life for life. To those who lift up the downtrodden and offer them a better life, Jesus gives eternal life as their reward.
___As Texas Baptists, what proof is there of where we stand?
___Both as a gathering of individual believers and as a group of cooperating churches, we have the opportunity to be those who are "Putting God's Word to Work" through our deeds and our actions.

For thought and discussion
___ According to Jesus' description of the judgment of the nations, who will be judged? What evidence is the judge looking for? Are the criteria set forth by Christ in this passage fair?
___ Discuss the difference between being saved by these actions and seeing these actions as proof that we already are saved.
___ Expanding on Jesus' examples of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned, what are some other ways we can minister to "the least of these" in our society? What ministries does your church have that fulfill this command? What opportunities are there through the Baptist General Convention of Texas and its agencies?
___ What are some areas of ministries your Sunday School class could address? How can we become more aware of the needs of others? Are there geographical limitations to Jesus' mandate?
___ What place do actions of mercy and kindness toward people in need have in your life?
___ In Matthew 25:40, Jesus refers to "the least of these brothers of mine." Who does he mean by "brothers of mine"? Is the judgment based only on how we treat other Christians?
___ What is the difference between the actions of someone who does not follow Christ but who shows the kind of compassion Christ mentions and the actions of a believer who does the same?

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