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Every Sunday we confess that Jesus will come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead. In our gospel reading today, Jesus tells us what that will look like. 

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirst and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.  

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the ternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

 That puts everything in a different perspective, doesn’t it? It kind of flips the world on its head. 

 The hungry and thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, inmates and convicts, those people seem like a nuisance—people who are a drag on us and others. And whenever we’re confronted with them, we feel burdened by them. 

 When someone comes up asking for money for food, we act like they’re such a nuisance. We try to ignore them because we just don’t want to be bothered. Why should I be concerned about you? Don’t they know that I have bills of my own to pay, and that I work hard for the money I have? They should feel fortunate that I don’t call the cops! 

 Or when someone is dirty and hasn’t had a shower in a few days or weeks, we do everything we can to avoid them. We’re offended by them and think, “Don’t they know any better than to go out in public like that!” To even talk to such a person feels like we’re dirtying ourselves. To even look such a person in the face feels like we’re being drug down into the filth. They’re embarrassing, and to give that person the time of day feels like we’re in on it. 

 Or when someone is in prison, we act like that’s their fault. They’re in there for a reason and they’re getting what they deserve. Why would I ever go out of the way to see them? What a waste of my time. 

 Or when someone is sick, or has pre-existing conditions, we act as if they’re a burden on us. Why should we change what we’re doing on their account? If they’re so worried, they can stay at home. 

 But guess what? Jesus came for these people. When Jesus began his ministry, he declared, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and they brought to him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them all. The people we would consider a nuisance are the very people that followed Jesus everywhere he went: people with leprosy, people out of their minds because they were possessed by demons, the crippled and lame, the blind and beggars, prostitutes, tax collectors, people with physical deformities, sinners. The people we would consider a nuisance are the people dear to Jesus. As he says, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous but sinners.” 

 And when all is said and done with this world, Jesus is the one who will have the last say with everything. Jesus, the Son of God, will sit on his glorious throne and separate people one from another. 

 And so, that person looking for food and water, that person who’s dirty and hasn’t showered in weeks, that person who’s in prison, that person who is sick—those people are sacred. They aren’t a nuisance. They are the one thing that really does matter in this world. These are precisely the people Jesus came to save. And to deal with “the least of these my brothers” is to tend to the most holy, the most sacred, and the most pressing and urgent matter in all of creation. To deal with “the least of these my brothers” is to deal with Jesus himself! 

 Now you might be thinking to yourself, “I thought we are saved by Jesus’ death and resurrection and not by our works. I don’t have to do anything to be saved.” It’s true; we are saved by Jesus’ death and resurrection! He took our sin upon himself, died our death, and was raised victorious over sin and death. And in baptism, Jesus has given us his victory. So does that mean that we’re going to stand before Jesus on the last day when he sits on his glorious throne and say, “Thanks Jesus for dying for me, but I don’t have to do anything, right? I don’t have to help that guy, do I?” Good luck with that one! That’s like a man who’s in love with his girlfriend and one day he decides to propose to her. He spends every last cent he has and gives her a diamond engagement ring. She’s thrilled! It’s a beautiful ring, and she loves the look of it on her finger. And then she says, “I don’t have to marry you, do I?” Yes, we’re saved by Jesus’ death and resurrection, and not by our works. But if we think that’s an excuse to go our way and act like Jesus doesn’t mean a thing, well, then, you can work that one out with Jesus when he sits on his glorious throne on the last day. Jesus didn’t love us to the point of death on the cross so that we could ignore the poor! He loved us to the point of death on the cross so we could live in that love. 

 But really, it shouldn’t even come to that, because what Jesus says about the last day should strengthen us and encourage us. There’s something triumphant and glorious about what Jesus says. 

 I’ve mentioned this to you before, but it bears repeating. In the third century, there was a deacon of the early church in Rome named Lawrence. He was in charge of the treasury and had the job of distributing these riches to the poor and needy. This was a time of intense persecution. The Roman Emperor, Valerian, issued an edict that all bishops, priests, and deacons should be immediately put to death. Valerian soon captured the bishop of Rome and beheaded him. Then he captured Lawrence. And since Lawrence was in charge of the treasury, he demanded that Lawrence turn over the treasures of the church to him. Lawrence convinced the Emperor to give him three days to gather the riches of the church. Three days later, Lawrence returned with a large group of the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering. And he said, “Here are the treasures of the church.” “The church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor.” 

 Lawrence could thumb his nose at the emperor of Rome, because he did have something far greater and far richer than Rome’s money, and power, and status, and comforts, and success. He had Jesus! Jesus who died and rose again for him, and who will come again to raise the dead and make all things new. Compared to Jesus, the worlds riches are not rich. Those who put their hope in Jesus have something far greater than the world itself. 

 And so, to serve the hungry and poor, the naked and the sick, the imprisoned and the stranger, to give ourselves to those whom the world considers a nuisance and a drag, is to thumb our noses at the world’s desperate clamor for riches and wealth and comfort and status, and to say, we already have something far greater. We have Jesus who died and rose again for us, and who will come again to raise the dead and make all things new. And nothing in the world compares to that! 

 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 

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Today’s Reading…

Matthew 25.31-46

³¹  [Jesus said,] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”