St. Matthew 25:31–46
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Athanasian Creed is the third ecumenical
creed, following the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. And like the other two, the
Athanasian Creed includes the final judgment, but it gives a bit more detail: At the Lord’s coming all people will rise
again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds. And those who have done good will enter into
eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire. And all the
Lutherans squirm in their pews. This can’t be right. We’re saved by grace alone
through faith alone. We’re not saved by works. Or else the Roman Catholics are
right and we’re wrong. But even if you got rid of this part in the Athanasian
Creed, you still have to deal with Jesus and His parable of the sheep and the
goats. At a glance, it sure looks like salvation by works. The sheep did good
works and go to heaven, the goats did not and go to hell. But not so fast. Look
again at their responses.
The King will
say to the sheep, the ones 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.” And
here’s the amazing thing: the sheep protest! “When,
Lord? When did we ever do any of those things for
you? I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but
I know I haven’t done all that.” The King is speaking the
Gospel to the sheep and yet they hear an echo of the Law. “No way we have done all that. No way we are good enough.”
Then the King will say to the
goats, the ones on His left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty 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.” And the goats also protest,
but in a much different way. “Lord, when did we see you
in need and NOT serve you? Just look at our lives! When were we NOT good enough?”
Do you see what
separates the sheep from the goats? It’s a matter of what they trust IN. The sheep don’t trust in
their own works. They
thought they were bad, but they go to heaven. The goats do trust in their own works.
They thought
they were good, but they go to hell. So it is still salvation by faith alone, and
not be works. It’s
all a matter of what your faith is IN.
There will be
some surprises on the Last Day, when the
Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him. Then
He will sit on His glorious throne, and the books will be opened and the court
will be in session, and the King will judge. There
will be some surprises. The ones who know they don’t
deserve heaven, will get it in. And the ones who think they
do deserve it, won’t.
And yet, hell
was never prepared for the goats. Hell was never prepared for any humans.
The King says
that the eternal fire was prepared for
the devil and his angels. The only humans who go there are those who
insist on their own way. You don’t go to hell because you committed sins. And you don’t go to hell
because you didn’t do any good works. The only way you go to hell is if you don’t
believe, if
you reject the grace of God in Jesus Christ, if you don’t trust Him, if you reject God’s way and
insist on doing things your own way, if you insist on your own goodness. If you want to be judged by
your works, then you will be. Do you dare to stand before the Judge and
say, “Yeah, I think I did pretty well. I think I’ve been a good enough person.”
Then the King
will tell you, “Depart from me, you cursed.”
The difference between the sheep
and the goats is not only in their deeds but in their trust. God has made
atonement for all of them in the death and resurrection of Jesus. He loved the
whole world. And Christ redeemed the whole world, so that whoever believes in
Him would have eternal life. So the sheep who do not trust in their own works,
who even protest the King’s judgment that they did all those good things, they
are the ones who trust in Jesus. “No way we did all these things, Lord. No way
we’re good enough.” But the Lord gets the last word: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one
of the least of these My brothers, you did it to me.” We might
even expect the sheep to scoff a little at that. But they don’t. And they still
don’t take credit. They don’t say, “Oh You’re right, Lord. Now I know what
You’re talking about. That’s right. I am a good person. I did do all those
things.” No. The sheep are silent. It’s all up to what the Lord says. And the
Lord says, “Truly, I say to you…
I don’t care what you think you’ve done, or how it seemed to you, or how you
feel about it. This is what’s true: This is the great and happy exchange: I
give you credit for My good work. I complete and bless what you have done – all
your works that you did begrudgingly, the works you did without realizing it, I
bless them and make them perfect. And, even more than that, I give you full
credit for everything you have NOT done! I have kept the Law perfectly in your
place – you get all the credit. You are blessed by My Father and heaven is for
you. The Kingdom of Heaven has been prepared
for you from the foundation of the world.”
Pay attention to that, dear
sheep: heaven is prepared for you. It wasn’t prepared for the holy angels. Hell
was prepared for the devil and the evil angels, not for the goats, but they go
there because they insist on their own way. But heaven is prepared for you, for
sinful humans redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. It’s not for good people, not
for people who never had any doubts. The Kingdom of Heaven is prepared for you.
You are meant to be there.
That also means that the verdict
of Judgment Day won’t really be a surprise for the sheep, because they’ve
already heard the Judge’s declaration during their life here on earth. The
verdict was said at your Baptism with water and the name of God: “You are My
beloved child, with you I am well pleased.” The verdict is repeated every time
you hear the Lord Himself speak the words of absolution through the mouth of
His minister: “I forgive you all your sins.” The verdict is given and confirmed
as you eat and drink the body and blood of the Lamb: “This is for the
forgiveness of all your sins and will preserve you to life everlasting.” With
faith in Christ’s promises such as these, you know what’s in store for you on
Judgment Day. You know you’ll only be judged on the basis of what the King
Himself as done in your place. Christ’s work counts for you and everything you
do in faith is a good work and pleasing to God your Father. Christ’s holy death
and vindicating resurrection are yours.
And none of this is from
ourselves or based on what we have done. It’s not even because we chose the
winning team. We are the miserable beggars who have been chosen by a King. We
are unworthy and yet He has declared us to be worthy. The King says to you now,
as He will on the Last Day, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world.”
Come quickly, Lord + Jesus.
Amen.
