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| The Division at the Judgment detail from a larger mosaic in Ravenna |
Today's Gospel is not a picture of the simple Galilean carpenter and itinerant Rabbi. Rather it is the prophesy of the return of the King to judge the nations. Everyone will be there, everyone who has ever lived, and the Son of Man will be revealed as the King of Glory. The angels will be with him, and he will be seated on his throne, and we shall all stand before him to hear his righteous judgment. Even as the Son of Man and King of Glory, he remains the great and Good Shepherd, and on that day he will divide us who pasture together into two groups, characterized in today's Gospel as sheep and goats.
Now sheep, particularly in the ancient world, were very useful animals. They provided meat and wool, and even milk. They were a staple of the economy, and their fertility, their relative domesticity, and ability to graze in some of the harshest conditions insured the economic viability of the community. Goats on the other hand were another story. Goats, while still of some value, were far less profitable, and there were other issues as well. Their stubbornness, evil odor, and lustful aggression has long made them the very emblem of evil in the world. They may look amazingly cute at the fair, cleaned and penned- but let me assure you that a Billy at breeding time is a disturbing and disgusting sight to behold. And yes, I speak from experience.
But what is the meaning of this division? Commentators ancient and modern agree. Here our Lord and rightful Sovereign Jesus Christ sets forth love as the ultimate test of true discipleship. This love is not merely a sentiment, but a series of measurable actions which grow out of an heart which shows forth the holiness and concern for others that are evident in God's gift of Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world. Judgment at the end of the age will consider whether or not we have treated others as Christ treated us. It is a serious basis for comparison, and a high standard indeed. The language itself allows us no escape from the reality that is the love of God. We are not given the luxury of redefining words or parsing grammar in a way that lessens our responsibility. We are called to a common humanity that exhibits the very character of God. The words generally translated "you welcomed me," actually mean "you welcomed me into your home, into the bosom of your family." There is not much wiggle room there. How are we doing? Is it uncomfortable yet? Now, a strict reading of the grammar would seem to imply that the people in whom we serve Jesus are Christians in need, but the blessed Fathers are of one mind and voice when they say that as Jesus lives in the needs of his church, his church lives in the needs of all people, whether or not they are at the time of their need named as members of his one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We are all made in the image of God, and he expects us all to exhibit that basic humanity which Charles Dickens calls, "the milk of human kindness." It is not optional, and no excuses will be allowed at the great judgment. Granted, Christians may occasionally differ about the best way to show this common humanity. There will be honest disagreement about what constitutes actual acts of mercy and what constitutes the enabling of bad behavior, but whatever political or philosophical disagreements we Christians may have about how best to accomplish the love of God in the world, the requirement remains that we cannot ignore basic human need around us. If we do, we are ignoring the presence of our true King. If we ignore him in this world, we will be rejected as unfit in the world to come, and will go away into eternal punishment, into that place of eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. But if we truly model love by our attitudes and our actions here in this world, our discipleship will be vindicated and proved true, and we will inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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