The Reign of Christ
Donna Joy

Matthew 25:31-46

Today on this Reign of Christ Sunday we celebrate and remember that through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God’s cosmic reign has been accomplished, and continues to reign through his followers from one generation to another. With this in mind, we delve into our Gospel reading for today, which is – in my opinion – one of the more challenging passages to unpack and understand. It is a tough one, because it introduces that terrifying notion of a final judgement.

We often refer to this as the story of the sheep and the goats. Here Jesus describes himself on Judgment Day: The Son of Man, enthroned in glory and surrounded by angels. Jesus is recorded to have said that all the nations of the world are gathered before him for judgement. Not just his followers, but all the nations. (This is an important detail, so I will come back to it.) He separates all the nations into two groups, like a shepherd sorting sheep from goats. The sheep - the righteous - on his right, the goats - those considered not so righteous- on his left. His criteria for this judgment is based on how they treat people in need – and especially, how they treat his disciples.

We are taught throughout the New Testament that Christ’s people are his body, so those who care for them are in fact ministering to Christ himself. One piece in this story that is largely misunderstood is found in its final message, where we hear that the goats will be sent away into eternal punishment, while the sheep will be sent into eternal life. The two pieces in this story that I think require serious unpacking are the separation of the sheep and the goats, and what is actually meant by ‘eternal’ punishment in this passage.

So, first, what is going on with the separation of the sheep and goats? New Testament scholar N.T. Wright is quick to say that this is quite incidental to the main point of the story. In the Middle East, to this day, sheep and goats regularly graze together, but need to be separated at night so that the goats, being less hardy, can be kept warm. Being less hardy, they require more tender care and attention. So, they’re being separated, not because one is being dismissed as unworthy. No, they’re being separated because one needs more care and attention than the other.

Second is the bold statement “And these (goats) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous (the sheep) into eternal life." The biggest clue to unleashing the deeper meaning in this text is to be found in the precise Greek word ‘aionios’ (ai-on-ious) underlying the English rendering ‘eternal’; so, not one definitive time in the future, but ongoing throughout life, death, and into eternity. The Greek word used here for punishment is ‘kolasis’ (ko-la-cease) which means ‘remedial punishment.’ That is, to restore through corrective discipline. Correcting the behaviour of the offender. To prune dead wood (behaviour) in order to facilitate healthy regrowth. The parent who removes their teenager’s cell phone for six months because it has been used for inappropriate purposes is an example of ‘kolasis’.

So, this is NOT about transgressors being cast aside into eternal damnation. NO. It is about providing transgressors (and let’s face it, this speaks to each of us) with the care and attention they need. On those good days, or moments, when our behaviour actually aligns with Jesus’ call to love and serve, we may take heart in knowing that our Jesus inspired good deeds will ring out through the rest of eternity.

On those less-than-good days, or moments, when we don’t love and care for others as we are called to, Jesus provides us with the special care and attention that we need just as a shepherd does with the goats, whom he loves as deeply as the sheep. This special care and attention comes in the form of such things as prayers of confession and absolution, particular times of the liturgical year (such as the seasons of Advent and Lent), spiritual direction, companions through our faith journey who challenge, chastise, inspire, and uphold us.

So, once the piece about the sheep and goats, as well as the true meaning of ‘kolasis’ is clear, we need to return to the beginning of this story where we are told that while these same principals do apply to us as Jesus’ followers, Jesus is not actually addressing his disciples exclusively, or even primarily. He is addressing all the nations as he talks about this time of reckoning.

So, why are we told so explicitly that Jesus here gathers together all the nations? Well, he says this because he wants his disciples to know that as they carry on his work, in the midst of all the nations, he is with them every step of the way. N.T. Wright says, “The likely meaning of this scene, then, is that those who have not followed Jesus the Messiah will be judged in terms of how they have treated the people whom he counts as his family.”

I see this story as a sobering reminder to the disciples, his vulnerable and frail disciples who are often not very hardy goats, just how much Jesus values their selfless work, often in the face of sacrifice and death. Good or bad, the nations’ treatment of them, Jesus transfers to himself.

This is the original setting in which this parable is to be understood. The missionaries of Jesus back then were sent out as lambs to the slaughter and Jesus is encouraging them as they go. He is with them, in them, and will be talking through them. He is with us, in us, and is talking through us. So, on this reign of Christ Sunday, we remember that through his death and resurrection, Jesus’ way of love reigns over all the earth, and we’re reminded that this reign over the evils of this world continues through us. We remember that when we get this right, our Jesus-inspired acts of love and generosity ring throughout the whole of eternity. We remember that when we align ourselves with those less than hardy goats, we are given endless opportunities for remedial help. And finally, we are reminded that whenever we make sacrifices in the line of Christian duty, Jesus is there with us every step of the way: absorbing our pain and rejoicing when we are treated well.

As followers of Christ, doing, with God’s help, what we must do to minimize the spread of COVID-19; caring for others through tangible acts of generosity and love, praying for front line workers and caring for them in whatever ways we can, buying local to help support struggling small business through all this, and financially supporting our parish so that worship, ministry, and mission may continue to thrive. With Christ at the very centre of it all, these are all signs of the continued reign of Christ. Amen. May it be so.