National Judgement

Matthew 25:40 – “And the king will answer them, “Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me.”

At the beginning of this parable, Jesus uses the word ‘ethne’ to describe the people gathered before him. This word could be used for both nations and individuals. There’s no reason to assume that Jesus is limiting the judgement to individuals. In fact, Jesus is saying that the nations will be judged on how well they cared for “the least of these.” The Old Testament makes it clear that Israel will be judged as a nation.  Isaiah 58 is a great example of God judging Israel as a nation for allowing others to trample over God’s people. This is especially true for verses 6 – 8:

6  Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of injustice,
    to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?
7  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
    and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8  Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up quickly;

It is difficult for Americans to think in terms of an entire nation being judged, as we are so steeped in the rhetoric of individualism and exceptionalism. There are several, prominent preachers who have preached on this topic: Martin Luther King, Jr.; Jeremiah Wright, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and William Barber III. They collectively challenge us to work for an America that can affirmatively answer the following questions: Did we, as a nation, make sure that all are fed, all are safe, all have access to healthcare? Did we treat those who we deem different because of their health or bodily differences as people, or did we lift them up for inspiration while making it difficult for them to succeed? Did we as a nation establish justice? Ensure domestic tranquility? Promote the general welfare? Provide for the common defense? Secure the blessings of liberty for all Americans? Granted that link is quite “America, rah, rah,” but those are the founding principles listed in the preamble to the constitution. Those are the goals our government is supposed to aim for.

How are we doing? 

That’s a rhetorical question. It’s clear we’re failing badly. We have, as a nation, focused on economies over people, business over their workers, the stock market over other measures of our economy. Now, of course, the chickens of our sins are coming home to roost. What we’re experiencing is not a punishment, but a consequence of the tax cuts to rich people and businesses and the cutting of programs designed to keep people healthy and alive (Social Security, Medicare, SNAP) as well as the slow erosion of our civil rights that we’ve been experiencing the last few decades. A crisis has hit, and we have an elected president who is incapable of dealing with it or even caring about it, a cabinet that is woefully unqualified for their positions, a Senate Majority Leader who is determined to obstruct government as much as possible, and a propaganda machine designed to promote the Republican agenda; all of whom are actively making the situation worse. I’m pretty sure that if the United States were to be judged today, we would be among the goats.

Isaiah 58:6-8 is a wonderful text, or blueprint, of our calling for such a time as this. “Inasmuch as you did it for the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it for me.”

B

Christ-Bearers

Matthew 25:40 – “And the king will answer them, “Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me.”

There is so much going on in just this one sentence answer. First, Jesus explicitly identifies himself as present in and equal with “the least of these.” When we see homeless people, we are seeing Christ. When we see people who have a chronic illness, we are seeing Christ. When we see people experiencing dependency on others, (all of us), we are seeing Christ. When we see the oppressed, those in prison unjustly, the hungry, the thirsty, we are seeing Christ. Rather than condemn them by claiming their actions put them there, we should be celebrating them as Christ-bearers.

This is not to put them on a pedestal! Inspiration porn is a real thing and it does real damage to real people. Inspiration porn is stories that are meant to inspire, but in a way that puts pressure on chronically ill or people disabled by societal structures to “overcome,” whether that aligns with the person’s personality or not. It ignores the very real suffering and very real obstacles that physical ailments, the physical environment, and society put in the way of success. It also defines success in a narrow way – financial stability, physical independence, always being cheerful, you can think of other ways. This is completely unrealistic! 

Here is a great talk on inspiration porn: Stella Young, I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much.  

While we should definitely see Jesus in the least of these, we should remember that we are all Christ-bearers. People in need or disabled or chronically ill are not, as Ms. Young says, “exceptional.” We are not here for your inspiration. We are not here to be objectified. We are not “brave.” I can’t tell you how many times people have told me I’m brave when I tell them I have lupus. What am I brave for exactly? Living? 

People in need are not brave or inspirational, they are people in need. Here, Jesus is asking us to see him in these people. To offer them what they need as if they were Jesus, because they are Christ-bearers. To treat them with the dignity and honor we would treat Jesus if he was with us; treat them as people. Individually and corporately as a nation.

That’s what we’ll tackle next: these criteria apply to nations as well as individuals.

For today, let’s think about our own attitudes toward “the least of these” in our society. Do we look to them for inspiration? Do we think of them as brave? Or do we engage them as equals? Do we see them as Christ-bearers along with ourselves?

B

Community of Love II

On the subject of community of love and giving without thought of reward, I want to think about receiving from others as equally important. So many people in our society have this idea that self-sufficiency is a good goal. It is not. It can never be achieved. We all depend on others every time we drive, shop, fly, turn on the lights, call 911, see a doctor watch films or TV, and even use the toilet. Human beings are social animals. We need each other for our mental health. We see this need in people responding to being at home and not being able to be in the presence of friends and family by using social media apps to be with each other in ways that mimic pre-pandemic social interaction. Brunch or happy hour on zoom. Oh, IT people are important too!

This “self-made person” attitude affects how we see everyone around us. When we do not realize how much was given to us and how others helped us to get where we are, it is easy to think that poor, hungry, or homeless people are just lazy; sick people are sick because they didn’t take care of themselves; prisoners are criminals (if they’re innocent of the crime they’re in prison for, well they must have done something); disabled people are not worth as much as “normal” people; women are raped because they were somehow foolish. It becomes easy to think that somehow these populations are fundamentally different from us. It is an easy way to push away the fear of any of these things happening to us. The end point of this "self-sufficient" ideal is the fear of being on the receiving end of charity, love, anything. Being on the receiving end implies that we are vulnerable. No one wants to be seen as vulnerable or, worse, needy.

Yet, the simple truth is that in order for there to be givers, there must be receivers. And if the kin-dom of heaven is a community of love, then that must be reciprocal, a give-and-take. Humility is necessary for love. Humility is recognizing our defects, recognizing when we need help and asking for it, recognizing that we are not and will never be perfect or self-sufficient, recognizing that we depend on others every day. There is no grace or joy in not being humble or vulnerable, there is only isolation and loneliness. 

It is as important to receive from others as it is to give. Let's practice  both behaviors. How will you receive today? How will you give? These are key to God’s beloved kin-dom and only those who are able to be vulnerable as well as charitable will be at home there.

B

Community of Love

Matthew 25:37-39 – “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’”

What strikes me about this part of the parable is that the sheep, the righteous didn’t know about the criteria Jesus is setting out here. They were not merely following custom or laws. What they did, they did because of who they were. They saw need and they filled it as best they could. They were able to love their neighbors without having any other goal than helping another person. 

I think the fact that the righteous didn’t know is an important part of this parable. The Kin-dom Jesus is talking about is made of those who naturally help others with no thought of reward. Because God is love, God’s kin-dom must be a community of love. Those who orient their lives to serving themselves will not feel comfortable or welcome in this kin-dom where loving service to others is the basis of community. 

I’ll let you in on a secret; I’m not naturally that loving. I often think of the loving thing to do and don’t do it. Maybe some of you are thinking the same about yourselves. The good news for us is that we can become naturally loving. Who we are is not set in stone but is rather determined in part by what we do. Fake it ‘til you make it. For me, it has to be intentional; the opposite of natural. However, I have learned that what begins as intentional can become second nature over time. I have also learned that doing loving things for others disposes me toward loving them. Generally. And that can create a sort of heaven on earth.

Which leads me to thinking about the pandemic we are experiencing, and how hard it is to be in this situation. I see many people on twitter saying we’ll make it through. But that saying ignores the very real pain and anguish that the survivors will be left with. We will not all make it through. The anxiety, worry, boredom, sorrow, and pain that assault us daily affect our mental health. This is especially true for those whose loved ones are sick or have died. It may feel selfish to take care of our mental health during this time. It may feel selfish to have moments of joy or laughter. It may feel selfish to stay at home. However, they are important; these things keep us in touch with our humanity. 

I believe our best chance of coming out of this strong and healthy is to love ourselves and each other enough to laugh, to keep in touch, to take care of ourselves, to do what we can where we can, and, with God’s help, to create a little bit of heaven here on earth. 

Of course, while staying at home.

B