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Ah, To Be Sheep!

Matthew 25:21-34

November 20, 2005

1. We’re ‘betwixt and between’ today. We finished reading Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians last Sunday; next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of our Christmas season. The stores are getting us ready by playing Christmas music and decorating everything! Today the Lectionary gets us ready for Christmas by having us read from the apocalyptic sections of the Bible, stories of the end times. As we have learned the last couple of weeks, apocalyptic literature has enjoyed a comeback lately. But it has it roots in a type of literature that sprung up 200 years before Jesus was born, and lasted until 135 years after he died. Many examples are still in existence, but only two of them were admitted into the Bible – The Book of Daniel and The Book of the Revelation to John. They claim divine disclosure of Earth’s demise, and wrote to strengthen the faith of the faithful remnant – those ‘left behind’ when leaders died and persecution strengthened.

2. It’s not surprising, then, that Jesus used that familiar type of literature as one of his teaching tools. Bad times are a-comin’ folks, and YOU need to be ready! This whole section of Matthew, chapters 24 and 25, focuses on exactly that – being ready, and standing firm in the face of total disaster, whatever form that disaster took. It began innocently enough, with the disciples pointing out the buildings of the Temple. Jesus responded, "It won’t last. There won’t be one stone left on top of another." What follows that prediction are three parables about faithful waiting. One of them is about "ten bridesmaids who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom." Half of them had fresh batteries for their flashlights and a spare bulb; the others didn’t. So when the batteries drained out and the bulb burned out, five of them were in the dark. When the bridegroom finally got there long after dark, only the five who had planned ahead got to see him. (Matthew 25:1-13). The second one is about "a man who went on a journey and entrusting his property to his slaves to keep while he was gone." When the man returned, he was very pleased with those slaves who took a risk and managed well what he had given them to keep; and he was not at all happy with the one who was too afraid of him to do anything. (Matthew 25:14-30) And the third story is the one to be read today, about "the Son of Man coming in all his glory and separating the people one from another". Read Matthew 25:31-46.

3. Jesus likens one group of people to "sheep" and the other group he likens to "goats." His listeners would have understood completely. Sheep and goats wandered through the streets on a regular basis. We are less likely to understand, city-dwellers that we are. We would not immediately know what different personalities characterize those two kinds of critters. So I’ll give you a crash courses: How to tell a goat from a sheep in two minutes. Goats are not lovely to look at; they have short, wiry hair. But they can thrive and reproduce well, whether the climate is hot or cold, damp or dry, although they prefer the very hot environments. They multiply rapidly, and the kids grow and mature quickly. They will eat anything, whether or not it is good for them. They can climb through fences, even those designed to keep them out (or in, depending on whether they need to be kept in or out), they can pull the clean wash off the clothesline, eat the buds off your favorite rose bush, or bounce on the top of a parked vehicle. In other words, goats are trouble, big trouble, with a capital "T."

4. Sheep, on the other hand, are cute little bundles with very curly hair. However, they are shy and skiddish, stupid and stubborn. If they are left to themselves to find food, they will stay in the same place and gnaw the grass until there is nothing left to grow back. They are notorious creatures of habit. They will follow the same trails until they become ruts out of which they cannot get! They will pollute their own space until it is riddled with disease and parasites. The least little noise frightens them, and they will run right off a cliff to get away from it. If they feel secure, tho, they become very comfortable – and they’re as good as dead! A sheep will sit down in that lush, green grass, stretch and maybe roll a bit onto its side, then stretch again – and suddenly discover the world is upside down! It’s back is in the grass, rather than its feet, and its feet are desperately trying to get traction in the air. But it doesn’t work! Unless someone comes to physically turn it over and set it back on its feet, it will die.

5. No other class of livestock requires more careful handling, more detailed direction, than do sheep. So why would Jesus tell his disciples that those shy, skiddish, stupid and stubborn sheep are the ones who get it right? Because they are the ones who follow direction. Goats are too full of themselves to let anyone show them what to do. Sheep, on the other hand, are not at all sure of themselves, and are therefore easily led. A shepherd simply shows them where to go and how to get there, leads them to a greener pasture, and they know exactly what to do. They just cannot find it on their own.

6. What does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, show his "sheep?" He shows them how to treat people, he shows them [and us, too] how to serve them. SERVE may seem like a simple word, but there is much packed within its five letters.

S - Selfless > self-sacrificing, generous, giving, thoughtful, considerate, charitable, unselfish; Not selfish, self-seeking, greedy, grasping, self-absorbed

E - Enthusiastic > zealous, eager, whole-hearted, earnest, avid, fervent, hearty, impassioned. Not indifferent, lukewarm, half-hearted, apathetic, cool

R - Reasonable > credible, considered, plausible, logical sound, thoughtful, enlightened, fair, just, suitable, equitable, inexpensive. Not irrational, thoughtless, prejudiced, excessive, outlandish

V - Varied > diverse, different, mixed. Not monotonous, duplicate

E - Expansive > broad, wide, vast, extensive, far-reaching, comprehensive, inclusive. Not limited, restricted, narrow, confined

7. All very important components of serving. But, as important as it is to know the letters in a particular word, and THIS word in particular, it’s also important to notice which letters are NOT there.

No I – I-self > I’s tend to be greedy, grasping, self-absorbed, selfish. No place in SERVE for I.

No P - Perfection > Your serving does not have to be perfect. Case in point, these letters. I am not a good woodworker. Lots of mistakes. But it works, doesn’t it? You can read what it says, can’t you? So it is with your serving. Even if your serving is not Selfless, Enthusiastic, Reasonable, Varied, Expansive, even if it has traces of greed, indifference, thoughtlessness, duplication or restriction, God will fix any flaws in your serve

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