Random acts of violence are no longer unusual in our world.  Seattle is still upset by the recent shooting at the Jewish Federation.  One woman was killed and five were seriously injured.  Not long before that was another mass shooting on Capitol Hill, where seven teenagers and young adults were shot and killed.  In both cases, there doesn’t seem to be a rational reason for the killings.

          A few years ago, someone had the idea that in opposition to random acts of violence, they would encourage people to practice random acts of kindness.  You may have seen a billboard or a bumper sticker saying “Practice random acts of kindness.”

          From time to time, we hear of someone reporting that a complete stranger paid for their meal, or did some other act of kindness.  No explanation is given, and the person’s identity remains a mystery.  All the person knows is that someone has gone out of their way to do something very kind for him or her.  Someone is practicing random acts of kindness.

          In our series on the fruit of the Spirit, kindness is the fifth quality listed, all taken from Galatians 5:22.  On the front of your bulletin, the verse is quoted in the King James Version, and the word we are translating “kindness” is translated “gentleness.”  Further on down the list, the New International Version, which I am using, lists the word “gentleness.”  The King James Version translates that word “meekness.”  It’s a little confusing.

          When you translate from one language to another, there is often no exact translation.  In addition, some words overlap each other in meaning.  That’s why this list in Galatians describing the fruit of the Holy Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self control, is translated somewhat differently in various translations of the Bible.  But the basic meaning is the same.

          I think it’s appropriate that “kindness” is also translated “gentleness,” because to be kind to someone often is also to be gentle with them, and particularly with their feelings.

          When I think of kindness, I particularly think of the wounded people of our world—the ones who have suffered for whatever reasons and the ones who are still suffering.  I think God has a gentle heart towards the wounded, and God wants us to also have a gentle heart towards them.

          And let’s be honest:  the wounded are not always the easiest to love.  Sometimes, because of the pain they have experienced, they have become unpleasant people to be around.  Sometimes, we simply would rather not look at their pain.

          I would like to call the text I have selected for today, “Jesus’ call for kindness.:  In this passage, Jesus says some shocking things.  In fact, they are so shocking that I hesitate to preach on this text.  But at the same time, it is a powerful message, and it tells us a great deal about the heart of God.

          The first reason it is shocking is because Jesus says that those wounded people I was just talking about are much more than just throwaway people.  Jesus says those people are who he is. 

          The second reason this text is shocking is that it is quite vindictive towards those of us who are not involved with caring for the needy.  Most of us have become accustomed to the belief that our salvation—that is, the act of accepting Jesus as your savior—is also our ticket to heaven.  There is certainly scripture that backs that up.  However, the text we are reading today indicates that God also has high expectations for our behavior. 

          I’m reading Matthew 25:

³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

 ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

 ⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

 ⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

 ⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

 ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."                                                      

          I want to try to address three difficult questions that this scripture raises.  First, how are we to understand Jesus on heaven, hell and judgment?  Second, what does Jesus say about the final judgment with respect to the needy? And third, how we might react to this call for kindness?

          First, how are we to understand Jesus on heaven, hell and judgment?  In this passage, Jesus seems to indicate that there is an actual, physical eternal reward and an actual physical eternal punishment.  Christians differ widely in their understanding of heaven and hell.  Most likely, some—perhaps most—of you believe in a real heaven and a real hell—a place where you will spend eternity.  And it’s possible that others of you think both heaven and hell are symbolic.  And possibly some of you believe in heaven, but not hell.

          I don’t plan to try to change your mind one way or another.  If indeed there is a physical hell, I certainly don’t want to go there, and I don’t want you to go there either.  I plan to go to heaven when I die, and I hope you do, too.  I don’t have any difficulty believing in an afterlife.  Humans throughout history, both Christian and non-Christian, have always believed in an afterlife.  Jesus clearly believed and taught that there was a real, actual afterlife, with a heaven and a hell, and that how you live your life determines where you will spend eternity.

          There are many places where the Bible speaks about a final judgment.  The work of Jesus on the cross—his death and resurrection—was for the purpose of forgiving our sins.  Because of this forgiveness, Jesus is able to present us before God without sin, and for that reason, we can expect to spend eternity with God in heaven.  That is because of grace.  We don’t do anything to deserve it—it is a free gift given to us by God through Jesus.

          Now, suppose heaven and hell are symbolic, and there is no afterlife.  We all live as we choose, and after we die, nothing matters because we no longer exist.  If you have lived your life as a believer in Jesus, I believe you have lived well.  The teachings of the Bible can help you to live the best possible life.  I really do think the Bible is a wonderful guidebook for living.  So if you live as a Christian and there is no afterlife, you have nevertheless lived well.

          Suppose on the other hand, heaven and hell are real places.  By accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you insure that you will have the wonderful future of life forever with God.  That’s a wonderful hope, and it is the hope of all who claim the name of Jesus.  The problem in this passage is that Jesus clearly indicates there is more to the judgment than whether or not you have accepted Jesus as your savior.

          My second question is, what does Jesus say about the final judgment with respect to our treatment of the needy? In this passage, Jesus says some shocking and radical things about the final judgment and about himself.  Jesus says that we will be separated as sheep are separated from goats according to the way we have treated the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.  And further, Jesus says whatever we have done to these, we have done to him.  And whatever we have not done to these, we have also done to him.

          That is a radical statement!  It’s rather frightening.  Because I don’t know about you, but I’m sure I haven’t done enough to care for the needy.  It’s also radical because it seems to fly in the face of grace.  Aren’t we saved by grace?

          The third question I posed is how we might react to this call for kindness.  This passage is one that demands a response.  Obviously, Jesus wanted to make a very strong statement.  He could have said something to the effect that it would be nice for those of you who have plenty to share with those who have little.

          That’s not what he did.  Instead, if you were listening, you ought to be quaking in your boots.  I think Jesus is calling us to take a good hard look at how we treat those who are needy.  If you have just heard this portion of the gospel and you are not convicted, you probably are not really taking what Jesus said seriously. 

          This is really difficult stuff.  None of us can possibly say we have done enough for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison, can we?  I sure can’t.  I have certainly made some efforts, but I know I fall short. 

          Let’s read again what Jesus said to the sheep:  ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

 ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

          Jesus says the way we treat others—and the needy in particular—is the way we treat him.  When we do acts of kindness towards others, we are doing them to Jesus.

          On the other hand, the king’s words to the goats are harsh: “'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

 ⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

 ⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

 ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."  

          I think we need to be willing to grapple with the reality that Jesus’ criteria for entry to heaven or hell is not what we in the church have generally been taught to believe.  Certainly we have been encouraged to care for the needy, but I don’t think we put it anywhere near this strongly most of the time.

          Jesus warns us not to be so sure about our own self-righteousness.  And if, as we look at ourselves, we realize how short we fall, then perhaps we are finally in the right place.  Because there is no way to truly receive God’s grace until we understand how much we need it. 

          We are sinners, all of us—saved or not.  All of us fall woefully short of righteousness.  That’s why Jesus had to die for our sins.  That’s why we come forward and take this little piece of bread—Jesus’ body, broken for us; and this little bit of juice—Jesus’ blood.  It is in remembrance of what he did for us.  And in taking it, we confess, once again, our complete unworthiness.  It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are saved.

          And we are saved, not to live as we please for the rest of our days, but to serve Jesus in all that we do.  Remember, when you do your acts of kindness, that you are doing them to Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we confess once again that we are absolutely, completely unworthy of you.  Even though we are sinners who have been saved by your grace, we continue to disappoint you in the way we live our lives.  So often, our hearts are hard towards other people. Forgive us for our hardness of heart.  Lord, help us to see our world through your eyes.  Help us to see the people around us with your eyes.  Lord, we pray that you would soften our hard hearts.  Give us hearts full of kindness so that we might serve you.       Amen