Be A Sheep

Be a Sheep
(Matthew 25:31-46)
A reflection by Gloria Rose Koepping
Spirit of Peace, United Church of Christ
Sammamish, Washington
November 20^th, 2011

^31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.'

^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

^41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
   I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

⁴⁴"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

⁴⁵"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

⁴⁶"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."
The Message, Matthew 25:31-46

Today’s reading uses the metaphor of a Sheppard herding goats and sheep to suggest how followers of Jesus will be viewed on Judgment Day. It then goes on to spell out what kind of behaviors we ought to emulate in order to make the cut.

When I read anything, I usually approach it as a giant projective, looking for the special message that is intended for me alone, that reflects my psychological or spiritual need of the moment. Today’s gospel I view through the lens of my old Rorschach professor and the nuns from my early elementary school days at St. Philomena’s, my faith community of origin.

Dr. Tom Shill had a buzz cut straight from the 1950’s, even though it was 1980. His hair looked frozen in time. He was one of my favorite instructors in grad school because he taught me to keep looking for multiple levels of meaning in even the simplest things. Instead of being focused on sex and death, as you might expect from a good Freudian, he was always focused on the quality of relationships people had in their lives and what they were doing with that life.

About this bible passage, I can imagine Dr. Shill, complete with his interpreting a Rorschach voice, saying, “So, Sheep… What might THAT mean? What are sheep like? Soft wool, not aggressive, easily led- compliant, will eat extra grass, helpful that way. Now , Goats… What are THEY like? Furry, aggressive, stubborn, will eat just about anything in their way. Plus they have a beard and look a little demonic, wouldn’t you say? Which one do you think is a more healthier percept or image? It depends. It depends on what the animals are doing, what actions are they involved in with each other and themselves. Look carefully; pay as much attention to what the animal is doing as to what it is not doing. Therein, lies your answer.”

Dr. Shill might go on, saying, “Now those sheep, are they REALLY sheep? How do we know? Or do they just LOOK like sheep? Have they disguised themselves in some way? Hidden something? Is that why you NEED a Sheppard to tell them apart? Can the sheep tell who is a goat and who is a sheep? Why is it important to tell the goats from the sheep? Think about what this might mean.….Maybe you do need that Sheppard! He must have something special that other people don’t have if he can see clearly who is really a goat and who is really a sheep.”

“NOW, how does the story end? What happens to the sheep? What fate will befall the goats? It sounds like it depends on whether the animals pay attention to what their neighbors need and notice their plight. How many good works will keep them from the fires of hell? It isn’t exactly clear. If you believe the Sheppard is merciful, even one might be enough. But why TEMPT the Sheppard? It might be prudent to establish a pattern of behavior that promises an eternal reward.”

I can also hear the nuns from St. Philomena’s, in a different way, chiding us to dig deeper into this scripture, looking to see it as more than a list of directives or works of mercy. Sister Francis Julie would say that this Bible passage was very important in the early Christian times, but still has meaning today, although that meaning might have changed some over time. “I don’t want to hear just the obvious answers,” she’d say, “give me something original!”

“So when people are hungry, you should give them food. What does that mean? Yes, it means we should give food to the food bank or to the missions that feed people overseas. In the past, 2000 years ago, giving someone food might have been a life or death gift. We don’t always look at it that way today. But there are people today that need our food to have a better quality of life. Today this passage might also mean that we invite a friend over for lunch and feed them, it might mean we grow food in our pea patch for the food bank, it might mean we bring food to church for snacks or a potluck. It might mean that we bake cupcakes for people who might otherwise not have any. It might even mean we give people what they are hungry for, even if it isn’t food. Sometimes a visit, a short conversation, a card in the mail is what people are hungry for. “ Sister Mary Paul would say, “Never miss an opportunity to do a small kindness. That’s the way you can tell if you are being more sheep-like than goat-like. Now look for those opportunities! “

I suppose the same thing goes for being thirsty. Share that bottle of wine, lemonade, or Martinelli’s cider with a friend. When you walk with your walking buddy, be the one to bring the cold water. My daughter Juliana suggested you might get “extra points for sustainability if you bring it in a multiple use container.” Maybe God doesn’t operate on the point system, but I’m sure you’ll get credit just the same. Donating blood or platelets might fit in this category. Trying to be creative with this verse makes me think music also belongs here. Share your songs. Not just on your iPod, but your voice at church or camp or out and about. When you find a song that inspires you, share it with a friend. Hum a little more. I think people are thirsty for music, for art, for something that touches their spirit.

Giving the homeless a bed is more difficult. I say that because I see so much homelessness and it seems harder to solve. It’s not so easy or safe to invite strangers into our homes and give them beds. It is easier to give money to homeless shelters, or if we see someone in need to direct them towards a shelter, than to take them in ourselves. Surely, many of us have opened our home to host friends, family, visitors or exchange students over time. But those strangers, how are we to bring them in? Here the conversation or solution is a bigger one. Maybe if we buy local, we can help others support their family. Maybe this means that we buy fair trade goods from other countries so that people have money to put a roof over their own head. Maybe that is one way we can share what we have.

Giving people clothes seems to be less of a problem. I have gratefully received hand me downs and I gladly give them away when we outgrow what we have that is still good. Our church has given away backpacks to school kids, and socks, warm hats, and coats to Hero’s for the Homeless. Giving new parents baby clothes is also a social and spiritual work. Think about the many ways that clothes pass through your hands. You buy something for yourself and then notice that it might look better on someone else so you give it to them. You buy a warm coat for your child. It’s all good. (Here, I am also wondering if God would consider earrings as clothes in some fashion. I love to wear earrings and I love to give them to others.) Perhaps.

Visiting the sick and those in prison might be harder for some of us. If you visit someone sick, you might get sick too. It might be scary to do this. Maybe you are also sick, so it might be more of a gift to stay home and send a card. Or drop off chicken soup on their porch, ring the doorbell, and run. Whatever food or companionship you bring, or errands you do for those that are sick is surely a good deed. Taking folks to doctor visits, or the ER, or picking up their medication, also count.

When I think of prisons, it is harder for me. I am not fond of the idea of visiting someone in prison. I want to be practical and safe about my choices and still be able to visit someone. When I was a teenager, I went with my church choir, to sing at the state penitentiary, it was too scary and I have not been back. Maybe someday I will find a way to go there again. I have a colleague who goes to the women’s prison at Purdy to teach meditation once a month. That’s a great community service. These days I usually interpret this part of the passage as meaning the prisons or constraints that people live within, that don’t have bars. When I see someone who is so controlled or stiff about something that they have limited choices, I try to see it as their prison and wonder some about how I can still “visit” them there. I don’t have to fix them, but I can be with them, talk to them, listen to them, even if they are seeing the world differently than I do.

I’d like to think this whole passage in Matthew is like a menu. Do what fits for you. There are plenty of choices and I don’t think you have to do them all. I do believe you need to do what you can to bring more kindness into the world, especially to those that have less kindness in their everyday lives than you do. (I’m sure that’s what my old religion teacher, Sr. Mary Paul would urge us to do.)

So go ahead, be a sheep, be a kind and helpful sheep. Do it because it’s the right thing to do, do it because it feels good, but also do it so the Sheppard can easily pick you out of the herd at the end of the day.