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11/26/2002 Entry: "Matthew 25: 31-46"

I preached on Matt. 25: 31-46 on Sunday and wasn't especially happy with the sermon. Today I had a second go at it in the college chapel and thought I'd share my musings here.There is a real difficulty in this judgement day parable. It seems to clearly say that entry into eternal reward depends upon what we have done. To make things worse, those who "get in" are surprised about it. There's nothing here about "salvation by grace through faith" or about a conscious decision for Christ which is the starting point for most theology. So what do we do? Chuck out 98% of theology since Luther? Or say that Jesus made a mistake? Or do the traditional liberal thing of saying that there's a creative tension here that we just have to live with? I can cope with a certain amount of untidiness in theology - in fact I insist upon it - but this one needs to be wrestled with.Here's how I approach it. In the parable, entry into the kingdom is actually on the basis of a response to Christ: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. Rejection comes from the failure to make this response. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and all the rest are signs of a response to Jesus, even if it be an unconscious one.If we look at Paul's theology of salvation we're obliged to admit there is more going on than simply the offering of an individual life to Christ. For Paul, Jesus is the new Adam who remakes humanity. Salvation comes from being "in Christ", from the radically new life that this brings.Maybe here is the clue to reconciling these two very different approaches. In the parable, rejecting the needy amounts to a rejection of Christ. In Paul, humanity is made new by the life and self-offering of Christ - there is an objective reality to salvation to which we are invited to respond. But our response is always secondary to the reality of what God has done for us. All is grace. But Jesus reminds us in his awesome parable that God will never force his grace upon us, never compel any to enter his kingdom. We remain free to accept or reject him. For he walks with us still, in the poor and dispossessed, the weary and the broken-hearted, the sick and imprisoned.

Posted by Bible Geek @ 11/27/2002 01:34 AM CST