Life’s Powerful Moments

Matthew 25:31-46

            C.S. Lewis once said that every day, in every action, no matter how great or small, we are helping people along toward one destination or another.  In everything we do, in every word we say, we are either inviting people to take one step closer to the Kingdom of God, or we are subtly…or not so subtly…telling people to go to hell.  All day long, Lewis said, we are in some way helping each other to one destination or the other.[1]

            If Lewis is right, doesn’t he saddle us with great responsibility!?  I won’t ask you to come up with a running total from this past week as to which direction you nudged people but doesn’t this make each of life’s moments powerful?  The word of encouragement we offer to the kid at the checkout lane is not simply a kind word.  The look of disgust we flash to the person who cuts us off in traffic is much bigger than a momentary emotional reaction.  And what if our interactions with others have a ripple effect on people way down the line?  When you encourage that kid at the checkout counter, what if she writes a book one day on the power of encouragement that changes millions of lives and she traces the origins of her thinking back to that one moment in the grocery store?  When you glare at the car next to you on I-40, what if that driver takes out his anger for you on the next car down the road which ends up causing a multi-car pile-up seriously injuring others?  Oh, you’re probably not legally liable, but would you be held responsible when you stand before God?  I’m not sure if I want Lewis’ words to be true!  Are each of life’s moments that powerful?  Jesus tells a well-known parable that seems to answer, “Yes!” 

            In Matthew’s Gospel, this is the last parable that Jesus tells.  Right after this parable, the idea the religious leaders have of killing Jesus becomes more than an idea – it becomes a plan put in action.  But for the moment, Jesus once again has an opportunity to tell his followers what the kingdom of God looks like.  I think this story is in response to the question, “Hey Jesus!  What’s it going to be like at the end of the world?”  And the answer, as is often the case with Jesus, comes in the form of a parable.  Remember again that when Jesus tells stories, he’s not simply entertaining his listeners.  Parables are meant to inspire a change in thought or action.  And this story from Jesus can provide a strong source of energy and focus for our lives.[2]  It’s OK to be entertained by the parables of Jesus, but if we passively let these stories slide out of our lives without sinking in, then we are the real losers.

            The parable Jesus tells is about eternity.  More importantly, it’s about who will be blessed, and who won’t be, for the rest of time.  As Jesus tells the story, he says those who are blessed are sheep.  Those who aren’t blessed are goats.  The sheep enter into eternal blessedness.  The goats enter eternal torment.

            Now obviously, it’s better to be a sheep!  But we shouldn’t get the impression from this parable that the only reason the sheep are blessed is because they’re sheep!  Jesus is not advocating the sheep-herder’s association at the expense of goat farmers.  The sheep are blessed because they seem to have made the most of the small, simple, seemingly insignificant moments in life.  Giving someone a meal, quenching a thirst with a simple cup of water, and spontaneous acts of hospitality are the difference makers here.  Basically Jesus seems to affirm C.S. Lewis’ idea that we do nudge ourselves … and others … one step closer to God or one step closer to hell with each moment in life.

            The problem that most of us have is that we don’t spend much time on those little moments and seemingly insignificant opportunities.  We tend to focus on the big moments when everything is on the line.  Life for too many of us is geared toward the Hail Mary at the end of the game.  What do I mean?  I’m talking about seeking forgiveness from our friends only when we’re on our death bed, or waiting for the opportunity to run into a burning building to save someone so we can come out the hero.  The problem with being so focused on the big moments is that we miss too many of the small ones.  If you’d ask any football coach, except Steve Spurrier of course, they’d much rather score by running the ball down the field a few yards at a time than depend on the one big pass play with time running out.  So the little moments are larger than we give them credit for…especially when we add them all up together.

            Fred Craddock, one of the best preachers of this era, said that most church people dream of these big moments.  We dream of giving our all to Jesus in one big dose.  We think that giving our all to Jesus is like laying a thousand dollar bill on the table and saying, “Here’s my life, Lord, I’m giving it all to you.”  But the reality for most of us, according to Craddock, is that God sends us to the bank with that thousand dollar bill and tells us to cash it in for quarters.  Then we are to give that thousand dollars away a quarter at a time through life.[3]  So how many quarters did you give away this week?

            Four different times in this text today, Jesus emphasizes the little moments:[4]

35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

There can be little doubt in what he’s trying to tell us.

            I learned in seminary the difference between consubstantiation and transubstantiation, the difference between amillennialism, post-millennialism, and pre-millennialism; the difference between expository preaching, topical preaching, and apologetic preaching.  Sound confusing?  Sound complicated?  Do you know what I’m talking about?  Well, just remember this: All Jesus said was, “…I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

            Each day, we ourselves take one step closer to heaven…or one step closer to hell.  Each day, we nudge others in one direction or another too.  As you think about the steps you’ve taken this week, or even in the last hour for that matter, which direction are you going?

            Amen.


[1] This comes from C.S. Lewis’ collection of essays, The Weight of Glory.

[2] Gerrit Scott Dawson, Heartfelt: Finding Our Way Back to God (Nashville, TN: The Upper Room, 1993), p. 110.

[3] Fred Craddock said this in a lecture given in Covington, Georgia, in March, 1983.

[4] See similar wording in each instance: verses 35-36; verses 37a-39; verses 42-43; verses 44-44.  For a similar repetition, look at John 13 where Jesus is washing the disciples’ feet.