Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Much of what we call “magic” – including things like the rabbit that “appears” in a top hat and the lady who “disappears” from the cabinet – is really truly nothing more than “slight of hand.” The “magician” simply diverts the eyes of his audience for a moment while he does something he doesn’t want anyone to see.

I believe there is something very similar going on in our Gospel today.

Jesus sets the stage. The scene is His Second Coming, either that major world event that will bring to an end the present world as we know it, or those multiple, individual events that most of us will face at the moment of our death. The scene is His Second Coming. At that time, a decision needs to be made by Christ the King, a decision about justice, a decision about judgment. The decision that needs to be made at that time is “Who inherits Heaven?”

This is important stuff, folks! That’s an important question! It’s literally a matter of life or death – eternal life or eternal death!

That question – “Who inherits Heaven?” – is answered in this instance in a very earthly illustration of a shepherd separating sheep from goats, the sheep on the shepherd’s right hand and welcomed into Heaven for they gave things to eat and things to drink, for they welcomed the stranger, they clothed the naked, and they visited the sick and imprisoned; the goats instead on the shepherd’s left hand and sent into the eternal fire for they gave nothing to eat or drink, they didn’t welcome the stranger, they didn’t clothe the naked or visit the sick and imprisoned.

Given those two options, which would you choose for yourself?

That’s sure a silly question, isn’t it? Of course, we would all choose the eternal glories of Heaven over the eternal torments of hell. So most of us set out on a good course in life to make sure that, at some point in the future, we’re labeled a “sheep” and not a “goat,” to make sure that, at some point in the future, we hear the words “Welcome to Heaven” instead of the words “Go to hell.” Most of us set out on a good course in life to make sure that we’re attending to those needy ones Jesus has entrusted to us here on earth, those, according to His own Word, who stand in His place to receive grace and mercy and compassion from each of us.

Oh, that Heaven were so easy! Wouldn’t it be great if, when we were born, we were given a score card that needed to be completed by the time we died? On that score card would be categories like feed 200 people; pass out 1,000 bottles of water; invite 50 people to Thanksgiving dinner; clothe 50 naked people; visit 300 people in nursing homes or hospitals. As we’d live daily life, we’d carry that score card with us and we’d check off each time we did one of those things. If the score card was satisfactorily completed by the time we died, Heaven would be ours. If we had fallen short in terms of doing what we were supposed to do while living life, we would not inherit Heaven. That seems very fair. It seems very simple. It seems to be what Jesus Himself is promoting in today’s Gospel. It just overlooks one thing.

Isaiah 64:6 – “All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”

When each of us gets to the Pearly Gates of Heaven and are awaiting that determination of where we will spend eternity, even the most generous among us -- the most giving, the most tender, the most compassionate, the most saintly, the one among us assumed most worthy of Heaven because of our actions – even the most generous among us will not measure up. Our most impressive collection of acts of charity will fall short of the admission price of Heaven. Even if every single one of the responsibilities on our “score card” were marked and double-marked and triple marked, all those acts of charity would not get us into Heaven. They’d all be considered “filthy rags” in God’s sight, worthy for nothing more than to be thrown away into the garbage dump.

Yet, despite that, Jesus says – and listen carefully to these words, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father. Take your inheritance. [Take] the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” There, the “magic” is revealed, the place from which our eyes have been diverted. Now, before our very eyes, we see the Lamb of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the One Who has fed and watered more than all of us combined, the One Who has welcomed the entire, strange world, the One Who has lavishly clothed all people of all places and all times, the One Who has been present with us at every single moment of sadness or pain or sickness. Now, before our very eyes, standing at Pearly Gates of Heaven, is the Cross of Jesus Christ, the object upon which all of our shortcomings have been sacrificed, the object that becomes for us our entrance into Heaven.

Now, you ask, if that’s true, if our entrance into Heaven has everything to do with Jesus, with His suffering and death and resurrection for us, why wouldn’t Jesus just say that? Why would He create this elaborate scenario with multiple components of feeding and watering people, of welcoming people, of clothing people, of visiting people? Why make it seem like Heaven is a reward for our actions on earth?

I think it’s because Jesus knew, from being on this earth Himself, how inhospitable this world is, how much better this world is when we as His people share His blessings and benefits with those around us, when we don’t have to be stingy and store up all His blessings and benefits to get ourselves into Heaven, but instead can allow our lights to shine to the entire world around us, our lights, which really is His Light of salvation shining in and through us.

“Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to Thy Cross I cling.”

I’ve been told that when each of us arrives in Heaven, we will face three surprises. The first surprise will be who is there. Think about that for a minute. The second surprise will be who is not there. Think about that for a minute. The third surprise – and, thanks be to Jesus Christ, the biggest surprise – will be that we are there. Think about that for all eternity.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena