Family Inheritance

Sermon planned for Eternity Sunday, November 20th, 2011

Text: Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 1:15-23

This morning we're going to be looking at our spiritual inheritance. What is our 'spiritual inheritance'? Well, it's the outcome of our life in Christ. When our loved ones die, they leave us several different kinds of inheritance. Most often, when we think of the word 'inheritance', we think of the money or possessions that people receive from the estate of a deceased loved one. Inheritance, however, can also include things like values, a spiritual/theological worldview, a culture, and you can even inherit 'good looks'.

A few years ago, when my mom's father, Opa Franz Harder, passed away, I received a nice fishing rod as part of the inheritance. My mom bought it for me with some of the money she received from the estate. Why a fishing rod? My Opa Harder lived in Paraguay and we went to visit him there. My memories of Opa include many fishing trips. Now, every time I pack that fishing rod in with our camping gear, and every time I bring it out on the water, I'm reminded of my Opa. The fishing rod points towards a richer and deeper inheritance that my Opa has left me through his daughter, my mom.

This morning we're looking at our spiritual inheritance from the perspective of two scripture texts. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks about our glorious inheritance among the saints. What is he speaking about? A verse from a favorite hymn puts it like this: “Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.” The final outcome in our journey towards Christ is an abundant life of joy and peace. But that's precisely because we are on a journey towards Christ – by his mercy. But that's not the only direction we can go.

In the gospel of Matthew we read about two types of inheritance – blessing & judgment. We read about the inheritance of those who have opened themselves to Christ & His Kingdom; and then we read about those who have closed themselves off against Christ & His Kingdom. Is your life a life of openness towards Christ? Which doors, in your life, need to be opened to the Kingdom of God? Perhaps its your relationships with others? Or your wallet? Or the stuff you do when no one's looking? Where does the light of Christ need to bring healing in your life?

Paul gave a glowing review of the Christians in Ephesus. They had profound trust in Jesus. They showed their love to their fellow Christians. Paul prayed for the Ephesians: for wisdom and understanding of God's revelation, so they could understand the hopeful life to which they had been called, so they could appreciate the glorious outcome of their faith. He described this inheritance, saying that God's power was already at work among the Ephesians, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave.

The Christians in Ephesus were set to experience God's power. They had opened themselves up to Jesus and His transforming Spirit. But their story would change, over time. If we read the letter to the Ephesian Christians, in the book of Revelation, we read about a church that's quite different than what we find in Paul's letter. On the one hand, Paul's prayer that they would receive wisdom and understanding, was answered. The Ephesian church, in Revelations, had patiently endured persecution; they did not tolerate evildoers; they had wisdom in discernment... BUT! they had abandoned their first love... they had forgotten the good life they committed themselves to. They needed to repent. The outcome of their faith was being threatened by their apathy – their inheritance was on the line.

Can someone's inheritance change? Sometimes we hear about family situations where someone has left a Will, in which some family members are given nothing. In this case, the deceased person has made a choice to disown a family member, or to disinherit them. This kind of action shows that there's been a serious breakdown in relationship. The same is true for the Ephesian Christians, as we read about them in the book of Revelation. Something changed in how they related to Jesus. And that's the big question: how do you relate to Jesus. Do you love him? Do you follow him? Are you willing to confess His name in front of a crowd? Will you take your stand with Him in the waters of baptism?

Please turn with me to our scripture passage from the gospel of Matthew chapter twenty-five, beginning at verse thirty-one. This passage fits into a segment of Jesus' teachings about the day of judgment – about Jesus' second coming. The key to interpreting the meaning of this passage is in knowing who 'the least of these' are. In verse 37 we read,
“Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'”
In the NIV it reads: "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.” Who are the least of these? And how does this impact the interpretation of this judgment scene?

Oftentimes, the 'least of these' are understood to be the poor, the destitute... the outcasts of our world. The scene of judgment is then the judgment of all people in the world. They will be judged based upon how they treated the poor & the hungry. This judgment scene is often used by aid organizations to urge Christians to help the poor and the hungry, suggesting that our judgment will include our actions towards the poor. If you treated the poor well, then you're a sheep... if not, then you're a goat.

There's plenty in scripture to suggest that this would be a good interpretation of this passage. It is very clear, in scripture, especially in the writings of the prophets, that God has a heart for the poor, the orphan and the widow. Israel frequently mistreated these folks and God's prophets cursed His people because of it. When we're called to give an account of our actions, part of what we'll answer for is how we blessed others with the many blessings God has given us; especially how we've blessed those less fortunate.

That said, I want to suggest to you this morning that “the least of these”, in this passage from Matthew 25, is actually the Christian community – the disciples of Christ. In other words, this scene of judgment is one where the nations are judged on how they have treated the followers of Jesus Christ – but really, the focus isn't the followers of Jesus... it's Jesus himself. The nations will be judged by how they treat Christians, because the way they treat Christians is actually how they treat Christ. If you fed them, you fed me. If you helped them, you helped me. If you comforted them, you comforted me.

There are two main reasons why I believe that “the least of these” refers to disciples of Jesus and not just the poor in general. First of all, the people gathered together at this particular scene of judgment are 'the nations', or in Greek: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη – all the ethnics... the Gentiles. As was common in the prophets, this scene has all the Gentile nations facing judgment at God's throne. These aren't God's people facing Judgment – not Jews or Christians – they are the nations who have come to Zion in order to learn the ways of Yahweh.

The second reason that I believe “the least of these” refer to Christ's disciples is because, in verse 40, Jesus says, “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family... or in other translations the least of these brothers of mine.” Why did Jesus add this family metaphor? Who are “the least of Jesus' brothers?” How does Jesus identify his family, his brothers, sisters, mothers? In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus identifies his family as those who do the will of his Father.
(Mat 12:46-50 NRS) 46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

So, who are the “least of these members of my family”? They are those who do the will of the Father. They are not 'the poor' just because they are poor. They are the poor followers of Jesus Christ, who have renounced the riches of this world for the riches of God's Kingdom. They are not 'the imprisoned' for just any reason... they are those who are imprisoned on account of faith in Christ. In other words, the spiritual inheritance of our world is dependent on how they relate to Jesus Christ – and in our time it's a question of how the world relates to Christ's disciples – the Church. The world around us will be judged upon how they treated Jesus' family – either they'll be sheep or goats. They've either welcomed his brothers & sisters, or they've persecuted them; given them hospitality or ignored them. In some ways, you could say that the promise spoken to Abraham now also includes us Gentile Christians. Namely, those who bless us will be blessed, and those who curse us will be cursed. This judgment scene is the outworking of God's covenant with Abraham.

But that's a message to the non-Christian world. What's the message to us this morning? Well, we definitely have some good news here. In the gospels, and particularly in this story, we are called members of God's family. We are siblings of Jesus Christ. Like the Ephesian Christians, we have a powerful hope. Paul's description of Jesus' inheritance has huge implications for us too. Because Jesus was raised from the grave, so too we will be liberated from death's grip. With Jesus seated at the right hand of God, we are the sheep, not the goats.

In other parts of scripture, this metaphor describes the relationship between Jesus and his followers, or God and his people. In the gospel of John, we read that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we are the sheep who hear his voice. Where else in our world, other than here in the context of worship, do people gather to hear and meditate on scripture, and commit themselves to the words of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd? In Psalm 23, we read that the Lord is our Shepherd and he leads us and guides us even in the darkest valleys. Although every American dollar bill suggests that our national leaders trust in God in their darkest times... none of our nations' budgets show it. Their financial priorities show exactly where their trust lies. America's largest sub-contractor is Lockheed Martin – a weapons contractor. Only in the fellowship of believers do we dare spend hours in worship, teaching one another about Jesus, admonishing and encouraging each other in our discipleship... we pray to God... all of this while the world continues to be on the verge of chaos. Seemingly foolish, our Christian worship shows that we trust God to be sovereign in our world; and our charity points to a completely different kind of Kingdom with a completely different kind of King.

The inheritance of the saints and the inheritance of the nations are both dependent on one question: how do you relate to Jesus? Do you worship him? Do you submit to His Lordship? Do you take your stand with Him? Do you recognize that He's taken his stand with you, when he gave up his life for your sins, when he died on the cross? The Church is the place where we, in worship, remember this question. It's the place where you and I are regularly confronted and interrogated by this question: where are you at with Christ? Are you like the young Ephesian congregation, trusting in Jesus and showing His love to others? Or are you like the Ephesian congregation we read about in Revelations, apathetic and having lost your first love?

The inheritance of the nations around us is also completely determined by this question: how do they relate to Jesus Christ. But without regular worship of our God – how is this relationship gauged? Jesus' teaching in our passage this morning explains how the nations will be judged. The only way for the nations to relate to Jesus today is to take Jesus seriously as He lives in His Body, the Church. Will they be sheep or goats? How do the people around us welcome Christians? How is the Christian community viewed in our culture here in Canada? Is Canada among the sheep or the goats? What kind of country do we live in?

It seems that the verdict on this question is still out. More importantly, if we are Christ's ambassadors to our culture, how have we been representing Jesus to them? How would our report card read? Are we giving the nations enough to go on? If they were judged based upon their treatment of the Church, could we honestly say that this is how they treated Jesus, because we look like him? In other words, if it's true that the nations will be judged on their treatment of Christ by how they treated us, are we giving them an authentic taste of Jesus? Are we setting our neighbors up for having a relationship with Christ? When was the last time you told somebody about Jesus? Is our shared life, as a congregation, a testimony to the transforming power of Christ, or to the conforming power of affluence?

Inheritance is all about relationship. This morning we're remembering relationships. We think of the inheritance now being enjoyed by those who have died in this past year, and the years before. We think of our sister Judi, who now rests in Paradise. We remember the many things we've inherited from her – the gifts of love, humor, leadership, and curiosity. Even in these short three years that I've been with you, we have grieved the death of numerous people in our congregation. And then there's extended family and friends that we remember. I'm remembering my grandparents who have all passed away. My Opa Harder. I have this fishing rod. It represents the relationship I had with him. I'm hopeful that I'll share in that same inheritance of faith that he now enjoys. Why hopeful? Because I know Jesus, and in worship and life, I'm getting to know him more and more. And he calls me his brother. He wants me in His family. Jesus wants you in His family. Inheritance is all about this relationship. How do you relate to Jesus?

In both Matthew & Ephesians, we learn that our spiritual inheritance is completely bound-up with our relationship to Jesus Christ: are we open to His transforming power? are we partners in his reconciling work? Are you growing closer to him? Have you lost your first love? Why not stoke that fire of faith, once again? It's not too late to grow closer to Christ. This morning we celebrate the inheritance that we are receiving in Jesus Christ, and the one that we will receive, just as our sister Judi has now already received in paradise.

May the question of our relationship to Christ continually interrogate your heart. May that question inform your highest hopes. May that question comfort you in your darkest nights. How do you relate to Jesus? Because He's calling you sister... brother! May you find yourself in that family that worships God and obeys His will – for these are Christ's brothers and sisters indeed! Amen.