Third Sermon - Worthy Recipient 11/23/2008

Worthy Recipient – Jonathan Jones

Matthew 25:31-46 <- This is a link to the text of this sermon.
Often when people talk about this scripture, they interpret it as a description of a final judgment where the good are sent to heaven and the bad are sent into eternal punishment. The good are judged as worthy by their charitable acts and the bad are judged as unworthy because of the lack thereof.

There is more here, there is a deeper truth.

For all have sinned and fallen short, and none are righteous, no not one. And we are saved by grace through faith, not by works… so no one can boast. So who’s a sheep and who’s a goat and how’s that pertain to salvation?

There is a deeper meaning, There is a deeper truth.

Every so often, my Aunt will forward an email to me with a story about a child that could make you cry or some dire warning about rights that the government was planning on taking away. One that she sent was a story about a woman who found a mysterious letter in her mailbox. It was a letter from Jesus letting her know that he was going to be visiting her that afternoon.
The story continued that she was very poor and had nothing to serve him. She takes what little money she has and goes to the store where she buys a loaf of bread, some sliced turkey, and some milk. On the way home she encounters a couple who are in great need. At first she tells them she can’t help them but then, takes pity on them and gives them the groceries and additionally her coat for the shivering wife.

Worried that she’ll have nothing to offer Jesus when he arrives, she heads on home where she finds another letter in her mailbox from Jesus… thanking her for the food and the coat. (and yes, I did get choked up at this point… I’m a sucker for these things)

This story is kind of cheesy but it describes the kind of charity described as sheep-like in our Scripture reading. However, from a reader’s standpoint, we are left with the idea that we will never know when a disguised Jesus or an angel will be wandering around trying to test us and make us spend our last dime. Are we visited by angels? I would say Yes, but are our encounters tests? No. Should we wonder if that pan-handler was Jesus? No! That’s not the point. We aren’t mortals caught up in some Greek myth where the gods are posing as humans.
We are humans who are charged with loving other humans… even the wretched refuse of the teeming shores.

In the scripture reading, the sheep and the goats are divided not because of how they acted toward God, but because of how they acted toward other people. If they were serving God, if they knew it was Jesus, both the goats and the sheep would have given him drink when he was thirsty, food when he was hungry, and care and counsel if he was sick or in prison. Both would see Christ as a worthy recipient. The story is not so much about how worthy the goats or sheep are based upon their charity. It is about who is judging worth. We see Christ enthroned as king and judge, determining who is a sheep and who is a goat; Christ is judging the worth as only Christ can.

On a side note, I was told by the daughter of a goat farmer that goats are actually very wonderful creatures and I shouldn’t be so hard on them in my sermon… so please note that this is a metaphor and there is nothing inherently uncharitable about goats.

But as I said before, the goats would have quickly come to Jesus’ aid if they had seen him. Why? Because they would have judged him as worthy of their help. What about the “least of these”? No, they are judged unworthy because they are living off the system, because they are Muslims, because they are a different race, because they have AIDS, because they are prostitutes, because they are sinful, because they are drug addicts, because they don’t want to learn about Jesus. The goats will give aid to those who they believe are worth their charity.

Have you seen yourself act like this? I know I have. When encountering a man on the street asking for money, I question whether he will use it for food or for drugs and alcohol. Are there entire organizations who have done this? Yes, numerous charities require the recipients be worthy of their help. I know of a soup kitchen that requires the hungry to listen to a sermon before they are allowed to eat. I know of an international children’s charity that only gives education, food, and support to impoverished children if they and their families agree to become Christian. They require the recipients of their charity to be worthy. They need to see Jesus in them.

The Goats need to see worth in the recipient of their good works. However, the sheep give even to the least of these (the unworthy). In order to help, the Goats need to see Jesus, but the sheep are blind… stupidly giving their aid and charity to even unworthy no-good abusers of the system. The goats ask Jesus to step down from the judgment seat so they can determine who is worthy of their magnanimous graciousness. The sheep don’t put themselves in the role of judge; they just give as they see a need. How should we act?

In guiding our steps, there are a some things to keep in mind. When we put conditions on our charitable acts, we are taking Christ off the throne… and by implication we are stating that we are worthy to make such judgments. However the scriptures tell us that none are worthy, no not one. We need to step down from the throne of judgment and remember that Christ is the King, Christ is the judge, and Christ gave to us in a very un-Goat-like manner. For while we were enemies with God, we were reconciled to God. Through grace, not worth, we are saved.


The Jewish understanding is described in the teaching of Tzedakah, the Hebrew word for what we call “charity”. There are significant differences between Tzedakah and what many consider charity or mission. The website, "Judaism 101" gives us a good description of what Tzedakah means. Often when people think about charity, they consider it an act of a benevolent person who has money, time, or goods are be given to those who have need. The act is one of empathy, sympathy, or… at even, pity. "Tzedakah, [however, comes from] the Hebrew three letter root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness." Tzedakah is not good people giving to people in need, it is people doing the right thing, being fair, and living out God’s justice. The people of Beulah often reflect this in so much of the mission that goes on here. Time and again when a need is presented, that need is taken care of and when praised, the response is one of surprise… well, of course. That’s no big deal, it’s just what is done. It’s who we are… You don’t need to see Jesus or debate the worth of the recipient; you just take care of the need. One interesting thing about the concept of Tzedakah is that there are eight levels of charity. All are good, but some are closer to the vision that God has for us, closer to the way God wants to bless us. The list below is taken directly from Judaism 101: Tzedakah: Charity.

1. Giving begrudgingly
2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
3. Giving after being asked
4. Giving before being asked
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant

If you know and are friends with any of our Jewish sisters and brothers, you know how important charity is in their daily lives and activities. Contrary to the prejudicial stereotypes, my Jewish friends reflect a desire to help those in need to a great degree.

You might notice that all levels of Tzedakah are sheep behaviors. Even giving begrudgingly is giving not based upon an assessment of worth or placing conditions upon the recipient. Charity with strings attached demands our right to judge and control who gets our help. Charity with no strings attached takes judgment and control out of our hands and leaves it up to God…. Takes it out of our hands and leaves it up to God. The root of all sin is when we try to take control away from God. So, let go, let God be in control.

We are called to give… and trust God to do the rest. This is difficult, so difficult. When I was living in Cincinnati recently out of college, I was going to a restaurant downtown and a man approached me trying to sell food stamps because he couldn’t buy diapers with food stamps. Whether this is true or not, I did not know but I also knew you couldn’t buy alcohol or drugs with food stamps… you can see where my mind was going… I was making an assessment, I was being a goat. He asked me to buy his $5 in food stamps so he could buy diapers for his baby that desperately needed them. In that moment I had a choice, I could tell him no, I could tell him yes and buy his food stamps, or I could do something else. I prayed. For some reason, and not to my credit at all, I prayed. I gave him $5, told him to use the food stamps for food, and prayed that God would take control of the situation and let his will be done.

Was I “taken advantage of”? No. Will you be taken advantage of if you just give without judgment? By no means, you have done what God has called you to do, you have taken a risk and given to someone who had a need. Letting go of control is always a risk, but John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Church once said, “Faith is spelled R I S K.” Now I’m not saying that you should toss money out the window and let anyone who walks by pick it up. But I am saying that when we consider how we will decide to give, that we should do so with God’s intentions in mind… to not seek worthy recipients (because surely we were not worthy when God gave to us) but rather to seek recipients who are in need. This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Go, step out of the judgment seat, take some risks, give, love, and love foolishly and recklessly… as Jesus loves us.

AMEN