Date: November 26, 2023 

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Title: “A Poor King”

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Bob Jon

You can also listen on Podcast from iTunes and Spotify. Search for “Podcasting from Rev. Bob Jon.”

Some years ago, I was spending several months in the Philippines to study English. One day, I was told that there was a sauna with a big hot tub. I was thrilled to hear that because that was where I used to go as a kid in Korea. The parsonage where I grew up did not have a bathroom or shower. Since we did not have a bathtub or shower, Saturday was the day all my family went to the public bathtub which was divided between men’s and women’s section. And we all got naked. So, as I entered the hot in the Philippines, I took off all my clothes and opened the door only to find that everyone was wearing swimming pants, and there were a couple of female custodians working. What a shame and embarrassment! 

The Bible tells us that when God created Adam and Eve, they did not realize that they were naked. There were no shame, no guilt, and no embarrassment. When they disobeyed God’s command by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, however, they realized that they were naked. When they heard the sound of God, they felt ashamed and hid themselves. God called to them, “Adam, Eve, where are you?” “Well, we heard the sound of yours in the garden, we were afraid because we were naked.” God asked, “Who told you that you were naked?” Eve is whispering, “Adam, what are we gonna do?” Adam probably said, “Don’t worry, honey. I will take care of this.” And he says, “The woman you gave me as my wife gave me the fruit.”

From time to time, Jesus’ words make us feel vulnerable, judged, or even naked. In the previous conversation with his disciples, Jesus told them what the kingdom of God would be like. The bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them brought their lamps but forgot to bring oil with them. The other five brought both their lamps and oil with them and joined the groom at the wedding banquet. In another parable, a man was about to go on a journey, so he summoned his servants and gave them five, two, and one talent. The first two servants multiplied their entrusted talents, while the last one buried it under the ground, and was eventually thrown out of his master’s house. 

Jesus’s parables indicate that there will be some who will be welcome to the kingdom of God while there will be some who are not. There are five bridesmaids who join the banquet with the groom, and the other five are kept outside. In our reading from today, Jesus tells his disciples. “Ah, people! When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.” In the apocalyptic scene described by Jesus, people will stand before God feeling naked and vulnerable. 

And how are they divided? Well, some Christians will say, “Have you been saved?” “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior?” Of course, as Methodists, we also believe that we are not saved by our works, but by our faith in Christ, as Martin Luther claimed, “sola fide, only by faith.” However, Jesus says, “When all the nations are gathered before the throne of the Lamb, he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. The King will look at the sheep on the right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty 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 you visited me.’” 

And the righteous will ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and gave you food, thirsty and gave you water, when did we see you as a stranger and welcomed you, naked and gave you clothing? And when did we see you in prison and visited you?” Jesus says, “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.” I find the words of Jesus troublesome because many of us do not see Jesus in someone who is poor, who is naked, who is hungry, who is sick, and who is a stranger, and who is locked up in jail. Yes, we might say, “Yes, Lord, just stay on the throne with a crown on your head. We want you as our King with all the power, knowledge, and wealth ready to bless your children with all those.” But that’s not where Jesus stays. Instead, he calls the poor, hungry, and lonely his brother and sister. He is a king of the poor.  

There was a young man who used to come to my former church pretty much everyday. He lost his mother to a car accident while a high school student. His father, full of grief, got into drugs, eventually making him also an addict. He and his father lived in a tent behind Wal-Mart. From time to time, his picture was in the local newspaper for being arrested for trespassing a local shop because of his history of shoplifting or possessing illegal drugs. He often came to the soup kitchen late and missed the lunch. He would call me and ask me if I could get him some food. I sighed thinking, “I am sure that he woke up high this morning and missed the meal at the soup kitchen.” I would grumble but get out of my house, got him some fried chicken, chip, and bottle of soda. He would need to go to an office to get his food stamps which was forty minutes away from my home. He had to appear before the judge, and I wrote a letter to the judge and waited with him in the court for a couple of hours only to hear the judge telling him to come back the next time. I am going to be honest with you. I was more complaining and grumbling than gracious. 

After some time, I did not see him for a while and wondered what happened to him. One day, his grandmother called me and said, “My grandson is in prison right now. At least he can get the help he needs to become clean and overcome his addiction. But he called me to tell you that he thanks you and misses you.” And it just blew my mind. All this time, I thought that I was being gracious enough to give him some charity, such as giving him a ride to go where he needed to go and getting out of my house to buy him some food from the markets. When I heard his grandmother tell me, “He remembers you and thanks you,” I felt like standing ashamed and naked before God who knew my thoughts and complaints. 

Although many churches are proud to call themselves friendly or welcoming churches, Jesus calls us to actively seek strangers and serve them because what we do to them is the same as what we do to our Lord. “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink?” Jesus said, “And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” Sometimes, we go on a mission trip thinking that we go there to make a difference in their lives. But how often do you come back feeling that you are the one transformed by their hospitality, love, and service for you? You encountered and saw the face of Christ as you were serving them? 

In my former church, we had a man named Doug. He was a war veteran. He was drafted to Vietnam and suffered PTSD all his life. In his 70s, he was still working for a paper company and lived in a small apartment by himself. Doug was always quiet. But I saw him everywhere. When I told the congregation that I wanted to start a youth group, he emailed me and said that he volunteered to chaperone the group. He always came to the youth group with homemade chocolate chip cookies. He even joined the youth group to rock climbing and slept on the cold mattress over the night. He drove his pickup truck and collected furniture from the neighbors and delivered them to those in need. He came to the soup kitchen every Friday and washed the dishes quietly. 

One day, the business association of the town was planning their annual banquet with awards for some business and individuals who were contributing to the growth and prosperity of their town. And someone nominated Doug and he became the recipient of the humanitarian award. Several people from the church also joined the dinner. We were happy with the nice meals and meet some important people of the town. During the award ceremony, people shared their words of gratitude, making some speeches. When Doug was called, he went up to the stage. We, the people from the church, stood and applauded because he deserved such recognition. Upon receiving the trophy, Doug stood at the microphone and said, “Thank you!” And that was it. 

What I saw in Doug that day was someone who was Christ-like in his humility. Jesus, who is the king of the universe, and all things have been created through him and for him, as Paul says in Colossians, but was born as the son of a carpenter and lived among the poor, hungry, thirsty, and disinherited, calling them his brothers and sisters. While many people yearn to climb up higher, he goes lower in humility, calling us to follow him. 

Amen.