The Final Exam (By Steve Orr)

Does this ring a bell? Or, perhaps you still have bad dreams like this? All through the academic period, the instructor lectures on many, many topics. Then, the day comes for the final exam and . . . Wait. What's all this? You sit in absolute shock as you read question after question on topics you only vaguely recall. If at all. Your beleaguered brain cries out, "How can this be?!"

You took notes. You underlined and highlighted. You studied. You even joined a study group. Other people know stuff, right?!

There was so much material. Books-full. Months worth. Lecture after lecture. But, of course, exams only cover a small portion of the possible material. You spent so much time on stuff that, in the end, didn't help you on the Final Exam.

Oh! If only there had been some way to peek inside that teacher's head and find out what HE thought was most important. This day would be different. You would have invested your time on the stuff that counted. You would have spent absolute loads of time on that stuff. You would have made sure you would pass the final exam.

But here you are, at the end, and you know---you know---you're going to flunk this exam.

The good news? Most of us have finished our formal education and we don't have to worry about final exams. At least not this kind. More good news: the final Final Exam is still in the future for us. And, I managed to get a peek at it. I was surprised at what wasn't on it.

From Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭31-46‬ (The Message)

“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because— I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’ “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’ “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭31-46‬ MSG)

Let's see now, is that all? Food for the hungry; drinkable water for the thirsty, shelter for the homeless, clothing for those who need it, remembering and visiting those who are ill and those who are in prison. It seems like there should be a LOT of other stuff (choose your news story . . . each one is important to someone).

But, who am I to argue with the Teacher?

Sheep or Goat?

Sheep or Goat?
(a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

It was one of the stranger discussions I've had. Before me was a tender-hearted woman who, more than perhaps anything, wanted to help others. Also before me was her unhappy husband. They had come seeking some counsel from a fellow pilgrim, someone they perceived as being on the same spiritual journey. And because I taught their Bible class, I was going to be that someone.

In halting English (it wasn't her first language), she slowly began to explain.

"My husband is upset with me because I give away."

I looked at her husband and he confirmed her statement with a curt nod of his head. So I asked her, "When you you say 'give away,' what do you mean, specifically?"

She thought about my question for several seconds and then said, "I give away clothes. I give away food. I give away furniture."

That was unexpected.

Thinking I may be misunderstanding, perhaps due to the difference in native languages, I again asked for an explanation.

At this point, the husband spoke up, and his English was excellent, better than mine. "Every day I come home from work and more of our things are missing".

"Do you mean she gives old stuff to Good Will?" I asked.

"No," he said. "When she sees or meets someone who has need of clothing, she gives them OUR clothes. If they need furniture, she gives them OUR furniture. If they say they are hungry, she brings them home and feeds them. And sends food with them when they leave. I had to put a lock on the closet door to keep her from giving away all of our clothes, and locks on the refrigerator and pantry. I keep the keys with me. And if she will not stop bringing strangers into our home, I will have to change those locks, as well."

He stopped, overwhelmed with the import of his own words. He then looked at me, and then, almost pleading, he said, "She gave away our BED."

Gently, I asked her, "Why do you do these things?"

Her answer was complicated, and longer because of the second language challenge, but it came down to this: scripture says we must feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, visit those who are sick or in prison. She cited the Matthew 25 passage that is in this week's Lectionary readings, and she finished by saying, "Sheep or goat. I choose sheep."

The Ezekiel 34 passage and the Matthew 25 passage in this week's lectionary readings seem to say, essentially, the same thing: if you are among the "haves "and you do not help out the "have nots," you are in some serious trouble, trouble with eternal implications. But is it really that straight forward? And are there any limitations? Are we to destitute ourselves (and our families) in attempting to meet the needs of others? Was she being simplistic? Or was she right on target?

How would YOU have responded? What would be your counsel in this situation?

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Reign of Christ - Proper 29 (34) (November 20, 2011)
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 100
Psalm 95:1-7a
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46