Years ago, while serving a congregation in Kearney, Nebraska, the local Baptist church got a new minister. He hadn’t been in the community too long before he came across a small shop on Main Street that upset him. The small shop was owned by one of the few black people in the community, and had been there for decades. It was kind of a community landmark . . . but, the Baptist pastor did not like some of the products that the shop owner displayed for sale in his front windows . . . pornography magazines like Playboy, Penthouse, and the like.
It upset the pastor that pornography was being displayed right there on Main Street for anyone and everyone to see . . . including kids. The first thing that he did was to go to the shop owner and talk to him about the situation. After introducing himself, the pastor explained all the reasons that he was offended by the shop owner’s display and products, and the shop owner listened. The pastor then asked the shop owner to remove the products from the windows and to quit selling them. The shop owner refused.
The pastor then stated that he would organize his congregation to picket the shop owner’s shop. The shop owner explained that he appreciated the pastor’s dedication and commitment to the task, and that he should do whatever he felt he needed to do. Then he explained that he had been selling those magazines for years and had lots of steady, reliable customers. He doubted that picketing would make much of a difference. But, he encouraged the pastor to do what he had to do.
And, so, the pastor organized his congregation to picket the shop. Several members and the minister would gather at the shop each day, holding their pickets and signs condemning the shop owner. But, nothing happened . . . nothing changed. When interviewed by the local radio station, the pastor remarked that he was quite impressed by how many people driving by waved by one finger.
Though the Baptist minister and his congregation continued their picketing for several months, those magazines were not removed until several years later when the shop owner died. But through the years, the pastor and shop owner became good friends . . . and, the shop owner always encourage the pastor “to do the right thing.”
“Doing the right thing” is not easy.
In our scripture reading this morning we hear the parable of the “sheep and goats”. It is a parable we all know. In the end time, the people are divided into two groups--like sheep and goats, and they are brought before Jesus for judgment. For both groups their fate lies upon how they responded to helping Jesus in his time of need. Both ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
For one group, the sheep, it was when they encountered and helped one of the least of these that they did it for Jesus. For the other group, the goats, it was when they encountered one of the least of these and did nothing to help that they snubbed Jesus.
Both groups had the same opportunity. Both groups had the same choice. The goats did not do “the right thing”, while the sheep did. One is rewarded with their heavenly slots, while the other is sent away in eternal punishment.
So, are we “sheep” or “goats”? Which side of Jesus are we on?
I would like to think that all of us would want to be on the side of the “sheep” . . . after all, who doesn’t want to receive his or her heavenly slot? For the most part, I think that all of us would attempt to do something for the “least of these” . . . to feed the hungry, offer a drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, invite the stranger in, visit the sick and those in prison. I like to think that we would at least make an effort.
At least that is what I would like to think . . . but, for some gnawing reason, deep down . . . I am not sure that that is enough. True, it is providing a ministry to those who have needs . . . but, is it enough? Is it enough when the root causes of those needs are never dealt with? Or are we, through our efforts to meet needs, only providing a bandaid while never taking away or healing the cause of the bleeding? Are we doing the “right thing”?
I don’t know.
When that Baptist minister decided to take on the issue of the shop owner displaying pornography in his shop windows, did he solve the problem? Did he get rid of the issue . . . or did he just put it out of everyone’s sight and minds by wanting it removed? The shop owner was not dumb. He knew that removing the pornography would not get rid of the problem of pornography . . . he knew his customers would still buy it. And, if they didn’t buy it from him, they would just go down the street and buy it at the local convenience store.
We live in a world in which more than enough food is produced to feed every single person . . . and, yet, there are those who go hungry and are starving . . . even in our country, our state, and community. It seems that our local food bank never runs out of business.
We have the homeless . . . we see them on the corners of the streets in Billings whenever we run into town. And, it is just not those who come from out of town . . . the Billings school district has an almost ten percent homeless rate among its students, and it is the largest district in the state. It seems that the shelters are never empty.
As we look around the world . . . around our country . . . our state . . . and, even our own community . . . it is not difficult to see the “least of these”. They are all around us . . . hungry, thirsty, naked, alone . . . in need.
So, we reach out to do the “right thing” . . . we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and invite the stranger in. We ease them in their pain . . . we place the bandaid upon them . . . but the need will never end. The need will never end until we take away the cause that is creating the need.
Because of that, I think we see the predicament that we--as the followers of Jesus--are in. We are wanting to do the “right thing”, but the “right thing” seems to demand a little more than just feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and inviting the stranger in. It prods us to consider how we can make a difference in the world by doing more than providing the bandaid, but by also considering how we can begin to really confront the deeper issues that cause these needs in the first place.
We all remember the story about the cobbler who had the dream that Jesus was going to visit him the next day. We remember how he prepared a wonderful meal, made some clothes and shoes. We remember how he waited all day and was visited by three strangers . . . three strangers that he ended up giving away all the stuff he had prepared for Jesus. And, we remember how he cried himself asleep because Jesus did not come and visit him. In a dream, Jesus tells him that he had visited him . . . three times . . . when each stranger came to his door and he responded to their need, he was responding to Jesus.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we broadened our understanding of “doing the right thing” to include an effort to rid the world of the causes of the pain and suffering of those who are in need?
Deep down, where the Spirit likes to wrestle with our hearts, I think that we all know that Jesus calls us to consider the “least of these” . . . to help them in their need; but more importantly, to consider how we rid our world of that which causes the “least of these” to suffer . . . to bring about the Kingdom of God.
That line between the “sheep” and the “goats” is a lot more blurry than we thought . . . Jesus calls us to do the right thing . . . is it enough to just place a bandaid on the need? Or, does Jesus expect more?
I don’t know . . . but, I do know that the Spirit moves in mysterious ways to touch our hearts. May we all do the “right thing” . . . Amen.
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