Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
From there He will come again in glory to judge the living and dead. What are we confessing before the world when we speak those words in our creeds? The general theme for today on the church calendar is the Last Judgment. Our Savior teaches us about that great day with his parable of the sheep and the goats. This parable forms part of Jesus’ answer to his disciples request on Tuesday of Holy Week, “Tell us when this will happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age.” The immediate application was the destruction of the Temple. The larger application is “the end of things created.” CW 208 s.2
God will gather all the living and dead, before his Son. How this is possible, we do not know, but God’s Word does not lie. All humanity will stand at the King’s side to hear the final verdict of salvation or damnation.
We cannot know the day it will happen. Jesus wants to find us ready when the trumpet sounds and he comes again from heaven. Then, we will be glad it happens as we stand on Jesus’ right side. We do not want to be on his wrong side. We all will stand At Jesus’ Side, But On Which Side.Jesus will come again in glory to make that judgment. Jesus will make that judgment based on faithful evidence.
This is a perfect “put yourself in this picture” moment. We might even call it our eternal selfie. There I am standing with everyone who was alive when Jesus brought the curtain down on time and all creation. The graves and the seas are empty of dead bodies. They are with me as well. Jesus will come from there, from heaven, to judge the living and the dead.
Our living Savior is at the Father’s right hand, the position of honor and authority. He sits on his throne, both God and man, in all his glory surrounded by countless angels. This is picture language but a picture of the very real Judge. His Father has appointed him to make the final judgment. Jesus will come again in gory to make that judgment about which side of him we are on.
The King, Jesus is our eternal King, does the dividing. He does not ask, “Do you think you area sheep or a goat. Jesus will not let the individual decide or claim a place at one side or the other. No one can claim goodness enough to go to the right. No one would claim evil enough to go to the left. The King, and only the King, knows his sheep and places them on his good side. He knows the hearts of the goats, those who refused his divine rule of their hearts, and he places them on his left side, the wrong side. For those blessed by the Father on the right side there is only their inheritance, “the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” For those on his left side there is only the curse of departure from his presence “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Final Judgment will be the public revelation of a judgment that already is in effect. We read our Savior’s words in John 3, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already.” Through faith in Christ’s saving work under the law and on the cross, I am Jesus’ little lamb. I will stand at his right hand to receive my inheritance of heaven he has promised.
On Jesus’ left are the goats, the unbelievers, cursed already so long as they do not believe. Jesus will cast them away from his presence into hell. God did not create hell for people but for Satan and the other fallen angels but those who reject his blood as payment for their sins will share in that horrific living death.
Since this last day is a day of judgment, there must be evidence. To be at Jesus’ aide, but on which side comes through the presentation of evidence of either faith or unbelief. Jesus will make that judgment based on faithful evidence.
Jesus had told his disciples another time, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” [John 5:30] Jesus’ judgment on the last day will be as his Father requires. The Father requires his Son make his judgment based on faith or unbelief. Faith shows itself in love, as we heard last week, and unbelief shows in lack of love.
The King lists acts of love that flowed as evidence of the sheep’s faith. In their faith, they did not really think about why they had done them, or to whom they actually had done them. They had fed the hungry, clothed the naked, given water to the thirsty, visited the prisoners, and invited strangers in. In doing so, they had done all these things to Jesus. They claimed no special treatment for this and were surprised the King would mention it.
The King also listed the lack of evidence of faith on the goat’s part. There had been no evidence of faith. By ignoring the least of their neighbors, they had ignored Jesus. They would now have eternal punishment whereas they who had Christ’s righteousness through faith received eternal life
We all will stand at Jesus’ side at the Final Judgment. But on which side Jesus will come again in glory to make that judgment. No human judge has ever had the accused determine his or her own judgment. He makes it. Therefore, Christ makes the final judgment. He will make that judgment by what he sees and hears now. There will be the evidence of love from faith or not. There will be no argument, no disagreement, no second chance and no escape as he judges according to his Father’s good pleasure.
We tremble in fear at the thought of standing before the holy Judge in the wickedness of our sins. However, our faith overcomes that fear so that we look forward to the day when we stand before Christ covered in his blood as our robe of righteousness. Then, we confess, From there he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, with eager anticipation for our final inheritance in heaven. Then, we cry out, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Amen.
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