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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
November 11, 2024
Martin of Tours
Reading: Matthew 25:31-40
‘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. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and 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 and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “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.”
Meditation by Jeremy O’Neill
What do we owe one another? This is a question you might have heard us asking at Redeemer in the context of how we participate in worship and in the life of this community. It is also a question that informs many of our political debates and ethical discussions.
The life of Martin of Tours wrestles with this question in some unusual and provocative ways. Born into a military family, Martin’s life is full of him doing unpopular things because of his strong faithful convictions. When he asked to resign from the military, he famously said “Hitherto I have faithfully served Caesar. Let me now serve Christ.” He was exiled for his intense theological resistance to Arianism, a movement that argued that the person of Jesus was not fully divine. In Gaul he established a monastery. Monastic life relies heavily on consideration of others and what we owe each other, and sharing and community were values Martin held from an early age.
One of the more famous stories about Martin was his experience of seeing a person in need of clothing on a cold day. Martin cut his own cloak in half and gave half to the stranger. It is this story that inspires the Gospel selection for this feast day, as in that story Jesus reminds us of the importance of clothing the stranger. The Sheep and the Goats story is a challenging one, in that Jesus, a figure who is usually unifying, is actually being quite divisive. He is being divisive, however, to get at a point about what we owe one another, and prophesizes strong judgement against those who perpetuate injustice or do not see the humanity - and thus also the Christ likeness - in those around them.
I must point out that contemporary Christianity sometimes wants us to believe that we have total control over our earthly and eternal salvation, and that God’s grace is something we have earned. The “Prosperity Gospel” stems from this understanding, as do threats of eternal damnation hurled out by churches in response to actions the churches find unsatisfactory.
The Sheep and the Goats story functions as a call to repentance and newness of life. It is a story that calls us to recognize how we have fallen short of fulfilling what we owe one another, and to be honest about how we could have done more. I appreciate how in our confession we ask God’s forgiveness for both things we have done and left undone, as action and inaction can hurt our neighbor.
Prayer
Lord God of hosts, who clothed your servant Martin with the spirit of sacrifice and set him as a bishop in your Church to be a defender of the catholic faith: Give us grace to follow in his holy steps, that, at the last, we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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