November 24, 1996
Feast of Christ the King Matt. 25:31-46

BACKGROUND

This concluding section of the Last Judgment discourse in Matthew's Gospel, addresses the question of the basis for judgment. The christology of this passage is a Son of Man christology that sees him coming on a cloud of glory and presiding over the final judgment. How the faithful have responded to him is the basis for their admission into the kingdom. While both the sheep and goats graze together during the day, at night they must be separated The goats must be sheltered from the cold and were considered less valuable. The sheep and the goats in this story are rewarded /punished according to how they responded to him in the person of those who are in need of the traditional corporal works of mercy. One interpretation suggest that it is how they respond to those Jesus has sent with his message that is the criterion for their final judgment. Those in each group are surprised when they learn that they have seen him in situations of need or in his messengers.

STORY

A Jewish folk tale tells the story of a town miser and a poor shoemaker. The miser, a wealthy man, always refused to help anyone in need. As a result he was looked on with disdain by all. Only beggars who were not from the town would go to his door, unaware that this man gave to no one. The poor shoemaker was admired because he never turned a beggar away from his door. When the miser died, no one even bothered to pay their respects to such a selfish man. Shortly after the miser's death, the people of the town were amazed to hear that the shoemaker was refusing to give assistance to those in need. He claimed he no longer had money to give away. This puzzled the townspeople because they saw no difference in his situation. Worried about the shoemaker's change of heart, they sought the advice of the rabbi. The rabbi questioned the shoemaker. Imagine the rabbi's surprise when the shoemaker told him that it was true that he had no money. In fact, he had never had money of his own to give away. Many years before, the man known as the miser, had given him a large sum of money and asked him to give it to any beggar that came to him. His only request was that the shoemaker not reveal the source of his money while the miser was alive. When the original donation ran out, the miser replaced it. All those year's it was the miser's money, not his own that he gave away. He never understood how his fellow townspeople thought he had enough money to help all the people who came to him. The rabbi shared this news with the townspeople, praising the miser for keeping his charity a secret. Ashamed of their treatment of the deceased man, the townspeople visited his grave and prayed.

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