Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 10, 2024: Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Today our gospel includes John 3:16, which for many evangelical Christians is the central text of their faith: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” I remember my surprise when one of my students, a faithful evangelical, tested my Christian identity with it. I failed: I was a good Episcopalian who had never been told that John 3:16 was the be all and end all. But I’ve come to appreciate it. The promise of eternal life for believers is powerful.
But this is not the only gospel passage that talks about salvation and eternal life. If there was a proof text in my church growing up, it would have been not a verse, but a passage, Matthew 25:34-40:
‘Come, you who 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 brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’
One major strand of theological debate over the past 2000 years has been about the relationship of these two passages, both of which promise eternal life. Is it faith, or is it works? Is it what you believe, or is it what you do, how you treat “the least of these”.
It seems obvious to me that in some ways the answer is both. And that it works both ways. For some, like Francis of Assissi, belief turns us to serving others. For some of us it works the other way: serving others gives us a glimpse of God that supports belief. In either case, faith and works are not in opposition.
The rest of the passage in Matthew is perhaps more challenging than the first part. After all, we can all feel good about the times we have helped “the least of these”. We’re fine. Or maybe not:
Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:41-46)
Most of us at some point have not helped someone who needed help, whether a homeless person on the street, or someone begging for money, or someone else. And we’ve always had a good reason: our own resources and needs, time, or even fear.
When I acknowledge my failures, I am deeply grateful for the simple promise of John 3:16. But I always try to keep myself in mind of Matthew’s words too. They give me guidance in my life.
This post is in memory of Susan Pickles, who quizzed me on John 3:16, but was eventually surprised that I cared about scripture. In 1997, her husband killed her and her two children as she sought a divorce.