November 22, 2020
/Christ the King
Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24; Psalm 95: 1-7a; Ephesians 1: 15-23; Matthew 25:31-46
The Rev. James M. L. Grace
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.
What is the difference between a fat sheep and a lean sheep? It is not the obvious – their size. It is something else, and it is this – the difference between the two types of sheep is that that one is obedient to God, while the other was not. That is one of the ideas I take away from the reading of Ezekiel today. In the reading, Ezekiel compares two kinds of sheep: ones that are overfeed, boisterous, and who push the smaller sheep around. Then there are the lean sheep – the ones who get pushed around by the larger ones. Of the two, lately I have resembled more the fatter sheep, not because of my behavior, but because of my diet. Last night I ate two ice cream sandwiches called, appropriately “fat boys.” I also have discovered a fondness for double stuffed Oreo cookies, which my wife reminds me are not the epitome of health.
There is a lesson here for all of us. The size of the sheep – big or small – does not matter. Their strength – or lack of it – does not matter. What separates the sheep in God’s eyes is one very simple question: which sheep are obedient? Which sheep humble themselves before their shepherd?
When I was younger, I thought obedience was such – such a drag. It was boring. It was not fulfilling. There was not much fun to it. People obedient to God struck me as not living life to the fullest.
Perhaps embarrassing to admit, but true. There was a time in my life where being the fat sheep was what I thought was expected of me. “Take what you can.” “Look out for yourself – no one else will.” “Work hard. Earn money, and money will buy you happiness.” Push others around, take advantage of them, manipulate them. Those characteristics define much of American masculinity. I tried them – and it made me miserable. You can easily see why.
At a certain point in my life I began to appreciate… obedience. And, over time, I learned that the bravado of the fat sheep was a charade. At the same time, the small obedient sheep began to allure me. I found their humility attractive, because their humility was grounded in a deep and abiding faith in God – a faith that, although baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal church, I did not yet know how to have.
Over time I have been privileged to discover that obedience before God is one of the most gratifying things I have ever encountered. I believe this may be Ezekiel’s point. God favors the obedient outcast, not because they have had such a hard go of it – but because obedience is the love language of God. If you have not tried right sizing your ego, I suggest you give it a try. See what it feels like. Find out for yourself if God really favors the humble. AMEN.