Lectionary readings
First reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22(23):1-3, 5-6
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Link to readings
COMMENTARY
There was a time when the Feast of Christ the King focused on the world-embracing sovereignty of Christ, which nations of the world – more realistically, 'Catholic countries' – were called on to acknowledge publicly.
Nowadays the emphasis on the feast lies on the way in which he progressed to that sovereignty-through the 'service' involved in his suffering and death – and also on the truth that his 'rule' is exercised primarily in a 'shepherding' mode, where caring for the most vulnerable and marginalised is paramount.
Unifying the First (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17) and final (Gospel) readings is this sense of a shepherd tending his sheep and, in particular, separating them from similar animals, such as goats, that require less care.
GOD AS SHEPHERD
In the context of Israel's return from Exile, the prophet condemns 'the shepherds' (rulers) that have had authority over the people in recent times and insists that the shepherding role will be taken over directly by God. The phrase that the Jerusalem Bible reads as 'I shall watch over the fat and the healthy', is more accurately (according to the Hebrew original) read as 'I will destroy ...', as in the NRSV. The negative sense proceeds from the consideration that sheep (Israelites) who have waxed strong and healthy in this time of distress (the Exile) have done so at the expense of their weaker fellows. Hence the concluding comment, 'I shall shepherd them with justice' (Jerusalem Bible: 'I shall be a true shepherd to them': NRSV: 'I shall feed them with justice').
This sense of justice leads well into the account of the final judgment that forms the Gospel (Matt 25:31-46). Though frequently referred to as a 'parable', it is more in the nature of an extended image, unfolding the motif of a shepherd's separation of sheep from goats to evoke what will happen at the last judgment. It is appropriately chosen for today's feast in the sense that the central figure is both 'shepherd' and 'king'. Or, rather, we can say the image of the king here picks up the 'shepherd-king' features of the biblical presentation of kingship in Israel, going back, of course, to David himself and reinforced by prophetic expectations, such as that found in Ezekiel 34 (esp. vv 23-24).
ACCOUNTABILITY
In Matthew's Gospel the image has been applied to the tradition about Jesus returning as Son of Man to judge the world (cf. 24:24-27). The parable forms the third and last of the three parables that deal with how the community should live in the time of waiting for this event – now stretching out beyond early expectation. As with the former two parables, the focus is not so much on the judgment itself as about on how one should behave during this time in view of the accountability that will be required.
Matthew, along with virtually all other writers of the New Testament, presupposes the eschatological scenario current in apocalyptic Judaism of his time. Central to this was a scene of judgment with only two possible outcomes: entrance into eternal life with God or departure 'to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels'. In the past, the Christian tradition, especially in art, has taken this imagery literally. Today, theology recognises that the stern note of accountability expressed here symbolically needs to find more pastorally appropriate expression. We have to ask what image of God is being projected when such details of the Gospel text are read out without comment or nuance.
CARE AND COMPASSION
What the scene wishes to communicate with great seriousness is that the final outcome of one's existence is irreversibly determined by the attitude one takes towards fellow human beings here and now.
Nothing is said about correctness of faith, or the need to be free from or have obtained forgiveness for all kinds of sin. The sole determinant is whether one has acted with active care and compassion for other people in various situations of need-what Jesus elsewhere in the Gospel (23:23) describes as 'the weightier matters of the law': 'justice, mercy and faith'.
Here the 'greatest commandment of the law' – the twin love of God and of one's neighbour (22:36-40) – and the Matthean sense of 'Immanuel' ('God with us': 1:17; 18:20; 28:20) receives most radical extension. Jesus 'Immanuel' so identifies with even 'the least' of his 'brothers and sisters' that effective compassion shown or not shown to them is shown or not shown to him. There is no need to wait for the Son of Man to come in judgment; every time one encounters a fellow human being in need one already stands before the Judge and King.
The Second Reading, from 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28, evokes the apocalyptic picture of Christ's final triumph from another angle: Christ will have completed his messianic task only when victory over the 'last enemy', death, is complete.
Brendan Byrne, SJ, FAHA, taught New Testament at Jesuit Theological College, Parkville, Vic., for more than 40 years. He is now Emeritus Professor at the University of Divinity (Melbourne). His commentaries on the Gospels can be found at Pauline Books and Media