Haven’t I seen you somewhere?

Ever have one of those moments when you see someone that you think you know from somewhere but you’re not quite sure how you know them?  And you say something like “Excuse me, you look familiar” in hopes that you can figure it out.

It doesn’t take much for me to struggle with faces and remembering who people are.  I was surprised to learn that there’s a condition called face blindness where some people have such a poor memory for faces that they don’t even recognize themselves in the mirror.  I’m not that bad, but when a young man snuck up on me at a concert last March, it took me a whole 3 seconds to recognize him as my own son!  It causes awkwardness when people remember me better than I remember them..  It’s one of those skills people take for granted but it doesn’t come easily, any more than making eye contact is for many neurodivergent people.

So the sheep and the goats in Matthew’s parable didn’t recognize the King when he showed up unexpectedly to sort things out.  Not surprisingly, they were confused and bewildered when the King thanked them or scolded them for his treatment.  They all had face blindness when it came to the ruler of all!

They were surprised to be judged in such a way.  Regardless of whether they were sheep or goats, the shock was great for everyone.  They didn’t expect to be herded into groups, they didn’t expect to be called to account for their behavior, and they certainly didn’t expect the rewards or the punishment they were given. 

Judgement is not a topic we feel comfortable talking about in the United Church.  We preach a more loving God who forgives everything and loves everyone.  And when we define God as infinite love, that’s an easy conclusion to make.  Who can resist infinite love?  But the gospel of Matthew is sprinkled throughout with stories like this.  Stories of bringing down the powerful people who bullied Matthew’s community.

Stories of God making things right, like the words from Ezekiel: “I am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep. Because you forced your way with shoulder and rump and butted at all the weaker animals with your horns till you scattered them all over the hills, I’ll come in and save my dear flock, no longer let them be pushed around. I’ll step in and set things right between one sheep and another.”

We all know what it’s like to be butted by a stronger person.  It leaves us feeling vulnerable, anxious and frustrated.  We struggle to figure out how to respond.  Should we butt back?  Should we run away?  Sometimes we turn around and butt someone else instead.  We may not intend to become the one who butts others, but it happens.  Some of us don’t even realize that we are butting people.  God is not impressed.

At a workshop on Tuesday for clergy in Norther Spirit Region, there was a guest speaker who talked about his community’s project to reduce butting.  It was called “Voices Against Bullying” and it was started after a 14-year-old boy was killed on the grounds of his high school.  Research and resources were developed to help families, teachers and children learn about ways to reduce bullying in schools.  They consulted specialists and made presentations.  They found a simple way to teach kids about bullying using the picture of a seesaw.  Sometimes people seek power over others, what we call bullying behavior.  Sometimes people seek power under others, what we could call victim behavior.  We can also call it win lose and lose win.  What we really want, and what God wants, is power with, or win win, a balanced seesaw.  God calls us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves which means to not let someone bully us, nor let ourselves bully others.  When we are in an uncomfortable situation, we can ask ourselves about who is getting the power and who needs the power. That can help us get to a win win or balance.  Easier said than done. 

For those who feel powerless, and we probably all feel that from time to time, it is a great comfort to know that God will come and sort out those bullying sheep, those arrogant goats.  But as one wise theologian said, as soon as we sort people into those bullies and us victims, we are causing problems too.  He said that we shouldn’t assume we are the innocent heroes and they are the bad guys as it keeps us feeling self-righteous and smug and does nothing to rebalance the see saw.  It is a form of bullying in itself.  We strive to have power over the other people and their hurtful behavior, and we refuse to see that they might be hurting too.  We pretend that they are bad goats, not good sheep and can feel complacent or satisfied that God will get them.

The reality is more complicated, of course.  We are all human, and for the most part have all known what it is like to have little power and lots of power.  But as Christians, our role model is Jesus, whom we call divine Prime Minister, Ultimate President, King of kings, who is guiding both sheep and goats alike.  And we remember that Jesus, the king of kings, became a servant and asked us to be servants to each other.  In as much as you have been full of empathy for your neighbor, in as much as you have chosen power with instead of power over or power under, in as much as you have strived to understand others and treated them with respect, you have done this to Jesus.  What a powerful call and powerful message!  May we grow in wisdom, understanding, compassion and healthy servanthood, may we recognize the face of Jesus in everyone we meet.  Amen.