Matthew 25:31-46, The Final Judgement

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, 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 no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, 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.”

Comments

The theme of judgment running through chapters 23-25 reaches its climax in this parable, which is more a judgment scene and not so much a parable. Take note of three important aspects: 1) the Son of Man himself is at the center as judge and is the one to whom people must respond in order to be blessed; 2) all the nations are judged, not just the Gentiles; and 3) the criterion of judgment is not their attitude to Israel, or even to God’s law, but their treatment of Jesus’ “little brothers”: his disciples.

The Son of Man coming in his glory fulfills Daniel 7:13-14, which is worth reading on your own. Palestinian shepherds herded their sheep and goats together. As with the wheat and the weeds, all the people have been mixed together until this point of separation. The Old Testament used sheep as an image of the people of God. Placing them on the right showed favor, while placing the goats on the left showed disfavor. The King shared his authority with the sheep, which God planned all along.

Understanding the phrase “the least of these my brothers, you did it to me,” is the key to understanding the parable. “My brothers” are his disciples who carry his message and his Spirit. People either receive them and the gospel message or they rejected both. This is the closest that Matthew comes to identifying the church with the Body of Christ. It is not so much that the cursed did what was wrong, but that they failed to do what was right. There are two kinds of people and two kinds of destinies.

Prayer

Good Shepherd, hear my voice today as I listen for yours.