Subject: Matthew #63 Title: Unto the Least of These Text: Matthew 25:31-46 Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. At the beginning of Matthew 24, Jesus makes a startling prediction. Refering to the beautiful temple, the center of Israel s worship life, Jesus says, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be torn down. (24:2). The disciples were amazed and dumbfounded by the statement. However, this statement piqued their curiosity. Anxious for the coming of the kingdom, which they believed to be imminent, they said, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (24:3). Jesus response was what we term today The Olivet discourse in 24:4-51 through 25:1-46. From this, we learn that Christ is coming, but we know not when. However, we need to be in a constant state of readiness by being responsible stewards, good stewards of the talents, the resources that have been entrusted to us. - Be Ready - Be faithful 1
Jesus continues with His prophetical statements as He describes what is called the Judgment of the Nations in Matthew 25:31-46. This is not - The Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10) or The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) This Judgment of the Nations occurs after the Tribulation and prior to the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. - This judgment does not deal with eternal rewards and the works of a Christian. - This judgment does not occur at the resurrection of the dead. - This judgment has to do with entrance into the kingdom of the Messiah. Much controversy exists over the interpretation of this passage. Some expositors identify this passage as a parable. However, the obvious literal interpretation of this is that it is a continuation of the answer to the question of Matthew 24:3. One commentator notes 32 different interpretations of the passage! Some see this to be a parable; others make it part of the last judgment; still others see this as a passage to encourage love, kindness, and care for those who are poor and much less fortunate. The purpose of the Judgment of the Nations is to separate and qualify people before the beginning of Jesus Millennial Kingdom. The wicked, cruel, and indifferent will not enter. Note - There is no such thing as a small, insignificant act or action with God. Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Outline of The Judgment of the Nations I. The Setting (25:31-33) A. The Judge (31) B. The Time (31) C. The Place (32) D. The Subject (33) II. The Process of Judgment (25:34-46) A. The Blessed (34-36) B. Their Question (37-39) C. The King s answer (41) D. The Cursed and Their Question (41-44) F. The King s Response (45,46) III. The Application 2
I. The Setting (25-31-33) A. The Judge (31) - The Son of man The Son of man is the same as the King of vs.34 and 40 and the Lord of v.37. This is the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus Christ in all of His glory. Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: Until this point in His ministry, Jesus had never referred to Himself as King. See Matthew 27-11;27:37,42). Christ is coming again to judge. Jude 1:14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. B. The Time (31) - shall come in his glory Jesus will come immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29). This coming is referenced in Matthew 24:36, 42, 44, 50. The Tribulation will last seven years. The Great Tribulation is a reference to the second half or the last 3 1/2 years or 1,260 days (Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:14; 13:5). Daniel also spoke of 1,290 days (Daniel 12:11) and then 1335 days (Daniel 12:12). It could be during this extended period of time that this judgment takes place. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In fl aming fi re taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 3
C. The Place (32) - the throne of his glory David s throne was in Jerusalem. It is only reasonable to believe that Jesus will sit on the throne of His glory where David s throne was. See Joel 3:11-17 Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. D. The Judged - the Subjects of the Judgment - the sheep and the goats (33) Dwight Pentecost - According to Strong s Concordance the word nation (ethnos) is translated people two times; heathen 5 times; nation 64 times, and Gentiles 93 times. This then must be seen to be a judgment on living Gentiles at the Second Advent of Christ. There are those who have survived the Great Tribulation. This judgment takes place prior to the institution of the Millennial Kingdom. In case there is any confusion, this is not the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20. These people are not resurrected individuals, but once again, individuals who have come through the Great Tribulation and survived! The Tribulation itself is judgment on the nation of Israel. That is its primary purpose. A remnant will be saved during that period of time. Those who are being judged in the Judgment of Nations are being judged for their care, or lack of, extended toward God s people Israel during the Tribulation. The disciples have been warned of intense persecution to come and ultimate judgment brought to bear in Israel. Those who have shown grace and mercy toward Israel during this difficult time will be rewarded. What follows is not a discussion of the Church, salvation, Christianity, the new birth, etc., Matthew is a particularly Jewish book! The sheep are not saved people from the Church age. They will go to the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Explain and differentiate - Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10) - Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) - Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46) Sloppy interpretation essentially makes all of these one in the same. 4
II. The Process of Judgment (25:34-46) A. The Blessed (34-36) B. Their Question (37-39) C. The King s Answer (41) D. The Cursed and Their Question (41-44) F. The King s Response (45,46) The Judgment is said to take place by separating the blessed (34), who are also called righteous (37), from the cursed (41). They are separated as a shepherd would separate his sheep from his goats. The sheep are placed to the right and the goats to the left (33). The right is the side of the blessed (34). The issue at hand is to inherit the Kingdom (34). This is the Kingdom that Jesus has been speaking about His whole public ministry (5:3; 10:7; 18:1; 19:28). The issue is not New Testament salvation. We are not discussing the new birth, but entrance to the Millennial Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is entered through a new birth (John 3:3), but entrance to this Millennial Kingdom at this point (not salvation) has to do with how these nations (individuals) dealt with God s people during the Tribulation. Salvation by grace through faith, or salvation by works is not the issue. Failure to recognize this truth provokes many to theological gymnastics to explain away what might appear to be obvious - salvation by works! Christ personalizes the limiting and negative circumstances that His brethren (40) have endured in the Tribulation. He commends those who have provided aid and assistance to a battered remnant: hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. The cursed have failed. The cursed did not minister (44). These are the unrighteous, those who committed sins of omission, for they did it not (45) - they didn t do anything to alleviate the pain, discomfort and persecution of the brethren - no food, water, housing, clothing, medicine, or compassion. Their failure to minister brings the words in v.46 - these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to life eternal. Question: Are they righteous because they ministered or did the righteous minister? Ministry is the natural result of being deemed righteous, saved, forgiven by the blood of the cross. A quick note - everlasting fi re (41) is everlasting fi re (Matthew 5:22, 30; Mark 9:47, 48). 5
The Judgment of the Nations - sheep and goats - teaches that there is no such thing as an insignificant meaningless act of ministry, even a cup of cold water. Christ personalizes every charitable act and sees Himself as the direct recipient. Christ is condemning indifference, lack of care and compassion for the needy. III. Application Because 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profi table for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works, we can gain some valuable instruction from this passage. The practical application of the text is blatantly obvious. Jesus is focusing on neglect, negligence, inactivity, slothfulness, sulf-centeredness, i.e., those who do nothing. Inactivity, non-involvement, negligence are sinful practices, commonly called sins of omission. This connects us back to the Parable of the Talents and the one talent steward who buried his talent and made excuses for his inactivity, and missed opportunities (25:24-30). The Bible is not merely a book of thou shalt nots, but it is an instruction manual for action, involvement and service. Proactive not reaction. John wrote: 1 John 3:17-18 But whoso hath this world s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. James tells us that faith without works is dead (2:20). He also admonished us to be doers of the word and not hearers only (1:22)! Note the list of deeds highlighted in the text: food, drink, clothes, lodging, medication, compassion. Ministering to others in the name of Christ is likened to performing the act for Christ, Himself. Nothing is insignificant, meaningless, infinitesimal, worthless when it comes to ministry: - building trades - Sunday School - lawn work - cleaning and maintenances - sports - nursery - AWANA - discipleship - worship - student - ushers - greeters - missionaries - sound, sight - cafe - literature - hospital visit - cards, flowers 6
Proverbs 14:21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he. Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Luke 14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. 7