Matthew 25:31-46 - The Judgment of the Nations
Matthew 25:31) When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32) All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33) and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34) Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that 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 clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37) Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38) And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39) And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? 40) And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41) Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me 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 nothing to drink, 43) I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44) Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45) Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just 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.”
Background to the Passage: Today’s text is the culmination and summary of Jesus’ message in Matthew’s Gospel. Throughout, Matthew portrays Jesus as the ultimate teacher. Jesus teaches both a harsh and a liberating truth. He is also the rejected teacher, the one who has been plotted against, discredited, and shunned by the power elite. In today’s text all of that is turned on its head. Jesus, the despised and rejected is, in fact, the glorious king who will rule at the final judgment of all the nations. The story is apocalyptic, that is, it is a picture of the events that will transpire at the end of the age. It is at the same time a realized apocalypse for Jesus is indeed present even while he is yet to come. It is also Christological, that is, it reveals to us the true identity and nature of Jesus Christ. As you read and study this text, it might be helpful to make a list of the characteristics of Christ that you find here and meditate upon them. Also be sure to hold the truths here in your heart, recognizing that often there are apparent contradictions in the faith that are all held together in a wisdom that surpasses our own. Here it seems that salvation is behavior based whereas in other passages salvation is clearly by grace alone. Each biblical writer wears a different lens through which he views the truths he is inspired to proclaim. Matthew’s gospel has, in my opinion, the most Jewish slant. What is important to remember, and what would have been assumed by Matthew, is that behavior has consequences. The choices we make take us either toward greater intimacy with God or away from that capacity. Heaven and hell are not viewed in the same way that we often think of them. It is all about transformation and closeness or the lack of it.
A Word about Judgment: Judgment is one of the most frightening and confusing aspects of our faith. None of us wants to face it. We think that it can only be bad news. And we want desperately to avoid it at all costs. In this text we see clearly that all will face judgment, both in the future when the final reign of Christ is full and in the present day when we continue to strive to live ruled by God’s values of love of God and neighbor. In the end, for some judgment will be bad news and for others it will be good news. Remember that judgment is not God’s punishment. Nor are stories of judgment intended to frighten. They are primarily pastoral in nature and intended to provide encouragement for those who are attempting to live out the faith. The point is not to see ourselves in the fate of the unrighteous, but to see how we are to live as God’s righteous. Judgment is simply the pronouncing by God of the reality that we have chosen by our behavior and our priorities.
Word Study
Vs. 31 – Son of Man – this phrase refers to the final victorious Messiah who will rule at the end of the age.
Glory – implies power, majesty and holiness
Angels – this word could also be translated as saints.
Throne of his glory – a symbol for the throne of David
Vs. 32 – all the nations – much scholarly controversy has swirled around this phrase. Does it refer to the gentiles only? Does it refer to nations as a whole, their governments? Does it refer to all of the peoples of earth? It could be read in any of those ways. I am persuaded by the argument that the change from the neuter word nations to the gendered word people indicates that Jesus is thinking of all of the peoples of earth, not simply as individuals but as communities. Still there is much insight to be gained from considering the text from all of these viewpoints.
Separate the sheep from the goats – in the ancient Near East shepherds routinely separated their flocks in order to tend to them more effectively. Sometimes they separated the more valuable sheep from the less valuable goats. This is not to indicate that the goats were not highly prized as well. They were. Visually the sheep and goats we easy to spot because they were different sizes and colors. That is the point here. The shepherd can easily tell the difference between the two.
Vs. 33 – right hand – the place of honor
Left hand – a secondary place of honor
Vs. 35-36 – these verses describe the situation of many early Christians under the persecution of the Roman state. When they were imprisoned for faith, it was up to other Christians to provide them with food, water, clothing, and human contact. Otherwise, they would simply be allowed to die. While Jesus was speaking in a broader sense in this lesson, by the time Matthew wrote his Gospel, he and his community could not fail to see in Jesus’ words a reflection of their own situation.
Vs. 37 – when did we see you – the righteous did not recognize the service they had rendered. They were not serving for gain or recognition. They served because God had changed them. Service was simply who they were.
Vs. 40 – least of these who are members of my family – Was Jesus referring to his followers or disciples? Was he referring to his Jewish family? Was he referring to the family of humankind in need? However broadly you want to interpret the phrase, it is vital to realize that Jesus’ family is depicted as the weak, the suffering, the poor and helpless. Self-giving care of others is the heart of God’s will.
Vs. 41 – depart from me – Jesus does not cast them out. He simply tells them to go their way, the way they have already chosen to go.
Devil and his angels – the parable assumes that there are powers at work that defy the kingdom and destroy human beings. The parable is careful, here, not to talk about the devil’s realm as a kingdom, although that kind of language is used elsewhere. Here at the final triumph, we see that there is no kingdom but God’s. There is no final ruler but God.
Vs. 45 – you did it to me – this phrase separates this parable from the many similar morality tales in other religions. It is utterly startling! Jesus completely identifies with the suffering. Where pain is, Jesus is actually present. To minister to the hurting is to tend to Jesus himself.
Vs. 46 – these will go away – again Jesus does not send them away. The unrighteous choose their fate because the cost of compassion seems too great.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- When you think about this passage, how does it change if you think of ‘the nations’ as governments, or as those of a different religion, or as people groups? Do you think that this passage also applies to individuals and their choices? How can individuals choices effect the choices of groups?
- Jesus reminds us that we can sometimes become blind to the needs of others. What are some of the assumptions or prejudices that you think can make those in need invisible to us? To those in power?
- Jesus clearly states here that he is found with and in the hurting and rejected ones in society. Can you think of a time when you experienced that for yourself in helping others? What does this mean to you when you yourself are suffering?
- A danger of this passage is to overly spiritualize suffering such that we don’t work to alleviate it. What do you imagine would be Jesus’ response to that line of reasoning?
- This is a story about the inevitable consequences of what people, groups and nations habitually do. We don’t have to wait until the end of the age to see that. What choices do you see being made by the powerful in our nation that move us toward the category of ‘sheep?’ What moves us toward the category of ‘goat?’