Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46
31 “Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.
34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. 35 I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. 36 I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ 45 Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.”
Questions
- Who is Jesus’ audience in Matthew 25, and does that impact how we understand this passage?
- The king’s words in verses 34-36, 31-43 seem to imply that good deeds are necessary for salvation how do we understand this passage against passages that we are saved without deeds like Ephesians 2:8-9?
- Why do neither the sheep or goats understand what the king says about their work with others?
Background
Related Scriptures: Ezekiel 34:11-24, Daniel 7:13-14, Joel 3:2, Ephesians 2:8-10,
The grammar of verse 32 implies that the nations will be separated from one another but the sense of the rest of the passage is of individuals being separated and that seems most likely.
The response of the king when questioned shows that humanity both those welcomed and sent away fail to associate service of the needy with service to the king.
The separation of the sheep and goats seems to echo back to Ezekiel 34:17 where God promises to separate the people of Israel acting as the true king.
We should have the two preceding parables in mind as we read this passage particularly 25:14-30 which discusses the master leaving slaves in charge of specific tasks.
For more background see my video here
Reflection
There are several images coming together in this passage that can cause some confusion but each one is meant to highlight the nature of Jesus and our response to him. The dominant image of the passage is of a king who is rewarding and exiling citizens. Second, we have the image of a shepherd dividing his flocks, an allusion to Ezekiel 34:17. The first image used is one based on Daniel 7:13-14 where the representative human ascends to God’s throne and is given power. Jesus is thus telling his disciples that everything he is about to describe will happen when he takes his place on his throne and begins to rule. It is important to remember this is not inherently an “end times” prophecy, Jesus reigns now, rather we will see this reign more clearly at some point in the future. Jesus, as the Human One, reigns over creation and will bring all nations to himself. As the exalted Human One of Daniel 7 Jesus is given the authority to reign as king over all creation, this is the clear message of the Matthew 25:31-46.
We understand the Bible portrays Jesus as the eternal king and we celebrate this fact the last Sunday before Advent as a close to the Christian year and a reminder of his eternal reign. This passage is about more than simply the fact that Jesus reigns and will reign in the coming age. Jesus is here describing the character of his reign and what it means to be citizens in that reign and participate with him. We see this in the brief and unnecessary comment about the division of sheep and goats. The imagery does not add to Jesus’ message except if we understand it as a reference to Ezekiel 34 and God’s role as the shepherd. Ezekiel describes God as the good shepherd who will protect and care for the sheep, something Israel’s unjust shepherds (kings) have failed to do. Ezekiel is looking forward to the day when God will take charge of the people of Israel and all unjust earthly rulers will be separated from the flock. Jesus is taking that role on himself only instead of limiting himself to the people of Israel he is expanding his authority to all people. Yet the message Jesus proclaims here is very similar to what God says in Ezekiel, “will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.”
It is easy to think that Jesus is speaking in this passage of salvation and that Matthew presents a vision of humanity saved by good works, something that is expressly rebuffed in Ephesians 2. I think this idea comes about because it is easy to miss the connection between verses 14-30 and 31-46. Verses 31-46 are describing how Jesus is like the master in 14-30 who is leaving and placing his servants in charge. This passage is about how Jesus’ servants prove themselves faithful in his absence. We prove ourselves by committing to help those who are vulnerable to and hurting whether that hurt is a physical need or an emotional one, whether the need is caused by natural circumstances or the result of injustice. In the parable the master was committed to money and so wanted his servants to make money no matter the risk to themselves. Jesus wants us to understand he expects the same level of dedication from his servants but his priorities are radically different. He is not committed to money or possessions, he is committed to making sure that all people are treated with love and respect, even those who we think might not deserve it. We are called to ensure that people have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to sleep, all things we take for granted. We are right to take these things for granted but we are to help guarantee all people can. We are also to support the emotional needs of our community, even the person who has wronged the community and is in prison, should be supported. We show grace to all because this is the very nature of our king and the law by which he reigns. When we call Jesus our Lord and king and celebrate on Sundays we are committing ourselves to live out his character so he will find us faithful.
Takeaway
Jesus is our king and accepting that fact means living in a way that honors his rule, which includes caring for those who are the most vulnerable in society.
Squinting in the Light 
Leave a comment