Matthew 25 presents the image of the end-time judgment, where God separates people like a shepherd does sheep and goats. This is based on an image from Daniel chapter 7, which features the Son of Man.
“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.
“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” (Matthew 25.31-32).
Notice similar images from Daniel.
I saw one like a Son of Man
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 7.13-14)
The dominion of the Son of Man is fulfilled with the cross and resurrection. It allows Jesus to say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28.18).
In his unique role, Jesus includes those on the right hand (his faithful followers) in his government.
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25.34).
The “kingdom prepared for you” is more than just going to heaven when we die, it involves sharing the government of God with the King.
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandments, he told the crowd to love God with their whole being and “Your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22.39).
The qualifications to be on the right side of Jesus’s judgment involve how we live out loving our neighbor as ourselves. We are to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.
The people who were qualified to rule alongside Jesus in heaven weren’t aware of their service to him. Notice the dialogue between these people and the One who determined their fate.
“‘And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’
“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me'” (Matthew 25.39-40).
The responsibility to care for the most vulnerable members of society – widows, orphans, and immigrants – is highlighted throughout the Old Testament. This includes the law, the Psalms, and the prophets.
In that regard, people who care for these people are seen as providing practical support for people who are called “brothers and sisters” by the Lord.
The remainder of the parable analyzes the situation of those who will experience God’s judgment. The righteous served the most disadvantaged, but these individuals didn’t even notice them.
The judgment mentioned in this parable has a long history of God’s opinion of those who ignore the needs of the most vulnerable. Notice the message of Ezekiel.
Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep.
You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them (Ezekiel 34.2-4).
In today’s YouTube video, I engaged in some political observation.
After doing so, I said, I have to apply the thoughts of this parable to my life. When I’m pointing my index finger at someone, I have several pointing back at me.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 