Matthew 25 - Part 3

 

Read Matthew 25

Read Matthew 25:31-46

This sounds like it could be Jesus coming to set up his millennial reign but the fact that he is coming with angels and not a huge host of redeemed saints indicates more strongly that this is the end of the age.

It seems that he is saint-sorting in this parable.  Some to the right and some to the left.  He uses sheep and goats as a parallel for sorting purposes.  There is nothing intrinsically good about a sheep or bad about a goat, but it is sorting the people could understand.

Do you remember the words come and share your master’s happiness from the previous parable? That happiness comes with an inheritance for those made right by the blood of Jesus and who followed Jesus as their Lord.

Those who have followed Jesus as Lord will ask, what did we do to deserve this blessing?

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

The rest—the goats in this parable—are sent away to eternal darkness.  They ask, but why?  What did we do?

 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

The parable ends with this statement that again makes us think of that final judgment.

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

So, whether this happens at the catching up or sometime later, we need to know that it will be the life we lived now that will be judged.

Did we receive Christ as not only Savior but as Lord?

Did we live as his disciple?

Were we known as his disciple by our love?

We can wrestle with the timing but not with what is at stake.  Are we known by our love?  Have we professed Jesus as Lord, have we taken his yoke, are we known by our love?

Timing is up for discussion.  Living with Jesus as our Lord is an eternal decision.

Amen.