A Christian Perspective – (Matthew 25:31-46)
by Dr. John Penn
In the twenty-fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells three parables concerning the end times. The first parable is a story of ten bridesmaids that He divides into two groups, the wise and the foolish. He tells this parable to His disciples to prevent them from becoming unwise and complacent; and at the same time, encouraging them to remain vigilant and faithful servants until His return. The second parable is of the talents. A rich man distributes his talents to three of his servants according to their abilities to invest for him, in hopes to gain more wealth. The parable teaches obedience and resourcefulness. Finally, the third parable is about the judgment of the nations. This parable teaches that salvation is not static, but something that is transformative and life directing, and is to be lived out in the kingdom of God. The higher purpose of salvation is demonstrated in how we live and act toward others. It reflects how, as inheritors of the kingdom of God, we are conforming to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Each of these parables deals with the second coming of Jesus and the establishment of His earthly kingdom.
The age-old question that the church, the body of Christ, must answer is, “Does the church exists to serve or to be served?” Jesus Christ taught the latter. Jesus said that He did not come to be served, but to serve, which should also be the believers’ stance in the world. If the church is to be relevant in the world, it must be a serving church. The members of the church that do not serve the least of these should question whether they are members of the family of God. Jesus tells this parable as a warning to the members of all nations.
It is important to understand that the purpose of the gospel is also to change hearts, minds, and lives to conform to God’s love, justice, and righteousness as citizens of God’s kingdom. Jesus makes it clear that the hearing of the gospel demands a response. He further makes it clear that the gospel of salvation should be evident in the believer’s life through expressions of love, kindness, and mercy toward others, especially to the poor and the needy (Isaiah 58:6-11; 61:1-4). Isaiah further reveals that the kindness, charity, justice, and generosity that is shown to the poor, is in fact the result of God’s saving grace, which is life-giving and transformative. The life of the Christian should mirror the benevolence of God that He demonstrated toward us even when we were unlovable and disobedient.
Jesus warns those who have heard the same good news of the gospel of salvation, but their minds and hearts remain unchanged, cold and indifferent, incapable of showing any concern or empathy toward their fellow human family, particularly the least of these. According to Jesus, pretending to be Jesus’ followers without showing acts of kindness and mercy that the gospel of the kingdom demands, causes us to be subject to judgment and the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).
When Jesus returns, He will assemble all the nations before Him, and He will separate them from each other as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left hand. The sheep represent the obedient believers. The goats are the disobedient unbelievers and pretenders. You and I were not saved just for heaven, but to reveal that we have been touched and redeemed by the God of heaven. When Jesus returns and you stand before Him, will your acts of kindness, mercy, generosity, and justice identify you as a sheep or a goat?
Those who claimed to follow Jesus are to serve the least of these as He did. Who are the least of these? They are those who are poor and needy among us. They are the ones who go to bed hungry. They are those living under bridges in homeless shelters or sleeping in abandon or condemned buildings, or on the floors in airports. The least of these may also be our friends, family members, neighbors, or co-workers. The people who are circulating in and out of our prisons, because of a broken justice system, are the least of these. Some of the least of these may include some front line or essential workers such as those who work in grocery stores, poultry and beef facilities, sanitation workers, and those cleaning nursing homes and hospitals. The least of these are also those who are oppressed.
We know many of these individuals, yet we remain indifferent, responding to them as if they were strangers, or do not even exist. When people do not recognize our common humanity, and acknowledge that all people have worth and value, they become apathetic. It becomes easier to dismiss them as “those other people”. They begin to think of certain groups as inferior, or worse, less than human beings. Such thinking makes it most difficult to claim that they are followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that His’ followers would be known by their love.
When we look through the lens of justice, we must call systemic racism and economic injustices, sin. Injustice calls into question whether we are blood washed. All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, all forms of injustice are an affront to Jesus and His heavenly Father. Jesus’ death on the cross not only paid our sin debt and made us right with God, but also with one another. God’s love is shed abroad in the human heart. God’s love empowers us to love and care for each other, because we are not only members of the human family, we are also members of God’s family. As members of God’s family, we are to love others as we love ourselves. Racism is also an affront to our humanity. We cannot claim that we love God and hate others of the human race.
The apostle Paul reminds us that when one member of the family hurts, we all hurt (1 Cor. 2:26). We act toward others in the family as God acts toward His children. (See 1 John 3-4). In Christ, we are joined by the redemptive love of God. In Jesus Christ, we are one. Paul explains it this way, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6). This means that there is one Christian family and all believers belong to it. When we remain silent to systemic racial and economic injustices, we become complicit and are a part of the problem. Our social and economic status do not increase our human value and worth before God. We are all on the same level playing field in this journey we call life. What separates us as Christians is how we choose to love and care for each other, not race.
Those who truly follow Christ, love their neighbors as they love themselves. Those who genuinely love God do not establish educational policies that provide inferior education for blacks and do nothing to speak out about such unjust laws. Those who love God would not deliberately keep a group of people in poverty. If you are a born again individual, you would not remain silent when you know that systemic racism puts more Black and Brown people in prisons at a higher rate than those attending college. You would stand up and do something to make sure that the sick are cared for. You would see to it that affordable housing is available to the poor. You would not sit silently by while the poor and vulnerable are forced to live in unfit living environments which expose poor black people to unlivable conditions— often caused by a system known as redlining. Did you know that most of the facilities where pigs and chickens are raised are placed in communities of Black, Brown, and poor people? Not only is this inhumane but is also sinful. Those disease producing facilities release many toxins in the water, soil, and air. These toxins contribute to many of the underlining health problems that Black, Brown, and poor people suffer.
Disciples of Jesus Christ would make sure that everyone who needs a test for Covid-19, could get one. As members of the household of God, disciples would make sure that there is no limited supply of PPE for our health providers. True disciples who have Jesus as Lord of their lives would fight for affordable health care for every American, not just for the wealthy and well-connected. Health care would be a right for everyone. Genuine Christians would fight for the poor, the marginalized, and the voiceless.
Jesus envisioned a world that reflects God’s love, justice, and righteousness. A world that offers hospitality, generosity, mercy, and love in the service of others. We forget that as followers and disciples of Christ, we are our brother and sister’s keeper. We are His hands, feet, and voice in the world. The church’s mission is to emulate Christ’s love, compassion, mercy, grace, and presence in the world. The church cannot remain lukewarm, indifferent, silent, and expect to do effective kingdom work where it is needed.
To care for the least of these is antithetic to systemic social, economic, and racial disparities. According to Matthew’s Gospel, the followers of Jesus Christ are to care for those who might fall through the cracks of society. As Christ’s disciples, we are to be an extension of His mission and ministry in the world. Acts of kindness are to be a Christian-lifestyle. God has equipped and empowered those who follow Jesus Christ with spiritual gifts and His power and authority to do the works that Jesus had done during His earthly ministry. Jesus fully anticipated that His followers would continue His mission and ministry in the world until His return (John 14:12). Therefore, anyone who failed to care for those Jesus called the least of these, would be subject to His eternal judgment. Notice that Jesus identifies with the least of these as His brothers and sisters.
When the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, and the sick are visited, people are more likely to hear and respond positively to the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus fully understood that a hungry or homeless person has a difficult time receiving the gospel when their basic physical needs overshadow their spiritual needs. Jesus cared for the whole person. Jesus met people where they were. He provided for both their physical and spiritual needs.
Let us be clear, when people claim to love God and treat others with disdain and indifference, something is wrong. If love for God and others is not the cornerstone of that organization, institution, or even a church, you should question whether Jesus is the head of that body. And if you think that Jesus is asleep at the switch, think again. Jesus is aware of your church, what you are doing and your standing in the kingdom of God. The writer of Revelation tells us that the pastors of rogue churches will be exposed and judged when Jesus returns (Revelation 2:1-4:1ff).
As the book of Revelation points out, many of the churches started out going in the right direction. They love the Lord and they have tried to remain faithful as followers of Christ. But over time their love and passion for God slowly begin to erode. They began to relax the practice of the spiritual disciplines, that once undergirded their faith and obedience to God. All of this is a recipe for failure, which allowed the things of the world to capture their hearts. Slowly, they looked to the world for their blessings rather that to God.
The COVID-19 has taught us that the church must be flexible, creative, and willing to reimagine ministry in a pandemic, while at the same time, practicing social distancing. The gospel that Jesus taught and preached spoke to the needs of the whole person, including every dimension of life: spirit, body, mind (emotional), relational, financial, and psychological. Without understanding these aspects of the gospel, the impact of evangelism will always be narrowly focused and limited. And it would be difficult to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:20).
Although Jesus said “…that the poor will always be with you;” He did not say that the poor had to be needy. God had much to say about our attitude toward and actions regarding the poor and needy. How people respond to the poor in the world exposes the human heart. Anyone who mistreats the poor are answerable to God. The scriptures teach us that when people show contempt toward the poor, mistreat, or oppress the poor, God takes this personal, as a perversion of justice and equality. Both the Old and the New Testaments, strongly teach against any form of systemic social and economic injustices. The world that Jesus envisioned was based on kingdom principle of mutual love, respect, and accountability. Serving the least of these allows us to walk in the shoes of others. It allows us to see their humanity.
As I read and reread the parable of judgment, it occurred to me that Jesus was not simply speaking about the current social conditions. He was also speaking prophetically into the future. Jesus used this parable to teach His disciples then and now, that we are connected as people by our common humanity. Our common humanity compels us to love and to care for the needs of each other. He was trying to make the point that we are our brother’s and sister’s keepers. This parable makes the point that the whole human race is subject to judgment when the hungry, the naked, the sick and those in prison are neglected and not cared for. When people fail to help the least of these, they are in fact rejecting Jesus Christ, who died for the whole world. When we fail to help the poor and needy among us, we are dishonoring the Creator of humanity. Jesus revealed that when we show generosity to those in need, we are also showing generosity to Him. And when we fail to show kindness, we do it to Him, also.
The parable of judgment reveals that doing acts of kindness do not depend on how big our bank account is but how big our heart is. It demonstrates the selfless love we have for God and others. It is not a measure of our ability or intelligence; but simply advocates that we are blessed to be a blessing. When we act selflessly in caring for the needs of our fellow human beings, without seeking anything back, we are imitating Christ’s sacrificial giving of His life for us. Such generous giving allows us to share in the joy of Jesus Christ and to bring honor to our Creator and heavenly Father!
Finally, our service is connected to our worship. Our worship and service represent two-sides of the same coin. Our worship of God motivates and inspires our service! Worship guides and inspires how we serve, who we serve, and why we serve? Our worship draws us closer to God and to each other. As we grow closer to God, God reveals to us His heart and compassion for the world. As we draw closer to God in Christ, we begin to reflect God’s character, becoming more like God. The more we become like God, we begin to see the world as God sees it. We begin to love those things that God loves and hate those things that God hates. Genuine worship transforms us into the authentic image of Jesus Christ. As we allow Christ to live in us, we are compelled to love and serve as He did. We become the body of Christ. We become Christ’s hands, feet, and voice in the world.
Jesus is coming back for the true worshipers. He is coming back to gather those who are diligent and faithful, like the wise bridesmaids. Jesus is coming back for those who remain, obedient and resourceful, in using their gifts and talents to advance God’s kingdom. Jesus is coming back for those who show authentic love, compassion, and mercy to the least of these. The true worshipers are those who worship God in Spirit and truth. Those who accept and live out the truths of God will live eternally with God and share in the joy of Jesus Christ!
