By Douglas K. Wilson, Ph. D.
Professor of Biblical Studies, University of Mobile
ACTIVE FAITH
Matthew 25:31–46
The Judge (31–33)
God promised redemption for the nations through Abraham and his seed in Genesis 22:18, 26:4 and 28:14. The prophets wrote of the coming judgment on the nations in Isaiah 13–23, Ezekiel 26–39 and Amos 1–2, among others. The psalmists anticipated it in Psalm 67 and Psalm 96. For this reason, Jesus commissioned believers to make disciples of all the nations. The Judge will separate believers and unbelievers.
Sheep on the right. The right side is the hand of favor in many cultures. Benjamin’s name means “son of my right hand.” Jacob favored his younger grandson Ephraim by blessing him with his right hand and the older Manasseh with his left hand (Gen. 48:13–20). The Good Shepherd will place the sheep on His favored side.
Goats on the left. Goats are wily, crafty and observant. No wonder that unbelievers are characterized as goats, for they think they have good reasons not to believe. They think they know better — that they know better than God or that they are too educated to stoop to some superstitious notion of some all-wise creator.
Instead, they believe that nothing made everything and that time and chance and matter organized their biological-chemical-electrical machinery (material being) into psychological sophistication capable of communication and ethical judgments (immaterial being).
The Righteous (34–40)
Who are the righteous sheep? They are the ones who trust in Jesus. They are righteous, not because they do everything right but because they are surrendered to the One who is the standard of right. His righteousness is imputed to them in such a way that their lives reflect Him.
The Judge knows their actions and their attitudes. Just as He met them at their point of need, they see others and meet them in their needs. They see hungry people and feed them. They offer drink to the thirsty. They welcome the stranger. They care for the sick. They reach out to the imprisoned. When the Judge commends them, they don’t congratulate themselves. They wonder why they would be commended for doing right. When did we do this?
The Faithless (41–46)
Who are the unrighteous goats? They trust themselves. They already know what’s right, and they don’t need instruction or assistance. They are fine on their own, thank you very much.
They may see the hungry and thirsty as long as there is something in it for them. Maybe they will see the stranger as a project or a prospect, but not likely as a person. The sick and imprisoned? Survival of the fittest! When they are judged, they won’t remember people in need. They will simply wonder why they were judged. After all, didn’t Jesus say, “Judge not”?
Hell. Isn’t that just a cuss word? A lot of church folks don’t believe in hell anymore. They know family and friends who may have walked an aisle in Vacation Bible School half a lifetime ago, but they expect their pastor to preach their fruitless family member into heaven at the funeral.
Several times in the teachings of judgment, Jesus talks about a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), “where their worm does not die” (Mark 9:48) or “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46). Now is the time to trust Jesus. Now is the acceptable time (2 Cor. 6:2).
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