Messages from Matthew: Christ's Concern and Yours (Matt 25:31-46)

MESSAGES FROM MATTHEW ON THE MINISTRY OF JESUS:
Christ's Concern and Yours (Matt 25:31-46)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2006
 

As we see people wasting their lives in dissipation of various kinds, we wish there were some way of bringing them to their senses, of making them realize what the future could hold for them, if they would only repent.

A minister walked into a bar and said to the first man he met, "Do you want to go to heaven?" "Yes, I do," the man replied. "Then leave this bar right now," the minister said. He approached a second man and asked the same question. "Do you want to go to heaven?" "Certainly!" was the man's reply. "Then leave this den of iniquity!" said the minister. Encouraged by his success, he walked up to a third man and asked, "Do you want to go to heaven?" "No, I don't," the man replied. The minister looked him in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?" "Oh," the man replied, somewhat surprised, "absolutely! ...I thought you were gathering a group to go right now."

While it may not be "right now," there will come a day when we will have to account for the way we have spent our life, whether by advancing God's interests or advancing our own.

 

When Rev. Van Horn, our Conference president this year, introduced his theme—Making Christ' Mission Our Mission—it raised the question: What was Christ's mission? That is, what did he identify as the reason he came?¹ Was it one thing or several things? How much did God intend only for him to do? What, if any of it, did Jesus relegate to his disciples, perhaps to us as well?²

 

For the answer, I looked primarily at Jesus' words about his mission, at what the gospel writers recorded that give his understanding about why he came and what he was to accomplish. The results did not surprise me. Several times, Jesus says³ that...

• The Father sent him.

...and several times Jesus says that...

• The Father told him what he should do and say.⁴

Those who heeded his instruction would, enjoy a full and productive life, because he said...

John 10: 10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus accomplished his appointed task through preaching the gospel, which was his primary activity.⁵

Luke 4:43 ...I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God [he said] because that is why I was sent.

His ultimate mission, however, was to provide atonement for sin through his vicarious death.⁶ As he said...

Matt 20:28 [= Mark 10:45]...the Son of Man [came] to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus had a clearly defined understanding of his mission, an understanding that recognized what he could and should do.

 

After his resurrection, Jesus passed on some aspect of that mission to his disciples,⁷ when he said...

John 20:21b As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

What elements of Jesus' mission did the disciples inherit, and how much of that is properly our responsibility?⁸ What aspects of Christ's mission can we—should we—make our mission?

 

Clearly, there are some things he did that we cannot do; at least, that most of us cannot do.

• Most of us cannot heal disease, as he did.
• Most of us cannot exorcise demons, as he did.
• Most of us cannot perform miracles, as he did.
• Some of us can preach, though not as he did.
• Some of us can teach, though not as he did.
• None of us can die for sin, as he did.
• None of us can rise from the dead, as he did...at least, not yet.

Is there anything we all can do that Jesus did?⁹ Is there anything we all should do that Jesus did?¹⁰ What aspect(s) of Christ's mission can we—should we—make our mission?¹¹

 

One feature that permeated Jesus' ministry was his deep concern for peoples' needs.¹² Matthew, especially, mentions it more than once.

Matt 9:36 When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were...like sheep without a shepherd.

Matt 14:14 [Later] Jesus [again] saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matt 15:32 [On another occasion] Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."

This concern is also evident in a story he tells, somewhat of a parable that illustrates how we must have compassion as well.¹³

 

It is late in Jesus' ministry. He has just answered the disciples' question about what signs would signal the messiah's advent to establish God's kingdom. From that subject, Jesus moves to series of lessons about how his followers should conduct themselves as they wait. One of these lessons is from a story about Sheep and Goats. Please turn to Matt 25, where the account opens with...

I. The Separation of the People (vv. 31-33)

Matt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Separating farm animals sounds like a benign, even mundane, task, which it would be under normal, agrarian circumstances.¹⁴ What Jesus describes, however, is not an agricultural activity but an eschatological event. It is the end of the age, the messiah is on the throne, and he has decided who will remain in his kingdom and who will not. What should strike us is that...

• There are only two companies.¹⁵

...not three or four, and...

1. There is no ambiguity about who belongs in which group.
2. There is no uncertainty about a person's guilt or innocence.
3. There is no opportunity to change one's status, to move from one group to the other.

The trial itself has already taken place. All that remains is to review the evidence and pronounce the sentence.

 

How inclusive is this session of the heavenly court? Jesus says, "All the nations will be gathered before him" (v. 32a). The apostle Paul says much the same thing.

2 Cor 5:10 ...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

No one will be exempt. No one will be judged in absentia. Everyone will have his day in court.¹⁶

 

Are you ready for that day? Have you prepared your defense? Will it be persuasive enough to sway the court in your favor?

 

At this stage in the process, it is too late to mount a defense. Physical death is the point of no return. The author of Hebrews writes...

Heb 9:27 ...[a] man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

After you pass from this life, it is too late to mend your ways or alter your fate. By then, God's decision and your destiny are forever fixed.

 

After describing the separation the king makes, Jesus describes the court proceedings that will follow and...

II. The Evaluation of the King (vv. 34-45)

Matt 25:34 "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. 35 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, 36 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.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "[He] will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41 "Then [the king] 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. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.' 44 "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?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

As I mentioned before, this is the sentencing phase of the trial.¹⁷ The evidence for a person's guilt or innocence has already been presented, and the judge is simply reviewing some of the basis for his ruling as he concludes these proceedings.¹⁸ What should impress us is the absolute justice of God in life as He deals with people in death. Notice that...

A. Both groups had similar opportunities.

Evidently, one factor that determines an individual's sentence is how he treated the people of God, whom Jesus calls "these brothers of mine" (v. 40).¹⁹ Of all the reasons the king could cite, from obeying or disobeying God's law to sanctifying or profaning God's name, Jesus chooses this one, as if it alone could decide a person's fate. When the king explains his ruling to each group, he says the way they treated him is why he is now commending or condemning them. In response...

B. Both groups make similar inquiries.

...wanting to know when they ever saw him in need of their help. His reply is that whenever they encountered his people, they were encountering him, and their treatment of his people, whether for good or ill, whether they helped them or ignored them, was as if they were treating him.²⁰

 

Jesus is not saying, this is the reason the righteous have a part in the kingdom—that is by grace through faith—but it is one reason the unrighteous have no part in the kingdom: They have failed in their treatment of his people. This certainly places Jesus' people among his chief concerns and indicates where their needs should fall in your list of concerns.

 

However laudable it might be to end world hunger or to save the rain forests, however important it is to support your local food bank or homeless shelter, what concerns God more, and what should concern you more, is how you have met the needs of those in your church or the needs of other Christians in your community.²¹

 

Earlier, Jesus said...

Matt 10:42 ...if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to [someone] because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.²²

It is not that you ignore the needs of other people, but that you focus your efforts on helping God's people.

Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

In so doing, you make Christ's concern your concern.

 

After recounting the evaluation of the king, there is but one step left in these proceedings...

III. The Application of the Sentence (v. 46)

Matt 25:46 "Then they [the unrighteous] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

As there are only two groups, so...

• There are only two destinies.

There is no purgatory for the righteous, where souls not quite pure enough for heaven undergo a final cleansing through suffering until they are ready to enter God's presence. Jesus paid it all and says, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world" (v. 34).

 

There is also no second chance for the unrighteous, no reprieve or time off for good behavior. Neither is there annihilation of the unrighteous, no termination of their existence and, thus, of their suffering. The king says, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (v. 41).

 

The destination for each group is different,²³ but the duration for both groups is the same: eternal punishment for the wicked and eternal life for the righteous.²⁴ Some Christians have difficulty reconciling such a harsh sentence for the wicked with the mercy of God. Yet, to make the destiny of one group different, to shorten punishment for the unrighteous, would make the destiny of the other group different as well; it would shorten life for the righteous. More importantly, this sentence accords with the preeminent attribute of God, which is not mercy but holiness, as the seraphim in heaven repeatedly proclaim...²⁵

Isa 6:3b "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty...

We may not understand fully now, but we will when we stand before the king.²⁶

 

It is imperative that people establish a relationship with God in this life, because there will be no opportunity to do so in the next life, no second chance. If you do not secure a place within the kingdom before you die, the king will set your place outside the kingdom after you die.

 

While most of you have already set your account right with God, so that you do not face the grim future of the wicked, there is still an important admonition here. In the king's final remarks at the sentencing, he selects one feature of the behavior of the righteous to commend, the same feature that figures prominently in Jesus' ministry: caring for the needs of his people.

 

Most churches, including most Seventh Day Baptist churches, are relatively small, with fewer than fifty members. That tends to make you more aware of the difficulties others in your congregation are experiencing. Whom do you know who might be in need?

 

...What can you do to help? ...Answer those questions, act on them, and you are Making Christ's Concern Your Concern.

For a pdf with Bibliography and Endnotes go here.