TEXT [Commentary]
8. The final judgment (25:31-46)
31 “But when the Son of Man[*] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations[*] will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[*] you were doing it to me!’
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[*] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
NOTES
25:31 when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. After the grim picture of the judgment of the lazy slave (25:30), the stage is set for this account of the return of Jesus as the glorious Son of Man with his angels to judge the nations (13:41; 16:27-28; 24:31; 26:64; cf. Dan 7:13-14; Zech 14:5; John 5:27; 2 Thess 1:7; 1 Enoch 1:9; 61:8; 62:1-5; 69:27-29; 90:20-36). An added detail is the mention of his sitting on his glorious throne (19:28; cf. 5:34; 23:22; Luke 1:32; Rev 3:21).
25:32-33 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate [them]. All will be gathered before Jesus and separated (13:49) to his right and left as shepherds customarily separated sheep from goats (Ezek 34:17-20). In this context, unlike 20:23 where the right and left hands indicate second and third highest positions in the Kingdom, the right hand is the place of honor (22:44; 26:64) and the left hand is the place of shame (cf. 6:3; 27:38; 1 Kgs 2:19; 22:19). This “judgment” is not like a trial that involves suspense about the verdict but more like a hearing after the trial to pronounce the sentence. It is fitting, in view of other passages, for sheep to stand for genuine followers of Jesus (9:36; 10:6, 16; 15:24; 18:12; 26:31; cf. 2 Sam 24:1; Jer 23:3-4; Ezek 34:6; John 10:1-30; 1 Enoch 90:6, 30, 32). Sheep were probably more valuable than goats because of the wool they produced. Some believe that “all the nations” means all the Gentile nations, excluding the Jews, but this is doubtful (cf. 24:9, 14; Davies and Allison 1997:422-423; Hagner 1995:742). It is not easy to correlate this scene with other judgment scenes in the NT because there is no reference to a resurrection (cf. Acts 17:31; Rom 14:10-12; 1 Cor 15:51-57; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 20:11-15). Perhaps the resurrection is assumed.
25:34-40 Jesus has been described as Son of Man and his judgment of the nations has been likened to a shepherd’s activity. But here he speaks as the king who determines who will enter his Kingdom. He speaks first to the sheep on his right hand and announces that they, whom the Father has blessed (5:3ff), will inherit (5:5; 19:29) the Kingdom due to their merciful ministry to him when he was hungry, thirsty (10:42), homeless (Job 31:32; 1 Tim 5:10; Heb 13:2), naked, and imprisoned (Heb 10:34; 13:3).
Lord, when did we ever see you hungry? When the righteous (10:41; 13:43, 49) professed surprise and ignorance of their sixfold, merciful ministry, Jesus announced that it was done for him when it was done for one of his little brothers. The amazement of those on the King’s right hand is evidently due to their lack of recollection of ministering to Jesus when he was in need, but ministry to his people is regarded as ministry to him (10:40). This is the central principle of judgment in this passage (cf. Prov 19:17). The preparation of the Kingdom for the blessed ones in 25:34 should be contrasted with the preparation of eternal fire for the devil and his demons in 25:41. (See the following commentary for discussion of the identity of “the least of my brothers and sisters.”)
25:41-45 Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. These verses are exactly symmetrical with 25:34-40, but those on the King’s left are told to depart into eternal fire (cf. 7:23; 18:8) because they have not carried out the sixfold ministry to Jesus when he was in need. They too are amazed at the key principle of the judgment—that ministry to Jesus’ little brothers amounts to ministry to him. Their judgment is due to a sin of omission, not commission. “Away with you” is similar to the strong language of 4:10 and 16:23. It is noteworthy that the eternal fire (3:12; 13:42, 50; 18:8-9) is not prepared for those on the king’s left but for the devil and his demons (lit. “his angels”; cf. 2 Cor 12:7; Rev 12:7, 9). Unlike the Kingdom in 25:34, the place of eternal fire is not said to be prepared from the creation of the world.
25:46 they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life. This summary recapitulates the treatment of those on the right and on the left, in inverted order. Those on the left go to eternal punishment, and those on the right go to eternal life (19:16, 29; cf. Dan 12:2; John 5:28-29). The unique gravity of this judgment is stressed by the repetition of the word “eternal.” There is a clear parallel between the expressions used in this verse and those used earlier for the destinies of those on the right and left in 25:34 and 25:41.
COMMENTARY [Text]
Hagner (1995:740) rightly observes that “the final section of the eschatological discourse ends fittingly in a great judgment scene.” This discourse began with the disciples’ question about the coming of Jesus in 24:3, and it ends with his coming to judge all the nations in 25:31. But the disciples’ question was primarily about the timing of Jesus’ coming, and there is no chronology here. This passage deals with the significance of Jesus’ coming, not its timing. It amounts to an exposition of 24:29-31.
Although some view Matthew 25:31-46 as a parable (e.g., Robinson 1928:208-209), its metaphorical elements (25:32b-33) are not extended throughout the discourse. One might describe it as a semi-parable, but it begins and concludes as a prose narrative of the judgment of the nations. The narrative appears to have four parts, which speak of the setting of the judgment (25:31-33), the invitation to the righteous to enter the Kingdom (25:34-40), the banishment of the wicked to eternal fire (25:41-45), and the chiastic conclusion (25:46). In general, this final section of the Olivet discourse adds the lesson of compassion to the lessons of alertness (24:32-25:13) and faithfulness (25:14-30), which have been inculcated as the proper ethical response to the coming of Jesus.
Jesus taught his disciples to love all people, even their enemies (5:43-47), but there must be a special love and concern for one’s fellow disciples. Itinerant preachers would especially need the type of ministry mentioned in 25:35-36 (10:40; 3 John 5-8), but it is doubtful that they alone are in view here. Jesus is identified with his disciples and they with him. They are persecuted due to their connection with him (5:11; 10:18, 22, 25; 23:34). Thus, it is quite likely that the privation of Jesus’ little brothers in 25:35-36 is due to their testimony for Jesus. When one shows mercy to a follower of Jesus, in a profound sense one is showing mercy to Jesus himself.
Interpretive Questions. The interpretation of this passage is earnestly debated (Gray 1989). Dispensationalists argue that the passage speaks not of a general judgment of resurrected mankind but of the judgment of living nations who are alive on earth at Christ’s return. The standard of judgment is their treatment of the Jewish remnant during the tribulation (Toussaint 1980:288-289; Walvoord 1974:202). The context and language of the passage can lend themselves to this interpretation, but it is doubtful that Jesus was being as precise as the modern dispensational system is in regard to a series of judgments in the end times.
A more exegetically oriented issue is the identity of “the least of these my brothers and sisters” (lit. “these least of my brothers”). Some understand the nations assembled for this judgment as those who have never heard the gospel and who are judged on the basis of the light they had (Green 1988:243), but Jesus himself seems to discount this wishful thinking in 11:27. Those inclined to a socially-oriented gospel see the passage as stressing the necessity of deeds of mercy to anyone in need (Barclay 1975:2.325-326; Beare 1981:495; Davies and Allison 1997:429). No doubt, Jesus’ disciples should perform deeds of mercy to those in need (9:13; 12:7), but it is doubtful that Jesus’ little brothers are to be identified with the needy in general. The dispensationalist view that the passage speaks of the treatment of the Jewish remnant by Gentiles during the eschatological tribulation probably interprets it too narrowly but correctly understands the relationship between belief in Jesus and deeds of mercy to others. All these views, however, seem to miss or minimize the fact that in Matthew the “little ones” are the true family of Jesus (10:40-42; 12:46-50), and that Jesus’ “brothers” are related to him spiritually (5:22-24, 47; 7:3-5; 12:48-50; 18:15, 21, 35; 23:8; 28:10; Hagner 1995:744-745). One dare not cause the spiritual ruin of these little ones (18:6), and one must genuinely forgive them when necessary (18:21, 35). In Jesus’ community, the world’s lust for status and prestige is out of place since all the disciples of Jesus are brothers (and sisters) in the same family (20:20-28; 23:8-10).
This passage also speaks to the awesome doctrine of eternal punishment. Although it seems that the doctrine of the annihilation of the lost is growing in popularity, the juxtaposition of eternal life and eternal punishment in 25:46 renders such a notion as wishful thinking. Matthew’s descriptions of the destiny of the lost speak of “fire” (3:12; 13:40, 50; 18:8-9; 25:41, 46; cf. 2 Thess 1:8; 2 Pet 3:7; Jude 1:7; Rev 14:10; 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8) and/or “deep darkness” (8:12; 22:13; 25:30; cf. 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6, 13). The dreadful horror of everlasting separation from God is vividly expressed by both metaphors.
Summary and Transition. The difficulties in interpreting Matthew 24–25 serve to remind us of our limitations as finite human beings. When Bible teachers of equal scholarship and devotion cannot agree on the particulars of a passage, one should shy away from dogmatism and keep an open mind toward further instruction. Matthew 24–25 shows that biblical prophecy is not mere prognostication or soothsaying. Only 24:4-31 directly responds to the disciples’ question about the details of the future (24:3). Even this futuristic section of the discourse stresses the need for ethical obedience to Jesus (24:4, 13-14, 23, 26). The rest of the discourse (24:32– 25:46) is paraenetic and parabolic, stressing how one should live in light of the future. In this second part of the discourse, future events are indeed mentioned (24:33, 36-37, 39-42, 44; 25:13, 31, 46), but only to support the ethical characteristics mandated for Jesus disciples—alertness (24:32–25:13), faithfulness (25:14-30), and compassion (25:31-46). Jesus never spoke of the future to merely satisfy curiosity or provoke speculation. Rather, he opened up the future to God’s people for the sake of their present obedience to God’s plan.
Since there is a focus on eschatology in each of Jesus’ first four discourses, especially at or near their conclusions (7:22; 10:32, 39-42; 13:49; 18:35), it is not surprising that Jesus ends all his teaching in Matthew with eschatology (26:1). His teaching has equipped his disciples with ethics befitting his reign (chs 5–7), with warnings about the perils of ministry (ch 10), with awareness of the contrasting responses to the Kingdom message (ch 13), with values for the Kingdom family (ch 18), and with the proper perspective on the future (chs 24–25). This proper perspective takes into account both the unknown date of Jesus’ return and the prospect of delay in that return. What is needed is a vigilance which does not veer into frivolous enthusiasm on one side or into cold apathy on the other (24:31–25:13). This vigilance is shown by faithful stewardship (25:14-30). This stewardship is exercised in helping those in need, especially one’s brothers and sisters in Christ (25:31-46).
When Jesus concludes all his words, he has concluded the teaching that he commands his disciples to perpetuate and inculcate in his future followers from all the nations of the earth. With his magnificent body of teaching now concluded, events will now quickly move toward his being handed over to be crucified (26:2). He will give his life a ransom for many, to save his people from their sins and to inaugurate the new covenant in his blood (1:23; 20:28; 26:28).