Matthew 25:31-46
Sheep and Goats
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31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.
32All 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.
33He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
34Then 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 foundation of the world.
35For 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 took Me in,
36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
37Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?
38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
41Then 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.
42For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
44And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Berean Standard Bible
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The Son of Man comes in glory with His angels and sits on His throne. All nations are gathered before Him. As a shepherd separates sheep from goats, He places some on His right and others on His left. The One who has been teaching His disciples now describes Himself as the Judge of all.
He invites those on His right to inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. They are blessed by His Father. He remembers food, drink, clothing, welcome, care in sickness and visits in prison. The righteous are surprised: when did they do these things for Him? He says that what they did for the least of His brothers, they did for Him.
Those on His left are also surprised. They failed to offer that care, and the King says their neglect was neglect of Him. He sends them into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The account ends with eternal punishment for one group and eternal life for the righteous.
Jesus calls the people receiving mercy His brothers. Elsewhere in Matthew He uses family language for His disciples and identifies receiving His messengers with receiving Him. Christians differ over how broadly to understand the needy people here, but we must not lose His close identification with those He calls His own.
Mercy is no small matter to this King. The kingdom is an inheritance prepared by His Father, not a prize purchased with enough good deeds. Yet receiving Him cannot be separated from how we treat the people He welcomes as His brothers.
How We Know
Matthew earlier records Jesus calling His disciples His family and saying that receiving His messengers is receiving Him. Those passages help explain His identification with His brothers here. Ephesians distinguishes salvation as God’s gift from the good works for which believers are created, helping us hold grace and the serious call to mercy together.
Questions
1 What does the King give those on His right?
AnswerHe welcomes them into the kingdom His Father prepared from the foundation of the world. They receive it as an inheritance and are called blessed by His Father.
2 Why are the acts of care so important to Him?
AnswerHe identifies Himself with the least of His brothers. Food, welcome and visits offered to them count as service to Him, even when the helpers did not recognize it.
3 What warning does the other group receive?
AnswerTheir neglect of those in need was neglect of the King. Jesus names eternal punishment, making indifference to the people He calls His own a deeply serious response to Him.
4 Who in Christ’s family needs care we can help provide?
AnswerWe might bring a meal to someone ill, welcome a newcomer or stay in touch with an isolated believer. Ask what would help, and make a plan we can carry through.
What This Means for Us
We can admire Jesus while overlooking a person who belongs to Him. A sick church member may need groceries after the first week of visits has passed. A believer far from home may need a place at a table. Their need is easy to miss when we are waiting for a more impressive way to serve.
The King remembers these ordinary acts. The righteous do not present Him with a record of favors calculated to earn His welcome. They discover that He received their care as care for Himself. His words give quiet service a worth that public recognition cannot add.
Salvation is God’s gift, and those saved by grace are created in Christ for good works, as Ephesians explains. We can therefore take this warning seriously without turning mercy into a payment. Ask God to expose settled indifference, then respond to a need that is actually before you.
Prayer
King Jesus, thank You for the kingdom Your Father prepares for His people. Forgive our indifference to those You call Your brothers. Teach us to recognize their needs and serve them gladly, trusting Your grace. Amen.