Scripture:
Matthew 25:31-46 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The Sheep and the Goats
31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels (A) [a] with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. (B) 32 All the nations (C) [b] will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (D) 33 He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom (E) prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (F)
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 took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me;
I was sick and you took care of Me;
I was in prison and you visited Me. (G) '
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 take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?'
40 "And the King will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me. (H) ' 41 Then He will also say to those on the left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels! (I)
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 didn't take Me in;
I was naked
and you didn't clothe Me,
sick and in prison
and you didn't take care of Me.'
44 "Then they too will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?'
45 "Then He will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either. (J) '
46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (K)
Footnotes:
Matthew 25:31 Other mss read holy angels
Matthew 25:32 Or the Gentiles
Cross references:
Matthew 25:31 : Gn 16:7; Mt 5:34; 13:49; Lk 1:11; Ac 5:19; Rv 14:6;
Matthew 25:31 : Mt 16:27; 19:28; 2Th 1:7; Jude 14; Rv 1:7;
Matthew 25:32 : Jl 3:12; Mt 24:14; 28:19; Rm 1:5; Gl 1:16;
Matthew 25:32 : Ezk 34:17;, 20; Mt 13:49;
Matthew 25:34 : Mt 19:29; Lk 12:32; 1Co 15:50; Gl 5:21; Jms 2:5; 1Pt 3:9; Rv 21:7;
Matthew 25:34 : Mt 13:35; 20:23; 1Co 2:9; Heb 4:3; 9:26; 11:16; Rv 13:8; 17:8;
Matthew 25:36 : Is 58:7; Ezk 18:7; Jb 31:32; 2Tm 1:16; Heb 13:2; Jms 1:27; 2:15-16;
Matthew 25:40 : Pr 19:17; Mt 10:42; 25:34; Heb 6:10;
Matthew 25:41 : Mt 7:23; 13:40, 42; Mk 9:48; 2Pt 2:4; Jude 6-7;
Matthew 25:45 : Pr 14:31; 17:5; Ac 9:5;
Matthew 25:46 : Dn 12:2; Jn 5:21; Ac 24:15; Rm 2:7;
Reflection:
Do you allow the love of God to rule in your heart? Augustine says, “Essentially, there are two kinds of people, because there are two kinds of love. One is holy the other is selfish. One is subject to God; the other endeavors to equal Him.” Jesus came not only to fulfill the law, but to transform it through the gift of the Holy Spirit who fills our hearts with the love of God (Romans 5:5). Do you allow God’s love to purify your heart, thoughts, and actions?
Jesus’ story about the separation of goats and sheep must have unsettled his audience. In arid lands goats and sheep often grazed together during the day because green pasture was sparse. They were separated at night because goats needed shelter. Goats were also less docile and more restless than sheep. They came to symbolize evil and the expression scape-goat has become a common expression for someone bearing blame for others. (See Leviticus 26:20-22 for a description of the ritual expulsion of sin-bearing goat on the Day of Atonement.) Separation is an inevitable consequence of judgement. The Day of Judgement will reveal who showed true compassion and mercy toward their neighbor. As much as we might like to judge the parables, the parables, nonetheless, judge us. Jesus teaches us a very important lesson about loving our neighbor and taking responsibility for others. God will judge us not only for the wrong we have done but also for what we have failed to do. Now is the time of God’s mercy for seeking his help and grace to turn away from sin and to walk in his way of love. Ask the Lord to purify your heart that you may love as he loves and live charitably with all.
This parable is similar to the parable about Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man let Lazarus die on his doorstep and was doomed to crave for drops of cold water he had not thought of giving to the poor man. When Martin of Tours (who lived in the 4th century), a young Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith, met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin’s disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision Martin “flew to be baptized” . God is gracious and merciful; his love compels us to treat others with mercy and kindness. When we do something for one of Christ's little ones, we do it for Christ. Do you treat your neighbor with mercy and love as Christ has treated you?
Prayer For The Day:
Lord Jesus, be the Master and Ruler of my heart. May your love rule in my heart that I may only think and act with charity towards all.
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