SERMONWRITER
Resources for Lectionary Preaching
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:31-46
THIS IS A CONCISE VERSION of the exegesis prepared originally for SermonWriter.
SERMONWRITER SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVE:
• A full set of materials on the Gospel lesson delivered weekly by email. This includes the complete exegesis, a sermon, a children's sermon, a true story, several Thought Provokers, a hymn list, and a bibliography.
• A username/password that allows them full access to materials on this site.
• Often we send a second email with the exegesis for the OT lesson.
FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION, go to: http://www.lectionary.org/subscribe.htm.
TO RECEIVE FREE SAMPLES of SermonWriter, send dick@sermonwriter.com:
• Your name
• Your email address and
• Your denomination
(Limit: One set of samples in a 12 month period and two sets of samples total)
CONCISE EXEGESIS:
SERMONWRITER SUBSCRIBERS can use their password to access the complete exegesis. We also include the complete exegesis in their weekly email.
You can access the following sermons on this text FREE:
• "The Scavenger Hunt," by Dr. Randy L. Hyde
• "What the Saints Do," by Pastor Steven Molin
• "Wholesale or Retail," by the Rev. Charles Hoffacker
CHAPTERS 21-25: THE CONTEXT
Chapters 23-25 are Jesus' final discourse (lengthy speech) in this Gospel. The setting is the temple, and the time is early Holy Week –– between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday. Jesus' discourse includes several parables that emphasize preparation for the master's (Jesus') return (24:45-51; 25:1-13; 14-30, 31-46).
The discourse concludes with The Judgment of the Nations (25:31-46), which portrays Judgment Day. Readiness here consists of faithfulness in "the least of these" (25:40) ministry.
VERSES 31-33: THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations (panta ta ethne –– multitudes, nations, Gentiles) will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of glory" (v. 31). Son of Man is Jesus' favorite way to refer to himself (8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 11:9; 12:8, 32, 40; 13:37, 41; 16:13, 27-28; 17:9, 12, 22; 19:18; 20:18; 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; 25:31; 26:2, 24, 45, 64). The phrase has a humble ring to it, but the Son of Man will come in power and glory.
Note the contrast between Jesus' first and second comings. In his first coming, Jesus emptied himself, coming into this world as a servant (Philippians 2:5-11). In his second coming, however, the time for wooing and winning will be past, so no further purpose would be served by humble circumstances. Jesus, therefore, will come in all of his glory.
"All the nations (panta ta ethne) will be gathered before him" (v. 32a). Who does Jesus mean by panta ta ethne? Because ethne is often used to refer to Gentiles, some scholars believe that panta ta ethne means all the Gentiles. However, there are reasons to believe that it means all people, and that is what we will assume in this exegesis.
"and he (the Son of Man) will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (v. 32 –– see Ezekiel also 34:17). While sheep and goats might look much the same to us, a shepherd would know the difference. The wool of sheep is valuable, so shepherds prize sheep above goats.
"and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left" (v. 33). Earlier, the mother of James and John asked Jesus to place her sons at his right and left hands in his kingdom (20:20-23). In that context the right hand was the favored position and the left hand was the next favored position. However, in the judgment context of 25:31-46, the left hand is not a place of favor but of disfavor.
VERSES 34-40: JUST AS YOU DID IT TO
34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that 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 food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family (Greek: adelphon mou –– my brothers), you did it to me.'
"Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father" (v. 34a). The shepherd (v. 32) has become king (v. 34). The king conveys the Father's blessing to those who have given him succor in the form of six works of mercy: Food, drink, welcome, clothing, nursing care, and visitation.
The king invites these merciful people to "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (v. 34b). An inheritance is a bequest conveyed by a last will and testament –– an unearned gift. God prepared the kingdom as a gift from the foundation of the world –– from the very beginning.
"for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me" (vv. 35-36). We should regard these six deeds of mercy as illustrative rather than exhaustive. Each meets a specific need of a particular needy person. Where other needs exist, mercies tailored to those needs surely will count as highly as these six. A kind word or listening ear can help a person in despair. Assistance with a flat tire can redeem the day for a stranded motorist. The possibilities for mercy are boundless, just as human needs are boundless.
Note the very basic nature of these six mercies: Food, drink, welcome, clothing, nursing care, and visitation. Every person has the potential to provide these kinds of mercies.
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?" (v. 37). Note the surprise of the mercy-givers. While extending mercies to "the least of these" they had no idea that they would be rewarded for their kindness.
The king explains to these astonished mercy-givers that, as they showed mercy to "one of the least of these who are members of my family (adelphon mou –– my brothers), you did it to me" (v. 40). "'One.' The individualism of this text surprises us. Surely one person isn't all that important in a world of need! Jesus wants us to think again. And it is not just a single person, it is 'the least significant' such person" (Bruner, 922).
"the least of these who are members of my family" (adelphon mou –– my brothers) (v. 40). Who are these adelphoi –– these brothers (and sisters)? There are three possibilities: They could be Christians involved in proclaiming the Gospel, any Christian in need, or anyone in need. Perhaps we might want to draw three concentric circles with Christians proclaiming the Gospel at the center –– surrounded by needy Christians –– further surrounded by all needy people. While it seems likely that Jesus will bless those who help people in any of the three circles, the certainty of blessing increases the closer we move to the center of the circles.
While Christians today understand that we should, in the name of Christ, show mercy to needy people without regard to creed, we have not sufficiently emphasized showing mercy to Christian adelphoi. This is a serious deficiency in the light of the persecution of Christians around the world. We are more easily moved to action by homeless people on our city streets than by Christian adelphoi in Chinese jails, because homeless people are visible to us and the prisoners are invisible. We Christian leaders have a responsibility to make persecuted adelphoi visible to our congregations. We also have a responsibility to emphasize solid support (prayer support, financial support, and personal support) of those who have left hearth and home to proclaim the Gospel to all nations (28:19).
VERSES 41-46: JUST AS YOU DID NOT DO IT
41Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46And these will go away into eternal (Greek: aionion –– from aionios) punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
"Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels'" (v. 41a). Instead of an invitation to a kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world, Jesus consigns these people to "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (v. 41). God designed the kingdom for people, but prepared fire for the devil and his angels.
Jesus gives a clear answer to the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9), and that answer is a resounding YES!!!
"depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (v. 41b). Fire and brimstone isn't popular preaching these days, but the fire and brimstone of this judgment scene is no aberration. The immediate context (24:45 ff.) includes three parables of judgment that include images of people being cut into pieces (24:51), locked out (25:10-12), and cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (25:30). The wider context (chapters 21-25) is full of Jesus' teachings about judgment.
"for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me" (vv. 42-43). These are sins of omission rather than sins of commission. The Son of Man is not condemning them for the sins that come immediately to mind when we hear the word "sin" (such as breaches of the Ten Commandments), but rather for failing to do the acts of kindness that they could have done. The ancient prayer asks forgiveness "for what we have done and what we have failed to do."
"Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me" (v. 45). To appreciate what Jesus is saying here, we have only to think of a father or mother responding to someone who could have saved their child but failed to do so. How would they feel about a teacher who failed to help their child? How would they feel about the police officer who drove by without stopping when their child was in serious peril? How would they feel about a physician who refused to treat their child because of insurance problems?
"And these will go away into eternal (aionion) punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (v. 46). There are no gradations of reward or punishment here –– it is "in" or "out." The sharpness of the division is sobering.
This is the last of Jesus' public teaching in this Gospel, so it would seem that it is the thought that Matthew most wants us to remember.
Christ, in this text and elsewhere, tells us the rules by which the kingdom of God is governed –– rules very different from those to which we are accustomed. He tells us that the person who lives by kingdom rules will benefit mightily by that choice.
–– Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Barclay, William, Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 2 (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1957)
Bergant, Dianne with Fragomeni, Richard, Preaching the New Lectionary, Year A (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2001)
Blomberg , Craig L., New American Commentary: Matthew, Vol. 22 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992)
Boring, M. Eugene, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VIII (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)
Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV –– Year A (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995)
Bruner, Frederick Dale, Matthew: Volume 2, The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28 (Dallas: Word, 1990)
Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, A (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1992)
France, R.T., The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007)
Gardner, Richard B., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Matthew (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1990)
Hagner, Donald A., Word Biblical Commentary: Matthew 14-28, Vol. 33b (Dallas: Word, 1995)
Hamann, H. P., The Gospel According to Matthew (Adelaide, 1984)
Hare, Douglas R. A., Interpretation: Matthew (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1993)
Hultgren, Arland J., in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text. The Third Readings: The Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001)
Johnson, Sherman E. and Buttrick, George A., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1951)
Keener, Craig S., The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Matthew, (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1997)
Long, Thomas G., Westminster Bible Companion: Matthew (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997)
Morris, Leon, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1992)
Senior, Donald, Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Matthew (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998)
Soards, Marion; Dozeman, Thomas; McCabe, Kendall, Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993)
Thayer, Joseph Henry, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (NY: American Book Company, 1889)
We welcome your feedback! dick@sermonwriter.com
Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan