Matthew 25:31-46
The Sheep and the Goats
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. 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 put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
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. 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 invited me in, 36I 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? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King 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 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 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.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
These verses follow a section in which Jesus describes the “last things” and immediately precede the closing chapters of Matthew which recount Jesus’ trial, crucifixion and resurrection.
* What is it about? Do you sense a particular atmosphere in the passage?
* Looking at verses 31-33, describe the scene.
* What role does the Son of Man assume here?
* Verses 34-40 and 41-45 are remarkably similar in structure.
* Compare the conversation between the King and those on his right and left hands in the following ways:
* What is the fate of the two groups?
* What are the standards by which the two groups are judged?
* Whose needs had they met or failed to meet? Did everyone get a fair chance?
* What responses do the two groups make to the King’s judgment? What is common to both responses? ON what standards might they have expected the judgment to be based? (Imagine yourself in each group and discuss what would be going through your mind).
* How does Jesus answer both groups?
* Compare the description of Jesus in verse 31 with what he says about himself in verses 35, 36, 42, and 43.
* How is Jesus uniquely qualified as judge? Read the following to give you more insight.
John 5:26-27
“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
Philippians 2:3-11
“ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
* Why is it consistent that those who have ministered to the needy on earth should spend eternity with the King? Explain how those who the King commands to “depart” had already departed from him.
* Consider again the specific needs that Jesus identifies with in Matthew 25:31-46.
* Who did he expect to be able to meet these needs?
* What are some of the obstacles and attitudes we need to confront before we are willing to help people in need?
* Where are the hungry and needy in our world? How do we relate to them? Considering the profound importance Jesus gave to this ministry, how should we respond?
* In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus teaches about our responsibility to make maximum use of the gifts we have been given while we still have the opportunity. What gifts do we have to offer this evening.
End with prayer that we will more clearly see the responsibility to meet the needs of people as an opportunity to minister to Jesus himself.
