Judgement

Intro

We have now come to the final portion of the 5th and final discourse found in the Gospel of Matthew. Known as the “Olivet Discourse” or the “Discourse on the End Times.” I encourage to read the 5 discourses again on your own, and see for yourself what is important to Jesus. Take a picture or write it down if you want.

Matthew 5-7 - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 10 - The Missionary Discourse

Matthew 13 - The Parabolic Discourse

Matthew 18 - The Community Discourse

Matthew 24-25 - The Olivet Discourse

Most people think they know what Jesus is all about, even those who don’t really read the Bible. Read these 5 sections for a greater understanding.

Matthew 24 and 25 cover Jesus long answer to a question the disciples asked of Jesus. The interaction that sparked this teaching was found all the way back at the beginning of Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:1–3 NIV

1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

2 Questions. When will the destruction of the Temple happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age. He tells the disciples what to look for, He tells them what they will suffer, what the world will be like, He tells them how He will return in power, descending from the sky in all His glory, where there will be no doubt what is happening. All on earth will know.

And then what will happen? When He returns? After the elect, His chosen, has been gathered, what happens then?

As He ends this teaching. Keep this in mind. This is the last big teaching. He will be crucified within a week. He’s speaking with the disciples privately. These are some of the last things He wants them AND us to know.

So Jesus says

Matthew 25:31–34 NIV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All 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. 33 He 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.

Matthew 25:35–36 NIV

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 invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Matthew 25:37–40 NIV

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 invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:41–43 NIV

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. 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 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.’

Matthew 25:44–46 NIV

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, ‘Truly I tell you, 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.”

Heavy. Why? Because it’s final. Because we don’t like judgement. Because in our culture we want everything to be fair. But fair according to our standards. But Jesus is clear. There is an end date. The first thing that happens is what, a separation.

Sheep & Goats

Jesus used all kinds of metaphor regarding sheep. Jesus is the shepherd, as well as the sacrificial lamb. We are the sheep of His pasture. Jesus is the door the sheep walk through.

Sheep follow their master. They are easier to manage in a herd. Goats are more stubborn. They get into things more. They escape their pens easier.

I’ve always struggled with this metaphor, because the goats are condemned. When I was younger, I had some bad allergies, so couldn’t get a dog, and through a series of events I ended up with a goat. We only got 1, which we later found out how social they are. I feel like the farmer should have told us that.

I loved that goat. I think I’ve talked about him before. You remember his name? Billy.

Eventually Billy got really sick. I sat out with him and was sure he was going to die. I remembered that the goats would be separated from the sheep and condemned. So Billy and I prayed together and guess what? Billy asked Jesus into his heart. Or at least I did for him. I asked God to please let Billy go in with the sheep.

What was the factor that separates these two groups? There are 6 acts the king brings up.

Feeding the hungry. Giving water to those who thirst. Welcoming a stranger in. Clothing the naked. Visiting the sick. Visiting the prisoner.

I think, like much of what Jesus says, there are multiple layers to these words. Let’s go through them.

Feed the Hungry

I was hungry, and you did not feed me. For all of these we need to leave modern day america. The abundance of food is unheard of in all of human history. Hunger was not just an uncomfortable feeling. It was life and death. To ignore someone who was hungry could mean death for them.

Give Water to the Thirsty

Same thing for thirst. It’s hard to imagine not getting water whenever I want it. We don’t even have to think about it. But for most of history people had to have wells that they would transport with buckets. All the people that just had their homes destroyed. The first thing they need is water. Water and shelter.

Invite in the Stranger

How many people down south have been invited in to others homes? A lot. That’s what Jesus is talking about here. To open up your home to someone, to show hospitality, is to open up your heart to them in a very real sense. Maybe someone who has felt rejected other places. Or someone, like we see in the south, that has nowhere else to go.

I also believe it’s more than that. As with everything, Jesus has layers. We are called first to meet their very real physical needs. Don’t forget what Jesus calls himself though. He is the bread. He is the living water. He stands at the door and knocks waiting to be invited in.

The disciples went out and met the needs of people, and also told them about Jesus. It’s both. He also calls us to

Clothe the Naked

In the ESV translation, he says “I was naked and you clothed me” Yet again. We have so many clothes, but we didn’t have massive factories then. Nobody except perhaps the incredibly wealthy had walk in closets full of 100 different shirts. Clothes were all made by hand. There weren’t thrift shops like we have.

Take Care of the Sick

Remember Covid? Remember how horrible it was to isolate sick people. Those who were alone. Jesus changed everything when he came and laid hands on those who were sick. The untouchable. This is a call to care for people even when they might be inconvenient. To not forget them.

Visit the Prisoners

When’s the last time we did that? I recommend getting involved in some capacity with the Reach the Forgotten ministry.

Every one of these categories is the least in our society. People who are broken, afraid, cast out. People who have NOTHING to offer us.

Both sides asked the king, when did we see you? And for both the answer was “whatever you did for one of the least of these, you do for me.” Whatever you did for ONE. Even one.

Is our salvation based on works? No. It is based on belief in Jesus. Acceptance of His free gift of salvation. But that belief, if authentic, leads to works. Genuine faith in Christ always leads to works.

Do not disregard these categories. Can you do everything all the time? No. The beauty in these statements is that they are plural. When did WE see you? As one of the speakers at the Encountering Jesus event this last weekend said, God isn’t saying you singular. He’s saying the Texas you. Ya’ll. All ya’ll. It’s all of us as a collective. But we better be doing out part as an individual.

And what Jesus is saying here goes all the way back to the prophet Isaiah. Jesus is reaffirming what God spoke through him. Let’s start at verse 1 of chapter 58 for the context.

Isaiah 58:1–3 NIV

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

Isaiah 58:4–6 NIV

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:7–8 NIV

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Isaiah 58:9–10 NIV

9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

When the church was first begun, it wasn’t just the disciples debating in the synagogues. They went out and changed the world by doing these things. By satisfying the needs of the oppressed. By being an advocate. And this is the seriousness of NOT doing this.

Matthew 25:41 NIV

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.

I know how easy it is to get cynical. To write people off that have made poor decisions. But Jesus doesn’t say we need to know how they ended up in these situations, only what to do when we encounter them.

Jesus continually throughout his ministry calls us to offer aid and to minister to the poor, broken, and downtrodden, without expectation. They might not say thank you. They might not want it. But it is still the right thing to do.

I think there’s a cynicism because the term “social justice” has become synonymous with left wing politics. This is not that. Offering water, showing hospitality, ministering to those in prison, which, by the way…why are they in prison? They have comitted crimes! This doesn’t mean compromising on truth. It means we do it even if we don’t vote the same way. Or believe the same thing. We do it anyway.

How important is it to Jesus? We are cast out for not doing these thing. Depart from the King, from the kingdom, you who are cursed. Depart to eternal damnation.

But to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take care of the sick, and visit the prisoner.

Matthew 25:34 NIV

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.

What are doing? Have you had an opportunity to do these things but decided not to? Jesus is calling us to greater ministry. To take care of people. Where do you see yourself? Many of you take these things seriously already. But if you’re sitting here and thinking, “I don’t really do any of that.” Start. Start today. Which of those categories makes your heart break? That is the Holy Spirit already working in you.

I’m going to give you a moment to hear the Holy Spirit. Write at least one of these down, even if you’re already doing it. What role does He want you to play?

Feed the hungry

Give water to the thirsty

Show hospitality

Clothe the naked

Care for the sick

Visit the prisoner