Matthew 25: Part 3
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Matthew 25: The Sheep and The Goats
Matthew 25: The Sheep and The Goats
Matthew 25:31–46 is the conclusion of Christ's Olivet Discourse. The beginning of this section, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory”, connect this passage to His teaching about His return.
The discourse began when the disciples asked Jesus:
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24–25 develops Christ's answer. The strongest evidence we have for a timeline comes from Matthew 24:29–30:
Tribulation → glorious appearing of the Son of man.
We will see that this lesson uses that same vocabulary of the Son of man coming in glory.
Nothing that we see in the verses in this lesson shows anything to contradict that order of events. The parables between the passages emphasize readiness and accountability while awaiting His return.
So where we will pick up in Matthew 25:31, naturally belongs to the post-Tribulation appearing of Christ already established in Matthew 24.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
That chronological statement is important for our study. Matthew 25:31’s language of the Son of man coming “in his glory” continues the return described in Matthew 24.
The immediate context of Matthew 25 also contains three major sections:
The Ten Virgins — Matthew 25:1–13: readiness for the Bridegroom's arrival.
The Talents — Matthew 25:14–30: accountability during the master's absence.
The Sheep and the Goats — Matthew 25:31–46: the King arrives, sits in judgment, separates, and renders the verdict.
We need to keep in mind that Scripture repeatedly teaches judgment in which works reveal what is within a person (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 7:16–20; Romans 2:6; Revelation 20:12). But that is in addition to, not in contrast of, Scripture's teaching concerning grace and faith.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Jesus is describing what will happen when He returns. He will come in glory, accompanied by His angels; and He will take His rightful place as King and Judge. The first word of the verse, “when” is worth noting. The question is not whether the Son of man will come, but what happens when He does. And this also shows us that the sheep and goats can’t be divided until after His return, after the tribulation.
Jesus calls Himself “the Son of man”, pointing back to Daniel's vision:
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
We also see David write about this event all the way back in Psalms, helping to show Jesus as the fulfilment of those Old Testament prophesies.
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Now that the King is seated on His throne, people from all nations are brought before Him. Jesus personally separates them into two groups.
The phrase “all nations” deserves careful attention because it shows us the scope of the judgment.
The Greek expression is πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (panta ta ethnē)—“all the nations.”
The principal word is ethnos (Strong's G1484), which can refer to a nation, people, or the Gentiles.
We will see Matthew use the same expression in:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
So we are clearly talking about all people, worldwide. Even though the word “nation” is used, it doesn’t mean we are judged as groups. We are judged separately and that’s why it’s important to remember the individual accountability that we established while studying the Parable of the Talents.
When Jesus says, “as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats”; He gives us a good picture of what He is saying. A mixed flock may appear to be one group, but the shepherd knows the difference between the animals and can separate them. That means the imagery emphasizes discernment as well as division.
Jesus was already pointing to this discernment back in:
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Fruit does not make a tree what it is; fruit reveals the nature of the tree. Through our works our nature is revealed. But pay attention that they were already sheep and goats; this division isn’t what made them so.
Christ knowing our hearts is able to discern and separate the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the wicked. Remember that we keep talking about salvation comes through the mercy and grace of Jesus, works is what allows us to be rewarded. There is a difference and it’s important that we learn that.
Works can be evidence revealing our relationship to Christ but works can’t purchase our salvation.
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
These positions show that the separation has a purpose: the two groups are about to receive different judgments. That detail matters because Scripture frequently uses the right hand as a position of favor, honor, authority, or acceptance.
The King is the one that decides who goes where, and this echoes what we see in:
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
So by deciding which group goes to which side, the Son of Man is executing judgment; using the authority bestowed by the Father.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Now Jesus speaks to the sheep and explains what their place at His right hand means. He welcomes them as people blessed by His Father and tells them to inherit the kingdom that God had prepared for them. Notice that Jesus says “inherit,” not “purchase” or “earn”.
“Inherit” — klēronomeō — Strong's G2816
To receive an inheritance, obtain by inheritance, or possess as an heir.
We inherit the kingdom by being adopted into the family of God, becoming His children through accepting His spiritual seed into our hearts, being washed clean through the blood of Jesus.
Inheritance language is significant because an inheritance is very different from wages.
Paul makes that clear:
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
A wage is owed because of work performed but an inheritance belongs to an heir. We can make this even more clear by looking at:
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Take note that it switches from saying “Son of Man” to using “King” in this verse. Jesus is now sitting on His throne in all His Glory!
The kingdom was prepared “from the foundation of the world.”
“Foundation” — katabolē — Strong's G2602
Literally associated with a laying or casting down, and commonly used for the world's foundation.
It comes from kataballō (G2598), meaning to cast or throw down, and katabolē can carry the idea of a laying down or foundation. In the KJV it is commonly translated “foundation.”
Bullinger draws attention to the etymological sense behind katabolē and connects certain passages with an overthrow or disruption associated with the former world.
Passages such as 2 Peter 3:5–7, distinguish the world that then was, the heavens and earth which are now, and the judgment still to come.
This helps us see that the kingdom we will inherit was prepared from the beginning of this age, because if the overthrow of the first age hadn’t occured there would have been no need for it, the first age would have continued AS the kingdom. Satan’s rebellion caused that to not be so.
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Jesus begins explaining why the sheep were recognized as belonging at His right hand. They responded with compassion when they encountered hunger and thirst, and were welcoming to a stranger. Jesus says they did these things to Him personally, something that the sheep themselves will question. And the answer to that will be part of how we explain why this verse may look like the works of the sheep are why they were placed at the right hand, but we also see that the kingdom was an “inheritance”, it couldn’t be bought with works.
And jumping ahead a little, the answer to the mystery of why Jesus says they encountered HIM, while the sheep don’t remember it that way; is that when we have the spiritual seed of Jesus Christ in our heart it pushes us to care for one another, it pushes us to do good works. So when they chose to follow Jesus and were washed in His blood, they received salvation. The presence of Jesus in their life then caused them to do the works we are about to see described. Salvation through faith and grace is the root of our spiritual tree, and when those roots are healthy we produce good fruit, good works.
The Bible shows us in scripture that when we have compassion on one another it is counted as something done to GOD. See:
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; And that which he hath given will he pay him again.
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
So as the sheep had done these works for others, it is counted to GOD. And how do we supply others with water and bread? Jesus Christ, who is the living water and the bread of life. So the best work we can do is spread the word of God. Not just here, at church; but more importantly in our everyday life.
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Jesus completes the list he started in the last verse. The sheep did not only help with food, water, and shelter; they also cared for people who were exposed, sick, and imprisoned. Again Jesus says, “you did these things to Me.”
When Jesus says that “ye visited me” that word visited in the Greek:
“Visited” — episkeptomai — Strong's G1980
To visit, inspect, look after, or care for.
The word can communicate active concern. James 1:27 uses the same verb for caring for widows and orphans. So the important idea of this, is that the sheep served suffering people without realizing that Christ regarded that as them serving HIM.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
The sheep are surprised by what Jesus has just said. They do not remember seeing Jesus Himself hungry or thirsty and they don’t remember helping Him. They helped others without realizing it would be counted as helping Christ.
Earlier Jesus called them “blessed” but now He calls them “righteous”. They didn’t just perform charitable works due to happenstance, it was because of their character, who they are at their hearts. This shows that their works are evidence of who they are, not as payment for the kingdom. This aligns with:
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
John is saying that a righteous act doesn’t make you righteous. You are already righteous in heart, which is why you would perform the righteous acts.
The sheep’s surprise is important. Suppose the sheep believed that feeding hungry people earned points toward entrance into Christ's kingdom. They may have then being doing the righteous acts while looking for a reward. Instead we see that their deeds look more like fruit produced naturally from who they were. Think back:
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
The fruit reveals the tree. The tree does not become good because someone attaches good fruit to its branches.
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
The sheep continue to be surprised and question when they saw the Lord in these circumstances. They remember helping people in need, but they do not remember it being Jesus. So they are trying to figure out, how can helping another person count as receiving and clothing Christ?
The very act of taking care of others being desired by God is seen in the Old Testament:
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, And that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; And that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
And God’s desire for us to be hospitable toward one another is also written in the New Testament:
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
So we start to see how caring for others is pleasing to God.
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
The righteous finish their question by asking when they ever saw Jesus sick or imprisoned. Every condition named by Christ has now been reviewed, and the righteous still cannot remember ever encountering Jesus in any of those circumstances.
So now we see that the sheep were blessed because they were righteous in heart, but also we see Christ discussing their works. Why are works mentioned?
We can answer that by what we’ve seen about their actions.
1. The sheep performed genuine acts of mercy.
2. Christ regards those actions as having been done personally to Him.
3. The righteous did not realize this when they performed them.
4. Christ identifies Himself with the actual recipients. We see the reverse of this when Jesus regarded Saul's persecution of His followers as persecution of Himself:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
But then we might ask, who are those recipients that the sheep helped? That is what verse 40 answers:
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Jesus now answers the question the righteous have been asking: “When did we ever do these things to You?” They had cared for people whom Jesus calls “my brethren,” the important question the becomes who Jesus means by “these my brethren.”
“Brethren” — adelphos — Strong's G80. Literally a brother, but frequently extended to spiritual relationships.
We’ve seen Jesus give us the answer to who these brethren are back in Matthew 12:49–50 where he explicitly applies this family terminology to those who do the Father's will:
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
So Jesus is speaking about taking care of other Christians. Our brothers and sisters in Christ. And if you go back and re-read Matthew chapter 10 you will see that connection even more.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Jesus now turns from the sheep to the goats. Instead of hearing “Come,” they hear “Depart from me.” They are sent toward the “everlasting fire,” but Jesus makes an important statement about that fire: unlike the kingdom that was “prepared for you,” this fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels.” We must let the rest of Scripture explain what this fire ultimately does rather than assuming that “everlasting” automatically means people remain alive suffering in it forever.
The Greek adjective translated “everlasting” is aiōnios (Strong's G166), related to aiōn (G165), an age or period.
“Everlasting” — aiōnios — Strong's G166. Enduring, age-abiding, everlasting, eternal.
Its precise force must be determined from context. Here it modifies the fire, emphasizing the enduring and irreversible character of divine judgment.
Everlasting fire doesn’t necessarily mean everlasting burning of what enters it. Scripture gives us an important interpretive example in Jude:
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
“Eternal” there is the same Greek adjective, aiōnios. But Sodom and Gomorrha are not still burning. Peter explains what happened to them:
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
The cities became “ashes.” Jude calls it eternal fire, while Peter emphasizes its result.
The destruction of the fire is eternal, but again that doesn’t mean the object continues to burn forever.
And I want to make special note of the fact that back in verse 34 we see that the kingdom is prepared for the people. But the fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. That gives us insight into:
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God wants all to come to repentance and receive everlasting life. The eternal fire was never meant for us but it’s our own actions and choices that could cause us to face the second death.
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Unlike the sheep, the goats did not help when Christ's brethren were hungry or thirsty. This shows us that sometimes what a person refuses or fails to do can reveal the heart just as clearly as what that person does. We saw this last week but let’s look at this verse again:
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
So the goats are first condemned for neglecting those in need, because just as the sheep taking care of others was considered taking care of Christ himself; their neglect of others is considered neglect of Christ.
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
The goats did not welcome, clothe, or visit those in need. So again we see them neglecting others, and if we go back to Matthew chapter 12 we can see that neglect can be rejection:
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
There is no neutral when it comes to accepting Jesus. This is also written in Proverbs:
If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, And those that are ready to be slain;
If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works?
This is saying that ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s sin. God knows our heart and knows if a opportunity was neglected, and that why Jesus said this:
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
He is saying that bringing no fruit is just as bad as bringing forth rotten fruit. Indifference and neglect toward our brothers and sisters is the same as indifference and neglect of Christ Himself.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
The goats are surprised just like the sheep were. They cannot remember ever seeing Jesus hungry, thirsty, homeless, poorly clothed, sick, or imprisoned. Neither group realized that their treatment of Christ's brethren was being counted as treatment of Christ Himself. Which is why what we see in 1 John is important:
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
How can we possibly love and serve God, if we won’t first do so for each other?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Jesus answers the goats' question just as He answered the sheep’s. They did not have to see Jesus physically hungry, sick, or imprisoned to neglect Him; when they refused to help the brethren, they refused to help Him.
We saw the disciples warned about the goats and their neglect for the brethren in:
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
So Jesus knew that there would be those who not only would neglect followers of Christ; they would actively persecute them.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Jesus closes the judgment by giving the final destination of both groups. The righteous receive eternal life, while the others receive an everlasting punishment from which there is no return. The key question is what that punishment actually is: Scripture repeatedly describes the final fate of the wicked as death, destruction, and the second death, so an everlasting punishment does not require an eternal torment and torture.
Again we looked at this verse last week but keep it in mind:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The wage for sin is not everlasting life while being tortured. Its death. Plain and simple. Jesus himself uses this type of language to describe what judgment for the wicked would be like:
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
So we see Jesus speaking of the complete destruction of the person, both body and soul. Revelation repeatedly calls it “the second death”, and if we connect all these verses we should see that eternal punishment does not require eternal punishing.
The Sheep and Goats judgment is ultimately about the King and our relationship to Him.
Jesus returns in glory after the Tribulation, gathers the nations before His throne, and separates them according to His knowledge and discernment.
Their treatment of the brethren becomes evidence during judgment because Christ identifies Himself with His people saying: “ye have done it unto me: and “ye did it not to me.”
The works are not a price paid for the kingdom. The kingdom was already prepared, the sheep are called blessed and righteous, their works just reveal their heart and character.
The passage the presents two irreversible outcomes:
“everlasting punishment” and: “life eternal.”
Using Scripture's own explanations about what that punishment would be (death, perishing, destruction, ashes, and the second death), the everlasting punishment is understood as final and irreversible destruction, not an everlasting existence in torment.
The righteous receive exactly what the condemned lose; eternal life with the King.
So what can we take from this? How can we apply this to our lives? We need to remember that how we treat each other is directly connected to our relationship with Jesus. We are meant to reflect His light into the world, to help illuminate that path for others. If we hate one another, we hate him. If we love one another, we love Him. So may we live ready for the King’s return, faithfully loving and serving those who belong to Him, remembering that what we do unto the least of His brethren, we do unto Him.
Matthew 25: The Sheep and The Goats
Matthew 25: The Sheep and The Goats
