THE LAST WEEK OF JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY AND HIS CRUCIFIXION

-The Final Judgment

-Matthew 25:31-46

-On the day of His return, Jesus will come in a glorious fashion.  This not only encompasses the

 grandeur of His coming - accompanied by all the holy angels, the sounding of the trump of God

 and the voice of the archangel (1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:16) - but also includes His appearance.

            -As John said in 1 John 3:2, “...we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  As Paul

             said in Philippians 3:21, we shall be “...fashioned like unto his glorious body...”

            -“‘Fashioned.’  That is, our bodies will bear the same image, will be of the same nature, as

             the Lord’s body...‘His glorious body.’  Such refers to the Lord’s body which he has in his

             glorified state, that body that is adapted to the glory world” (Winkler, pg 429).

-All people of all nations - the entire human race from all time - will be gathered before our Lord

 and will be divided into two groups:  1.  the sheep that belong to our Lord, the Shepherd;  2.  the

 goats that are outside of His fold.

            -The sheep (the righteous in His sight - see vs 37) will be placed at his right hand, a place of           

             honor and favor.  The position of the goats (the cursed - see vs 41) would therefore be one of

             condemnation.  “The Jews in their traditions say that when criminals were tried by the

             Sanhedrin those who were acquitted were placed on the right hand, and those who were

             condemned on the left” (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 639).

-In this passage, we find an invitation - “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” (vs 34).

            -What a wonderful thought it is to contemplate hearing these words spoken to us by our

             Lord! 

                        -The sheep will be invited into the everlasting blessedness of heaven, which is “...no new

                         plan, no secret decree, no arbitrary election, but the one constant covenant condition of

                         mercy that had extended from the creation of man to the judgment of God at the last day”

                         (Boles, Matthew, pg 488).

            -We then find a reason - “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: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye

             visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (vs 35-36).

            -“The acts here enumerated indicate more than a mere outlay of money.  They are not such as

             are the offspring of impulse, but such as call for the sacrifice of time, strength, sympathy,

             etc., and clearly demonstrate the fullness of the Christian life.  Moreover, Jesus does not

             mean to teach that mere works of benevolence are a sufficient ground for salvation.  The

             meaning is that none can be saved without these fruits of faith and love” (McGarvey/

             Pendleton, pg 639).

-Next comes a question and an answer - vs 38-40.  The righteous will then question Jesus as to

 when they had opportunity to extend these benevolent deeds to Him - (vs 38-39).  In response,

 Jesus explains that when these kind acts were carried out toward His disciples, they were

 carried out toward Him.

            -What we do for/to the church, we do for/to the Lord. 

            -Let us always be aware of this important concept as we strive to serve the Lord by serving

             others.  This, even though it is so simply stated, has many, many applications.

-We then find a rejection - “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” (vs 41). 

            -What a despairing thought to imagine being the recipient of these words!

            -Notice, everlasting fire was not prepared for mankind.  It was prepared for the devil and

             his angels, those who first rebelled against the sovereign goodness of our God.  Yet,

             because of the effects of sin and the failure of many to seek forgiveness through the Gospel

             of Christ, it will become the everlasting habitation of the majority of mankind.  How sad!

             -Hell is a reality.  Not because of the desires of our Holy God nor because of any

             shortcoming on His part but because of the shortcomings of mankind.  When men, stained

             with sin, reject the Divine offerings of grace, mercy and love, the consequences are dire.

            -“The eternal punishment of the wicked is not arbitrarily imposed by God but is the

             inevitable outcome of sin itself - the confirmation of sinners in their own self-chosen course,

             being left by God to reap the full, dire consequences of sin.  Having persistently separated

             themselves from God, sinners, dying in their sin, banish themselves from his presence and

             abandon themselves to reap the full harvest of their own evil character and of their rejection

             of Calvary’s provision for their sin” (Lockyer, 1976, pg 275).

             -“Since such a place actually exists...and since there is the dreadful certainty that men

             following the lead of Satan shall unwittingly partake of his overthrow, what a benign and

             holy purpose is seen in the blessed words of the Lord who revealed this astounding fact and

             warned men how they might escape such an awful fate!” (Coffman, Matthew, pg 412).

                        -The blame for punishment lies not with the one who warns but with those who fail to

                         heed the warning.

-A reason for the rejection then follows - “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I

 was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 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” (vs 42-43).

            -The reason stated for the reward of the righteous is now presented in the negative as a

             reason for the punishment of the cursed.

-Once again, a question and answer follow - vs 44-45.  Those rejected are represented as asking

 when they ever had the opportunity to render benevolence to the Lord.  In response, He explains

 that their neglect toward others was equivalent to neglect toward Him.

            -Remember, when Saul of Tarsus persecuted the church, He persecuted Jesus (see Acts 9:4).

            -Notice, even those who are rejected, will recognize Jesus as “Lord.”

-Jesus then provides somewhat of a summation with verse 46.  Everlasting punishment and

 eternal life are presented side by side.  These are the contrasting options that await us.  There is

 no middle ground. 

            -May we, through obedience to the Gospel and continued, faithful service to our Lord, be

             watchful and ready for that day to come.