Matthew 25:31-46
31 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:
32 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:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 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:
35 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:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 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.
41 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:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 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.
44 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?
45 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.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 25:31-46
25:31 The time of this judgment is "When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him" (cf. Matt 24:30-31) and after the judgment of Israel described in 24:45-25:30. It will occur at the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ. The Millennium is a time when Christ and His followers are in control, when peace and prosperity is the norm.
Jesus, the agent of judgment, calls Himself, "the Son of Man" (v 31; Dan 7:13-14) and "the King" (Matt 25:34; Ps 2:6-9). He will be the prosecutor, judge, and jury (John 5:22). No defense attorney need be present, for the King will know all things. He will be able to discern the actions and motives of all-past, present, and future (Rev 1:14; cf. Rev 1:13-16 as to how He might appear on that occasion) - and so He will render a perfect judgment.
25:32-33 The subjects of this judgment are the living nations. The One seated on the throne will have brought an end to Gentile rule (Dan 2:44; Luke 21:24; Rev 19:17-20:4). Now it will be time for the judgment of those who have had a reputation for oppressing Israel. The judgment of the living Gentiles should be distinguished from other judgments such as the judgment of the Church at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:9-11), the judgment of Israel (Ezek 20:33-38), and the judgment of the unsaved after the Millennium (Rev 20:11-15).
25:34 The sheep "on His right hand" (place of honor) will "inherit the kingdom." The sheep are blessed, recalling the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:3). That Gentiles will "inherit the kingdom" is anticipated in the OT (Zech 8:20-23). The phrase "from the foundation of the world" shows that God had included Gentiles in His kingdom program from the very outset. Gentile salvation and exaltation in the kingdom was not an afterthought with God.
25:35-36 Jesus substantiated His declaration of the sheep's inclusion in the kingdom by noting that they had provided "food, drink," shelter, clothing, medical care, and comfort in imprisonment to Him in His hour of need. The works of mercy and compassion of these Gentiles toward Christ will demonstrate that they are believers. Their deeds will evidence the righteous character of their regenerated nature (v 37; 1 John 3:10).
25:37-39 The sheep are righteous because they will have received imputed righteousness and will have received a new nature through regeneration which then expressed itself in works of righteousness.
25:40 The sheep will have ministered to believing Israel ("My brethren") during the Tribulation, and in that way they were ministering to Him. During the Tribulation God will raise up 144,000 Jewish evangelists (Rev 7:4) who will bring about the conversion of a large number of Gentiles (Rev 7:9-14) through their preaching. These Gentiles will in turn minister to the Jewish people as a demonstration of their faith and gratitude.
25:41 The words "Depart from me" stand in stark contrast to "Come…inherit" (Matt 25:34). The goats "on the left hand" (the place of disgrace) of the shepherd King will be excluded from the kingdom and banished to "everlasting fire" (13:40, 42). The unrighteous who will mistreat Israel during the Tribulation will be cursed, which recalls a portion of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:3). Those who curse Israel will themselves be cursed (cf. Num 24:8-9). The ultimate reason those on the left hand will be cursed is that they will not bless the Son of Abraham, by believing on Him for eternal life. Instead, they rejected Him.
25:42-43 Jesus indicts them for their indifference toward the plight of the Jewish believers. Their failure to exhibit acts of mercy and compassion toward Him are indicative of their unbelief.
25:44-45 Those on the left hand ask Jesus when they had failed to "minister to" Him. Jesus replies that when they failed to show compassion for persecuted Jewish believers during the Tribulation, they had failed to minister to Christ. Mistreating Christ's followers is mistreating Him (cf. Acts 9:1 with Acts 9:4).
25:46 The righteous will enter into eternal life. The sheep, of course, already had eternal life (John 5:24). Jesus is referring here to a future full experience of that life (cf. Matt 19:29; Gal 6:8). The unrighteous "will go away into everlasting punishment." These people will have their day in court. In the meantime they will experience Sheol (an intermediate state which is not the final hell) for one thousand years.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats, Matthew 25:31-46
(Salvation) Interpretation: Those people who help the needy will enter the kingdom, but those who do not help the needy will go to hell.
Second (Salvation) Interpretation: Those Gentiles who help the Jews in the Tribulation are faithful believers who will enter the kingdom, while those Gentiles who do not help the Jews in the Tribulation are unbelievers who will go to hell.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: The Gentiles are judged to be saved or unsaved, then each group is respectively rewarded or punished according to their conduct toward the Jews in the Tribulation.
It is very common to hear this parable cited as evidence that works are the necessary evidence that determines one's eternal salvation or condemnation. More specifically, many well-meaning advocates for the poor use Jesus' statements about helping the disadvantaged as the distinguishing mark of genuine Christians and true Christianity.
It is very important to observe the context and timing of this event. Since Jesus most likely taught the four parables of Matthew 24-25 with chronological sequence in mind, this judgment follows the Judgment Seat of Christ and the bestowment of kingdom rewards at the beginning of or during the Tribulation period, as seen in the previous parables. The judgment of Matthew 25:31-46 is evidently at the end of the Tribulation because it reflects the events and sequence of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 24:5-31. There we learn that there will be a great persecution of the Jewish people by the Antichrist. Revelation 12-13 adds more information about the terrible plight of the Jews and believers. During this period, the beast will prohibit those who do not follow him from buying or selling anything (Rev. 13:16-17). Jesus says that Jews who endure the persecution to the end of the Tribulation will be delivered from their enemies (though we acknowledge some Jews and Gentiles will die from persecution; see Rev. 20:4-5 and the previous discussion of Matt. 24:13). The time is so terrible, if it were not shortened, "no flesh" would survive (this includes Gentiles in those who survive; Matt. 24:22). This judgment is evidently not the same as the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15 because that is only for the unbelievers of past ages and the millennium. This is a special judgment specifically for the Gentiles at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus returns to earth in His second coming.
In this parable, we observe three groups. Since the term "nations" (ethné) refers to all Gentiles, it is they who are separated into sheep and goats. Jesus names the third group as "My brethren," an obvious reference to the Jewish people, perhaps the 144,000 Jews who are actively spreading the gospel (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 7:3-8; 12:17; 14:1-7). The judgment of the Gentiles is determined by their treatment of the Jews during the Tribulation. Does this mean that their works determines their salvation?
An important key to interpreting this judgment is found in the revelation Jesus gave shortly before: Some Jews and Gentiles will live until the end of the Tribulation and be delivered from their enemies (Matt. 24:13, 22). The mention of good deeds by the saved Gentiles (sheep) refers to them helping the Jews endure the persecution of the Tribulation. These Gentiles' faith is demonstrated by their help given to the Jewish refugees who had been displaced and were in great need of food, clothes, medical attention, and visitation in prison (vv. 35-36). Perhaps Jesus emphasizes the believing Gentiles' deeds because He describes their future as entering "into eternal life" (v. 46) as well as inheriting a kingdom specially prepared for them (v. 34). The idea of entering and inheriting may emphasize their transformation from mortal to immortal, so they can enter and possess their joy in the kingdom of God (Matt. 24:21, 23: 1 Cor. 15:50).
When we observe the context, we should see that this passage does not simply describe a judgment on peoples' salvation determined by how they treat needy people as the first (Salvation) interpretation views it. Salvation is never by works, nor can works definitely prove one's salvation (see the discussions on Matt. 7:15-23). The second (Salvation) interpretation would say that works do not determine or prove that Gentiles are either saved or unsaved, but works are evidence of their state. While this view claims to remove works from the salvation equation, it may not do so convincingly. If there are only two judgments in view, one for sheep and one for goats, and the only criterion that seems to make the difference is how each group treated the Jews, then it appears that works determine salvation.
The (Discipleship) interpretation would explain this judgment differently. This view would propose that three judgments are in view. The first judgment is the separation of all the Gentiles into sheep (believers) and goats (unbelievers) before any deeds are mentioned. We have argued previously that the only basis for distinguishing believers from unbelievers is faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. It is this separation that determines where each group will spend eternity. When deeds are mentioned, however, the emphasis is on the consequences of each group's conduct toward the Jews. The second judgment is for the sheep (believers), those Jesus calls "blessed of My Father." They are invited to "inherit the kingdom" (v. 34). The word "kingdom" has no modifiers such as "of God" or "of heaven" so it may refer to the more general aspect of Christ's rule or kingship. Then the invitation is to enjoy the reward of participation in Christ's kingdom rule, a theme of the previous parable (cf. Matt. 24:21, 23) and a teaching found in other passages (e.g. Luke 22:27-30; Rom. 8:17; and 2 Tim. 2:10-13 which is discussed later).
As we have also seen, the term "eternal life" (used in v. 46 for the fate of the "righteous") should be thought of in terms of quality of experience, not just quantity of time (see the discussions of Gal. 6:7-8 and 1 Tim. 6:17-19). The third judgment concerns the consequence for those unbelieving Gentiles (the goats) who neglected the Jews. They will experience "everlasting fire" (v. 41) and "everlasting punishment" (v. 46). Though the lake of fire is the final habitation of all unbelievers, the additional mention of "punishment" implies more than a final habitation. It implies divine retribution or degrees of punishment determined by former conduct, as is true of the Great White Throne Judgment that comes later (Rev. 20:12-13; see also Matt. 23:14, Mark 12:38-40, Luke 20:46-47).
This (Discipleship) interpretation has much to commend it and keeps works out of the determination of who is saved (sheep) and who is unsaved (goats). One objection to this view would be that the passage does not explicitly distinguish degrees of faithfulness in the sheep or degrees of wickedness in the goats - this could only be implied. In answer, it can be argued that Jesus was speaking in generalities about what characterized each group as a whole. We know that there will be varying degrees of faithfulness when believers are judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Matt. 25:20-23), especially with those who endure persecution (Matt. 5:19). This judgment would be similar. As pointed out in the previous paragraph, there are also varying degrees of punishment for unbelievers.
The second (Salvation) interpretation sees the deeds mentioned not as the condition for the Gentiles' salvation, but a demonstration of their faith that assumes their salvation. The (Discipleship) interpretation does away with any role of works for determining salvation, but suggests they determine degrees of reward for believers or punishment for unbelievers.