Matthew 25:34-40 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And answering the King will say to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Jesus as the Son of Man now is the King on his throne. As King, he has full power and authority, which have been themes throughout Matthew’s Gospel. The rest of this story is divided into two parallel parts that both have a surprise. The message of the story comes from the surprise found in the response of the King. The King’s first response is to those on the right who are represented by the image of sheep. The right hand was thought of in that time as the place of honor. The left was thought of as a cursed place.
The judgment that those on the right will receive will be the blessing of the Father. This blessing is described as the inheritance of the kingdom. An inheritance is a gift passed on to children. As children of God, we receive the gift of being part of his kingdom. This kingdom has been prepared since before creation and has always been part of God’s plan. Before God ever said, “Let there be light,” God has the plan of salvation already. God did it this way to show humanity the meaning and depth of love.
Jesus next gives why the sheep will be welcomed into God’s kingdom. The sheep have followed their Shepherd by doing as he did while on earth by feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, helping the sick, and visiting the imprisoned (see 11:5). All these acts of compassion were desperately needed in the first century and in our world today. It was no easier then than it is now to do these things. Many of these actions were greatly needed in the ancient world for basic survival. Most people barely lived at the sustenance level of survival from day to day. There was little medical care. Prisons were horrible places of punishment where people often died from neglect.
Some people avoid all these but relieve their consciences by writing a check for a charity, collecting a few food items around Thanksgiving for the local food bank, or donating their old clothes to a rescue mission thrift store. It is not easy to step outside of our comfort zones and do these types of things. We give the responsibility of caring for the sick to doctors and nurses. It is especially difficult to visit someone in prison because it may require multiple steps in some political situations.
The sheep are surprised that when they did these things, they were actually doing it for the King. Their surprise implies that they were acting out of their nature. This was who they were. They did what Jesus did. Their motives were put and out of love. They lived out God’s will because of who they were. They did not realize that the recipient of their compassion was actually Jesus.
Verse 40 is the great challenge of this passage. Jesus came as one who was despised and rejected by people (Isaiah 53:3), much as those who need the compassion described in these verses. The definition of the least of these my brothers is challenging. Does Jesus mean only believers or can this be broadened to mean anyone in need? Jesus does not qualify it here; the only requirement to be called brother in this passage is to be in need. By offering help to those in need, we are actually expressing our love for Jesus.
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