The Least of These – Matthew 25:31-46

Righteous Among the Nations. That’s the designation Israel gave to Oskar Schindler, who employed and thus rescued 1,200 Jews from the death camps during the Nazi reign of terror in Europe during World War II. He took people in desperate need and ministered to them by giving them a job. Jesus is calling us to the same kind of ministry. The test of saving faith is saving love. Will we risk our own well-being for those the world considers of little worth?

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then 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. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46 ESV)

The first piece of business upon setting up his throne on earth is for Jesus to judge the nations, those who are left and survive the outpouring of judgment during the time of great tribulation.  Those who are saved, the sheep, will be set on his right, the place of privilege, while those not saved are on his left.  Though it is obvious who belongs to him, who has surrendered to the kingdom, he mentions the evidence of their belonging as the basis for them inheriting the kingdom.  They ministered to His brethren, fellow believers, in the time of tribulation, when their persecution was at its height.  In so doing, they ministered to Jesus and demonstrated their loyalty to the King and his kingdom above all else.  He has prepared the kingdom from the very beginning just for this purpose, to award it to them.

But the unbelievers will not be able to pass this test.  They met their own needs rather than those of the persecuted church and in fact may have been persecutors.  They have demonstrated their commitment to themselves instead of the kingdom and their reward is the eternal fire, the Lake of Fire prepared for Satan and the fallen angels who follow him.  for the one, eternal punishment, and for the others, eternal life.

Isn’t it amazing how much Jesus cares for us, and how loving one another and meeting one another’s needs is the focus of his evaluation of our faith? He calls us brothers and sisters, and even the least of us is precious to him.