Do you ever have to divide things into groups? On laundry day we divide the clothes into light colors, dark colors, and delicates before we wash them. When it comes time for “spring cleaning”, or before a move, we may go through a lot of our belongings and divide those things we may wish to give to charity or the resale shop from what we want to keep. We sort through our recipes, keeping the ones we like, and tossing the ones we’ll never try again. In our Scripture passage today from the Gospel of Matthew, we read of Jesus dividing the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the unrighteous. Let’s look at the spiritual lessons we can learn.
This discourse from Matthew describes the judgment or separation of the saved from the lost. This will occur when Jesus returns to earth, right before His millennial reign on earth. This passage is reminiscent of the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, found in Matthew 13:24-30, where the good grains of wheat are separated from the useless and bad grain, or tares. Here the sheep, which represent the saved, are separated from the goats, which represent the lost, just as the wheat (the saved) are separated from the tares (the lost). The saved are invited to come and share the blessings of God’s Kingdom, while the lost are cast into everlasting punishment.
Some people mistakenly believe that this passage describes a “works salvation”, and that it is by doing the works described here that one is granted or merits heaven or not. That is not so, as all throughout Scripture we read that salvation is by grace alone, and not by any works we do. Salvation is a gift from God when one accepts Jesus and His sacrifice on our behalf, not something merited by the deeds described in vs. 35-36. Those good deeds that were commended are the fruit not the root of the believer’s salvation. The deeds are not the basis for their entrance into the Kingdom. It is a manifestation of God’s grace in their lives. These works are evidence of saving faith (James 2:14-26).
How do we treat others, both other believers and needy people in general? Jesus said that the way we treat the least of His brethren is the way we are treating Him (vs. 40). When Jesus spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus, He said that when Paul was persecuting Christians he was persecuting Him (Acts 9:1-6; 26:13-15). How we treat the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, and prisoner reflects our relationship to Jesus. When someone insults us, or when we help or hurt another, Jesus takes it personally. Acts of kindness done for His followers will be noted and rewarded.
Verses 34-40 describe the acts of mercy that we all can do everyday. It doesn't take great wealth or intellectual intelligence to perform these good deeds. These are simple acts, freely given and freely received. Jesus wants our personal involvement in caring for others, for us to serve where service is needed.
Jesus then continues, and describes the rewards for those who helped others when there was a need, and the punishment for those who turned a blind eye to someone in need (vs. 34, 46). God’s Kingdom has been prepared for His people since the foundation of the world. Jesus said in verse 34 that it was prepared for each believer.
For those who are inclined to believe that God would never send anyone to hell, Jesus was very clear here in describing the lost being sent into everlasting punishment (vs. 46). The punishment of the wicked is as never-ending as the bliss of the righteous. The wicked here are not given a second chance, nor are they annihilated. Those who are there will know that their punishment is just, and that they alone are to blame.
What we do with the Good News of Jesus has enormous consequences. Both heaven and hell are eternal. How well do our actions separate us from the pretenders and unbelievers? When it comes time for Jesus to make the division, on which side will we be put? The choice is ours, and the results are permanent.
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