From Matthew 25:31-46 / End Times Part 4

We now come to the end of Jesus’ public teaching on the end times. It is both a sour and a hopeful note. Which, depends upon your relationship to Him in faith. J.C. Ryle writes: “There are few passages in the whole Bible more solemn and heart—searching than this. May we read it with the deep and serious attention which it deserves.” Ryle, J. C. 1860. Expository Thoughts on Matthew. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.

Note first, that we must beware of turning an analogical statement into a full orbed theological and doctrinal construct. This is a common error in our Bible study and interpretation, and an easy one to fall into. Jesus’ simple point is, that on the final day, He will separate Believers from unbelievers, and each will receive appropriately from His hand.

Some, mistakenly, have turn this parabolic statement into a construct of ontology. They see it as though the world is made up of people who are as fundamentally different by nature, as sheep are from goats. One confused soul even said to me once: “I was never a goat, I was always a sheep.” This is just confused.

Yes, the one who is saved by grace has become a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, born again by His grace and adopted into the Family of God. But we must never forget Paul’s words in Eph. 2 when marking out what ALL of us used to be: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Eph. 2:1-3)

Did you catch that last sentence? We were all, “by nature” children of wrath like the rest of mankind. There was no ontological, no constitutional difference between all human beings before salvation. We are all drawn from the same, fallen lump of Adam’s race.

As Don Carson is wont to say, we cannot make every simile, analogy or parable “walk on all fours.” We can over-interpret this way and end up distorting Scripture.

Note second: In the same vein as above, be careful to see that there is no attempt on Jesus’ part to turn “sheep” into believers everywhere sheep are mentioned in Scripture and “goats” everywhere they are mentioned into unbelievers. Sometimes, sheep are just sheep, and goats are just goats. All that is said here is that the Son will separate the believers from the unbelievers, in the same way a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The issue is separation, not ontological assignation.

Once again, if we press Jesus’ analogy too far, we’ll be at a real loss to deal with things like the Passover meal when instituted in Ex. 12; where the Israelites could select their Passover sacrifice from either the sheep or the goats, without distinction.

Note third: That the judgment for these two groups is different. One is rewarded for what they DID do, the other, punished for what they DIDN’T do. It is a most interesting dichotomy.

The Believer is rewarded according to his good acts, and the Unbeliever punished for his wicked acts.

Nothing that is holy but neglected will go undiscovered. Nothing done in earnest to serve Christ will go unnoticed either.

Note fourth: Both the terror and the glory of this one thing – It is Christ Himself who will sit as judge. Many a religionist fails to recognize that Jesus Himself is the judge. Yes, He is The Savior. Yes, He is the substitute. Yes, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And yes, He will be our final judge. The omniscient, Son of God. The God who walked in human flesh and knows every heartache, every temptation, every opportunity, every obstacle, every circumstance we all have faced in this life. He, will judge us all. With the unsparing scrutiny of His omniscience. He is the Living Word, who discerns even the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Nothing will serve as a justifiable excuse for failure to reckon with the demand of the Gospel to find forgiveness and grace in Christ. He knows us. He knows all we face. He knows all of our circumstances. And no one will be able to exempt themselves from His all-seeing examination.

By the same token, nothing that any who are His have done because they are His, no matter how small, how seemingly insignificant, how unknown by any other human eye or ear – will go unrewarded.

Note fifth: Because of who He is – because He is God, and perfectly holy, He can neither over-punish, nor under-punish sin. He knows what the penalty of sin costs personally. He endured it on the Cross. And for the very same reasons, He can neither over-reward nor under-reward His saints in judgment. And yet, He is free to pour out of His limitless grace, infinitely more than our just rewards, for He makes Himself our inheritance. His eternal limitless self. The fountain of all goodness, grace, love, wonder and joy.

1 Pet. 1:3-9 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Hallelujah!