There are passages in the Bible that are, on the surface, confounding. Taken alone, without analysis, they seem to contradict orthodox Christian doctrine. Reckless, uninformed or agenda-driven interpretation leave people confused about the nature of God and man. Well-meaning teachers grasp at straws to rectify what may seem to be contradictions. One of those passages is found in Matthew 25. I believe this is the most misinterpreted passage in God's Word.
Over the years, I have heard many interpretations of the so-called Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. This is where The Son of Man is described as sitting on his throne in judgment. He divides the nations, welcoming some into the kingdom and sending some away into eternal damnation.
31"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
32"All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
35'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
39'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Matthew 25:31-46 is different from a fictional parable. This story describes a future event. This is prophecy. In this future event, Christ sits as king and judge. The question to be answered is: by what standard is Christ judging. My concern is particularly with vs. 35-45.Conventional Wisdom
For as long as I have been a student of God's Word, it has seemed to me that conventional teaching on this passage has been missing something.
The interpretation I have heard most often and the one I believed (for lack of a better option) is that the sheep enter the kingdom because of "a right response to Christ as evidenced by their treatment of ‘these brothers of mine, even the least of these.’" (quote from bible.org) In other words, the good works of the sheep toward the least are evidence of their salvation. The Goats apparently did not commit similar acts of charity and were not aware that the Lord was watching them the entire time. Many times, I have heard, "Make sure you're charitable to people. You never know when the person on the receiving end will really be Jesus."
The more I examine this passage, the further I move away from that interpretation. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that this parable has nothing to do with good works, charity or evidence of salvation. I have come to this conclusion because our world is full of good-deed-doers who don't know Christ. The Gospels are full of these people as well. Good works may be a sign of self-deception as easily as they may be an evidence of salvation. And self-deception is the issue at the center of this passage. Jesus talks about charity elsewhere. Just not in this passage.
The Problem
The reason why Christ isn't really talking about charity is simple. Before studying this passage, one must begin at Matthew 23. In Chapter 23, Christ speaks in the temple. He warns His disciples about the Scribes and Pharisees. He says of them:
"They do their deeds to be honored by men...
They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the temple and respectful greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by men...
But the greatest among you shall be your servant...
Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted"
Jesus continues this theme in chapters 24 and 25.
Chapter 24 begins what is known as the Olivet Discourse. Chapter 25 is a continuation. Christ is speaking to the disciples as he sits on the Mount of Olives. This occurs after he and His disciples have left the temple, where Christ was teaching. The proper interpretation of 25:31-46 rides on the passages which lead up to it.
In chapter 24 Christ is asked by the disciples about His second coming. His response includes the parable of the fig tree, the parable of the ten virgins, and the parable of the talents. In this passage and prior, Christ teaches in parable, analogy, allegory and metaphor. He is not suddenly switching to a literal mode in 25:31.
Other Interpretations
Those who hold to a social gospel in which we are saved by our works consider The Sheep and the Goats to be foundational. In order for this view to be true, we must ignore verse 34. The Kingdom has been prepared for believers since the foundation of the world. Since before time began, Christ has known who would be entering and who would be denied. Score one for God's sovereignty and predestination.
Some see the passage in a political light. They claim Christ is talking about the pursuit of social justice and freeing the oppressed.
For us to interpret that the least of these are the materially poor and socially oppressed requires us to come to the conclusion that God maintains a three-tiered class system. There would be sheep and there would be goats and then there is that underclass, the least of these. And that underclass is doomed in their life on Earth to always and forever be that underclass. It is as if these poor people are a prop in the theatre of our lives. That cannot be. God is no respecter of persons.The view that the least of these are the materially poor also promotes a subtle brand of self-righteousness. Those among us who declare themselves sheep consider themselves the great benefactors to the perpetually helpless. It is an elitist approach.
We know from God's Word that He does not maintain a multi-tiered class system. The sheep and goats are not divided top to bottom but rather from left to right. In God's economy, there are two groups of people. Those he welcomes and those sent away. That is all. I am sure most people imagine this scene, taking place in some kind of great throne room. I imagine the throne looking like Abraham Lincoln's at his monument. The son Of Man sits on His throne. Humanity stands before him in two groups. The least of these, by necessity, must come from within that multitude.Consistent Language
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat;
Compare that to the following:
But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about."
27"Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."
"It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
11"How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'" 32Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33"For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." 34Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink…
"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."
10Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
“…and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
“I was a stranger, and you invited Me in…”
Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
25"Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'
20'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
“naked, and you clothed Me…”
"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
“I was sick, and you visited Me…”
" It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
“I was in prison, and you came to Me…”
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed”
Our Lord, Jesus Christ spent an awful lot of time speaking figuratively for us to come to the conclusion that He, all of a sudden, decided to really talk about food and clothing. Christ is not telling us to prove our faith by being charitable any more than he is really talking about a wedding party in the previous verses. He is using language consistent with what he has been saying all along.
Our lives are full of those ‘ah ha!’ moments when the light bulb suddenly clicks. The Christian is saved by the ultimate ‘ah ha!’ moment. We who know the Lord are allowed those moments every so often as our lives move toward eternity. The Sheep and the Goats is a picture of the final ‘ah ha!’ moment. This is the moment when the Lord either welcomes you in, or not. Like many other parables and allegories, this is a picture of true and false converts.
44 "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'
The Goats are standing before the Lord and they don't get it. They stand before the Lord presenting their good works, their charitable gifts, and their hospitality towards others. When the Lord says, "I was hungry and you gave me nothing to drink..." the goats reply, "When was that, Lord?" Not because they had neglected some poor person who was really Christ in disguise, but because they HAD been feeding people and doing other good works and they are asking the Lord, "What, didn't you see us feeding people and meeting their felt needs?!" How could you possibly miss our righteousness?
I think if the goats were to expand on their response, they would sound just like the Pharisee standing next to the tax gatherer (Luke 18:9-14). "I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain." They might also sound just like the brother of the Prodigal Son, who thought his own legalistic approach would assure his place with his father. The bottom line is that the goats will one day stand before God cloaked in their human righteousness and say, "Lord, we ran a food and clothing pantry at church. We bought a homeless person a super sized Big Mac meal. For crying out loud Lord, we drove hybrids. How can you possibly miss our righteousness?!”
By the time Jesus shares the prophecy of the sheep and the goats, He has already spent a great deal of time talking about true and false converts and the self-deceived. The goats are those to whom Jesus referred when he said…"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
In Matthew 6, Christ said something very important about good works.
"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full."
The Lord is reiterating in Matthew 25 what he has been saying all along.
The sheep don’t immediately get it either. It is an ironic paradox that their assessment of themselves leaves them convinced of their unworthiness. Yet, that very attitude is what makes them acceptable to God.
Who are The Least of These?
If we conclude that Christ is speaking allegorically, we must ask again the question: Who are the least of these? If Christ is not talking about physical charity or social justice, then He also is not speaking of the poor and oppressed when He speaks of the least of these.
Ray Comfort, in the Way of the Master series, said more than once, that God gives the Law to the proud and grace to the humble. We see this repeatedly in the Scripture. Jesus said the last shall be first. He said: Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are those who mourn (over their sin). All of these phrases are speaking of people who have realized their helplessness and hopelessness. From one perspective, the sheep consider themselves to be the least, the lowest. They are not just humble. They are humiliated in spirit. If we who are believers want to see the least of these, all we have to do is look in the mirror.
With regard to what Jesus means when he actually uses the word poor, Jesus preached in the synagogue before he ever starts teaching in parables, and he quotes Isaiah 61. the passage reads
“1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;”
Allow me to quote from a transcript of a sermon by John MacArthur:
“Let me talk about that word “poor,” if I might, for a minute. The Greek language is a wonderfully rich language, which has almost limitless nuances both in vocabulary and in word form. And here is a word that enriches our understanding greatly; it is the word ptochos, p-t-o-c-h-o-s if you transliterate it, ptochos. It is from a verb that means, “to cringe” quite interestingly, or a verb which means “to shrink back,” or “to cower.” It conveys the idea of a beggar, it is the word that refers to a beggar, someone who cringes in the shadows. Classical Greek used the word to refer to a person in total destitution who crouched somewhere in a corner begging. And in classical Greek the image was that one hand went out and the other hand went over the face to hide identity. This was so shameful. Here was a person who had reached the point of abject destitution. Here is a point where there is utter and total bankruptcy of all resources. It is used, by the way, this word ptochos, to describe in Luke 16:20 a beggar by the name of Lazarus who was begging for crumbs, anything to eat. It is not the ordinary word for poor. The ordinary word for poor, penichros, means somebody who has very little.”
The passage says nothing about whether the sheep and goats are standing. I imagine that while the goats are standing upright to the Lord’s left, the sheep are to His right, on their faces. If there is one thing of which we who believe will be excruciatingly aware when the Son of Man comes, it will be our own unworthiness to even be in His presence at all.
When he encountered the Lord, Isaiah said, ""Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
No one stands upright before the Lord.
When the Lord says, “Come ye, blessed of my Father…” the sheep will dare to raise up their heads and say, “Who, me? Us?” The sheep have not declared themselves to be sheep. Thay are amazed that God would declare them so. Why has he declared the sheep to be the sheep? BECAUSE THEY ARE ALSO THE LEAST OF THESE.
Some examples of the least of these elsewhere in the Gospels would be the tax gatherer on his face next to the Pharisee: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Or the Prodigal Son when he returns: “I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not now worthy to be called thy son.” The harlot who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and hair is another example. The Canaanite woman of Matthew 15: 21-28 who, when Jesus said, “It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.
There are others. What they all have in common is that they have realized their brokenness, their hopelessness, their helplessness. Jesus never condemned anyone who came to him humble and poor in spirit. He only condemned those who were satisfied in themselves.
The goats, on the other hand, look away from themselves to find the least of these. It couldn't possibly be themselves. These are the elite of society. The Goats are replying to the Son of Man, not with regret or amazement or wonder or even curiosity. Like the unrepentant thief on the cross, the goats are angry. They are replying with contempt for God and His standard.
We see this dichotomy between the proud and the humble pictured all the way back in Genesis. Cain presents to God an unacceptable sacrifice. Abel presents a blood sacrifice acceptable to God. The sacrifices are representative of their attitudes toward God. Cain is so angry, at God's rejection, he murders his brother. God maintains his standard from the beginning of scripture to the end.
Hunger, Thirst, Nakedness, Sin
Once we conclude that Christ was speaking allegorically rather than literally, we must come to an understanding of the statement, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, thirsty and you gave me something to drink…” In each of the examples, what is happening is that the sheep have brought to the Lord exactly what He requires.
He might have said, "If I were hungry, would you bring me a stone? If I were thirsty, would you bring me a cup of sand?" Hunger, thirst and nakedness are severe, acute conditions which require specific remedies. So does sin.
The Lord is expressing to the sheep that they have brought him exactly what He requires, a broken and contrite heart.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51)
The King is expressing to the goats that they have not brought Him what He requires.
This leaves us with the dilemma of what to do with vs. 40 and 45. They are translated:
40"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
45"Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
The key to these verses is found in one greek word.
epoihsate (English spelling)
This has been conventionally translated, in verses 40 and 45, as to do, as in to do something to somone or for someone. That is not necessarily the meaning of the word.
It may be translated "to put forth," "to produce," "to make," or "to render," "to fulfill" and "to present." It is a very common word in the Bible and is translated to mean all of those other words in different places.
I believe a better translation of verse 40 would look something like the following paraphrase.
To the extent that you, like these brethren of mine, have presented yourself to me as the least, the lowest, a helpless, hopeless sinner, you have presented yourself to me in a manner which I will accept.
In the story of the Prodigal Son, the son finally comes to his senses and decides to approach his father and say "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."' The son presents himself to his father as lower than his father's servants. The father doesn't even wait for the son to reach him before he runs to the son and embraces him.
Final Answer?
If Paul called himself the "chief of sinners," where does that leave the rest of us? The question is: How will you present yourself to the Lord? You are a thief on the cross, but which one? When your time comes, will you present yourself and your good deeds to God or will you fall on your face and declare yourself the least of these?
