Serving and the Judgment

Two thoughts are repressed in most American Christians' thinking. The first is dying. The second is the judgment. That is a sad spiritual tragedy. Jesus died to destroy our fear of death (Hebrews 2:14,15). Jesus was resurrected to create the anticipation of our joyful reunion with God (Revelation 14:13; 21:1-7).

What happened? Why are many American Christians enslaved to the fears that Jesus died to destroy? We changed the concept of Christian existence. The current concept emphasizes authority. For nearly a hundred years our study and instruction focused on commands.

Because we emphasize authority and commands, we often (1) ignore or (2) oversimplify God's purposes. In the current concept, Christians obey commands because it is required. Obedience does not occur to accomplish God's purposes. It occurs to respect authority.

In this common concept, obedience is divorced from God's purposes and objectives. "God's concern: Christians must respect His authority. Obedience focuses on respecting authority." Some Christians think obedience is not concerned with God's purposes.

This concept of obedience creates a check list of "must do" requirements. Understanding the requirements is unimportant. The "reason" for doing them is "God said so." Obeying the requirements in a manner that accomplishes God's purposes is unimportant. You obey to say, "I did that." "Your faithfulness" is measured by "my check list." Faith is reduced to compliance with a check list. This check list also determines (1) fellowship, (2) maturity, (3) spiritual status, and (4) conversion.

Jesus' concept of obedience focused on serving. Christians love God by loving people (Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 13:8-10; 1 Peter 1:22,23; 1 John 3:13-24). Christians minister to Jesus by ministering to people (see today's text).

Jesus gave no parable about a spiritual ACT or SAT test to be given on the judgment day. He gave no parable that coupled the judgment with a check list or with a form that determined "where you stand on the issues." Jesus did couple the judgment with serving.

Matthew 25:31-46

1. When the Son of Man (Jesus) returns in his glory, who will come with him (verse 31)?

   All the angels will come with him. On this occasion the residents of heaven will meet the residents of earth as the Lord of both presides at that meeting.

2. Where will he sit (verse 31)?

   Jesus (the Son of Man, the King) will sit on his glorious throne. The splendor of the throne will be befitting the splendor of the King who sits on it.

3. Who will be gathered before him (verse 32)?

   All nations will be gathered before him. Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience. They understood correctly that the nation of Israel was God's chosen people. They concluded incorrectly that God was interested only in Israel. Jesus came to become the King of all those in every nation who would recognize his identity and follow him.

4. In the separation, who will be placed on his right (verse 33)? Who will be placed on his left?

   On his right hand are the sheep who are later identified as the righteous. On his left are the goats who are later identified as the accursed ones.

5. What will the King (Jesus, the Son of Man) say to those on the right (verse 34)?

   He will say, "Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Take note of several things. (1) The blessing was extended to them in the form of an invitation. (2) The blessing came from God the Father. (3) The blessing was a gift, an inheritance. They were receiving an inheritance that they did not expect and did not deserve. (4) The inheritance was the opportunity to be a citizen in a kingdom that God Himself prepared for them. (5) That kingdom was prepared for them at the time the world was created. This kingdom involved divine planning, forethought, and preparation. It did not exist because of a divine whim or afterthought.

6. To what physical needs of Jesus had they ministered (verses 35,36)?

   1. He was hungry and they fed him. (Hunger was common among these impoverished people.)

   2. He was thirsty and they gave him something to drink. (It was not uncommon to be thirsty in this dry region. In a dry period, drinking water was not readily accessible.)

   3. He was a stranger and they gave him a place to stay. (There were few inns available. Many were too poor to pay for lodging. For centuries, kind people extended hospitality to travelers. Good people provided accommodations to those who were traveling through and had nowhere to stay.)

   4. He was without clothing and they gave him something to wear. (Though the poor were not to have their clothing taken from them [Exodus 22:25-27; Deuteronomy 24:10-13. ], the greedy and those without principle often took advantage of them in their needs. These people did exactly the opposite. Instead of taking advantage of their need, these people cared for their need.)

   5. He was sick and they visited him. Remember that Job's friends visited him when he was sick (Job 2:11-13). Their discouragement was not found in the fact that they visited, but in the judgments that they pronounced against Job in their attempt to explain his sickness.

   6. He was in prison, and they came to him. (Prisoners in that day did not have "rights.") Also, a person could be imprisoned for something other than committing a crime. He might displease or offend a powerful person (as did John the baptizer in Matthew 14:1-4), or he might owe a debt that he could not pay (as in the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:22-25). Prisoners depended on family and friends to provide their needs. Remember that the Christians at Philippi sent Epaphroditus with gifts to minister to Paul's needs on one of the occasions that Paul was in prison [Philippians 2:25; 4:10].)

7. How did those on the right (the righteous) respond to Jesus (verses 37-39)?

   They were astounded. They could not recall ministering to Jesus by providing any of his physical needs. They asked Jesus to explain when these acts occurred. This is clear evidence that they were people who had servants' hearts. They responded to people in need because the need existed. They did not use people in need as a means to seek a reward. They understood the value that God placed on people. They understood that people were God's creation made in God's image or likeness. See Genesis 1:26,27 and James 3:9,10.

8. What answer did the King give them (verse 40)?

   "To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me." Jesus accepts an act of service to an insignificant person as an act of service to him.

9. What did the King say to those who were on his left (verse 41)? Where did they go?

   "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels..." They went to be with the devil and his angels in a place of suffering and punishment.

10. He said they failed to minister to his physical needs. What physical needs (verses 42, 43)?

    1. They gave him no food when he was hungry.

    2. They gave him nothing to drink when he was thirsty.

    3. They did not provide him accommodations when he was traveling.

    4. They did not provide him clothing when he had none.

    5. They did not visit him when he was sick.

    6. They did not care for him when he was in prison.

11. In your own words, state why they considered Jesus' statement unjust (verse 44).

    They declared his rejection was unjust because they never saw him in any of those physical circumstances. They felt it was unjust to accuse them of neglect.

12. According to Jesus, when did they fail to minister to him (verse 45)?

    In their failure to do such things for the "least of these," they failed to do those things for him.

13. Discuss who the "least of these" are.

    Allow the discussion to "take its own life and direction." The "least of these" include many, many people in many, many circumstances. Help everyone see two things. (1) The "least of these" are insignificant people. (2) The motive for caring about and caring for insignificant, powerless people arises from the fact that they are people created in the image of God. We care about them because we care about God.

14. Where would those on the left go (verse 46)?

    The accursed ones on the left would go into eternal punishment.

    1. Where would the righteous go?

       The righteous would go into eternal life.

    2. In this parable, what distinguished the righteous from the accursed ones?

       They were separated on the basis of the way they treated people. The way they treated people who were insignificant was the way they treated Jesus.

15. In your understanding of this parable, what is the primary lesson about the importance of Christians serving people?

    The primary lesson shared will arise from each person's understanding. The single unifying point you wish the class to understand is this: Jesus tied what happens to us in judgment to the way that we treat people, especially to the way we treat people who are insignificant.

Check lists fill us with a sense of failure and fear. They exist to expose failures and shortcomings. Serving fills us with humility and love. Serving "the least of these" transforms us (1) into the image of our Father who sends the sun and rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) and (2) into the image of our Savior who was and is merciful and kind to the evil (which includes each of us!).

Is Jesus Christ our authority? Absolutely! Must we respect his authority? Certainly! Should we obey his commands? Unquestionably! When we obey his teachings with his heart and mind, we will pursue God's purposes just as he did, even when God's purposes lead to a cross.

The objective is not to get Christians to minimize authority or to reject the need to be obedient. The objective is to get Christians to realize that obeying God is linked to accomplishing God's purposes. Jesus understood that he came to offer his life to ransom us from our sins. He perfectly obeyed God. At the same time, his perfect obedience focused on accomplishing God's objectives and purposes. Obedience to God has an objective. We must not separate obedience from the objective. If we do, we soon become judges instead of servants.

Link to Student Guide Quarter 2, Lesson 12

Copyright © 2000
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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