Living Out The Truth

We have arrived at our last post of our Watching, Waiting, Ready mini-series. In this post, we will study how we can live out the truth God has revealed to us in the Bible.

Overview

The parable of the sheep and the goats essentially “tells me that the heart of Christianity is relationship with Jesus himself, which shows itself in loving, sacrificial care for others, in particular the poor and needy.” (Green, M. (2001). The message of Matthew: the kingdom of heaven (p. 263). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

This parable concludes a series of parables that Jesus told to help us understand how to live in light of His second coming. To better understand why Jesus shared these parables you need to read Matthew 24.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
- Matthew 24:3

Our series began with a study of Matthew 24:36-51 in a post entitled Watching, Waiting, Ready. There we looked at two parables and learned that Jesus is coming at a time we do not expect, and therefore we must be always ready. There is a special blessing for the servant who is found doing what the master asked when the master returns.

The next post on this series covered the parable of the 10 virgins, found in Matthew 25:1-13. This post was entitled Character is not Transferable. In this post, we learned how we must be ready for unexpected delays/hardships and that our character, our faith, developed over our lifetime of walking with Jesus cannot be simply given to someone else to help their lack of faith. Salvation is a personal reality.

My third post on this series was a study of Matthew 25:14-30 and the parable of the talents. In my post Use it or Lose it, I described how Jesus gives us gifts through the Holy Spirit and how we are called to use them and as we do He multiplies our gifts.

The last parable in this series of parables shared by Jesus about His second coming is the parable of the sheep and the goats. It is not really a parable, it is more of a comparison, a description, of a judgment scene. In the context of all the parables that came before it, its meaning becomes obvious; our theological understanding must be lived out in a practical way, especially demonstrated in the care for the needy, and its importance is highlighted by the soon coming of Jesus.

When Jesus comes

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
- Matthew 25:31-33 NKJV

This scene makes many uncomfortable so it tends to not be discussed as often as the previous parables. But this image of judgment is not unique to this passage.

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
- Matthew 16:27 NKJV

Jesus also mentions His coming in glory and surrounded by angels in other instances such as Mark 8:38 and Luke 9:26.

In essence, when Jesus comes in power and glory all of humanity will be divided into two groups. As I studied this passage I notice that some wonder about when exactly this will happen. Will it take place before or after the millennium? Will this crowd be made up of Jews, gentiles, Christians? Will it be after Jesus comes and the resurrection takes place? Will the church already have been taken up by rapture?

The best answer I have to these questions is that this is not meant to be a detailed description of the events that take place at the second coming. This is rather a broad description, the big picture in a sense, of the final judgment that will take place. For a clearer timeline, we would need to look at the book of Revelation. And even though the Bible contains more details regarding the millennium, resurrection, and rapture, that is not the focus of this passage and I will leave these topics for another post.

The main idea that Jesus clearly describes is that all of humanity will be divided into two groups. All denominations, all religions, everyone from all over the world will have to face Jesus in the day of judgment, and He will separate them into two groups.

The sheep on the right

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of 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 took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
- Matthew 25:34-36 NKJV

We may be okay with Jesus separating all of humanity into two groups, but I know that the reasoning Jesus provides here will make many uncomfortable. Maybe it is because Jesus had never read the writings of Paul. What do we do with verses like Ephesians 2:8-9?

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

Could Paul be preaching a different gospel than the one Jesus taught? But what about things that Jesus famously said like the words recorded in John 3:16?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- John 3:16 NKJV

Is Jesus contradicting Himself? Or did John and Paul conspire to change the gospel?

But what about passages like Romans 2:5-11?

But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
- Romans 2:5-11 NKJV

Paul wrote both the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Romans. Is he contradicting Himself? Likewise, the same John who wrote the gospel according to John (including John 3:16) also wrote the book of Revelation which says,

And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
- Revelation 22:12 NKJV

So which one is it? By grace through faith or by works?

I believe this becomes clearer as we continue to read Matthew 25.

The Righteous Answer Jesus

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
- Matthew 25:37-40 NKJV

The righteous are surprised!? What does this mean? I believe this surprise is the key to understanding what Jesus is teaching. If the righteous had saved themselves by or through their good works they would very much be aware of it. They would be congratulating themselves on achieving their goal. But they are surprised. Could it be that they were saved by grace through faith and therefore cannot boast of any works? But if they were saved by grace why did Jesus list so many of their good works?

Let us keep reading and see if we can get a clearer understanding of what Jesus meant by His words.

Jesus addresses those on His left

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting 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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
- Matthew 25:41-43 NKJV

Jesus now uses the same standard or “grading rubric.” The ones on His left are rejected for “failing” in the same areas where the ones on the right “succeeded.” Jesus essentially holds everyone accountable. We are all free to live as we please, but in the end, I will have to give an account to the One who gave me my life, regarding how I chose to live my life.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV

The Lost Answer Jesus

“Then they also will answer Him, 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, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch 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 everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Matthew 25:44-46 NKJV

One detail that I noticed for the first time is that those on Jesus’ left also call Him “Lord.” Some commentators take this to mean that these are people who thought they were saved, they knew Jesus was Lord, but they lived self-absorbed lives and did not care about the needs of others. The ones on the left are depicted as unconscious of their guilt. If they had known that it was Jesus who needed help, they would have helped. In other words, if they had known that helping those in need would somehow be advantageous they would have done it, but only out of selfish interest.

This group reminds me of the ones Jesus mentions in Matthew 7.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
- Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV

I believe this is a group of people who had an intellectual knowledge of God but lacked a personal relationship. They believed it was enough to simply say the name of Jesus, or know that He was God, but they missed the calling He had for them. It is not enough to say “Lord, Lord” they also should have stopped practicing lawlessness.

Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
- Matthew 13:40-43 NKJV

No Room for Hypocrites

My understanding of this passage about the sheep and the goats is that there will be no hypocrites in the kingdom of heaven. Salvation is not about just saying the right things, it is about an authentic and personal relationship with Jesus.

We cannot claim to follow Jesus and yet live lives detached from the suffering of those all around us.

Christ's love embraces the fallen, the erring, and the sinful. We must understand this, and know that every deed of kindness done to uplift a fallen soul, every act of mercy is accepted by Jesus as if it had been done to Him.

Millions upon millions of human souls are ready to perish, bound in chains of ignorance and sin. They have never so much as heard of Christ’s love for them. Were our condition and theirs to be reversed, what would we desire them to do for us?

Many of us feel superior to those who have less than us. Too often we fail to place ourselves in the poor person’s place. Many Christians, especially those better off financially, do not understand the temptations and struggles of the poor, and mercy dies out of their hearts. In expensive homes and grand churches, the rich shut themselves away from the poor; the means that God has given to bless the needy is spent in pampering pride and selfishness. (The Desire of Ages page 639)

Before we rush to point fingers at those who are wealthier than we are we must realize that many of us here in the US are considered wealthy by the majority of this earth’s population. I do not mean to point fingers, I mean for all of us to feel that we are called to do something. All of us. Also, it is very possible that some of you who are reading this already do help those in need, I do not mean to overburden you to the point of burnout. But if you are reading this and you are not doing anything, or you have not done anything to help the needy in the last week or month, you really need to consider the health of your spiritual life.

A Closer Connection With Jesus

I see ministering to those in need as a practical way to get closer to Jesus, to understand His heart. When we participate in the work He did while here on earth we better understand Jesus. Here’s a quote that really made me think,

Many feel that it would be a great privilege to visit the scenes of Christ’s life on earth, to walk where He trod, to look upon the lake beside which He loved to teach, and the hills and valleys on which His eyes so often rested. But we need not go to Nazareth, to Capernaum, or to Bethany, in order to walk in the steps of Jesus. We shall find His footprints beside the sickbed, in the hovels of poverty, in the crowded alleys of the great city, and in every place where there are human hearts in need of consolation. In doing as Jesus did when on earth, we shall walk in His steps.
- The Desire of Ages p640

When we neglect this work, we also fail to grow in our faith as much as we could by putting into practice what Jesus calls us to do. I strongly believe that failure to care for those in need hinder our personal spiritual growth.

Pure and Undefiled Religion

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
- James 1:27 NKJV

I have met many Christians who emphasize the importance of keeping oneself unspotted from the world, but they are not always as eager to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble. However, I have also met many Christians who believe that their charitable donations and actions mean they can disregard God’s laws. Above I referenced Matthew 7:21-23, 13:40-43, which remind us that lawlessness is frowned upon by God.

Call to Action

All the parables Jesus told about the second coming, from Matthew 24:36-25:30, highlight that we have a mission, a responsibility, that we must be engaged in. Since we do not know when Jesus will come again we must always be prepared, even prepared for unexpected challenges. We are to live a life of ministry like Jesus lived. The study of prophecy should impress on our hearts the need to help those around us as God enables us to do it.

In essence, when the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world Jesus finished concluded His answer with several stories about fulfilling the two great commandments in a very practical way.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
- Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV

Salvation is a heart matter, but your actions reveal the condition and the content of your heart. It is not enough to study the Bible, to pray, and avoid sin and evil. Jesus also calls us to be involved in ministry, to care for those around us. So I challenged you to pray and ask God to reveal to you what you can do for Him. Ask Him to reveal to you who is hurting and what you can do to help. Salvation is a heart matter, it should impact every area of your life. Your love for Jesus will manifest itself in your life.