What I believe is based on a traditional view on this, not the common idea these days that I keep hearing now that Matthew 25:31- means this is how the Christian is to treat the poor or neighbour or those in need.
First the apologetic. Yes, Jesus is quite clear throughout the gospels and with the NT teaching that Christians have a mandate to have care and concern for the poor and those in need, but this surely cannot be what this specific Matthew 25:31- passage is saying. Also Matthew 25:31- is not undermining that mandate in any way.
So what do we make of Matthew 25:31-? Jesus comes in His glory and all the nations are gathered and He will separate all the people into sheep or goats. Jesus then addresses the sheep and then the goats about what they did or didn’t do for even the least of this other group of people, His brethren. To the sheep He says …
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
25:40 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐρεῖ αὐτοῖς ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε.
The word for His brothers and sisters is adelphos G80 - adelphos - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV)
Throughout the New Testament adelphos is almost exclusively a physical blood family member or a believer. So Jesus must be saying when the sheep or goats in the world did or didn’t help a believer who was hungry, thirsty, needing shelter of clothes, in prison or sick. Since we are in Christ Jesus through faith, this makes sense, it is how the world treats the believer. Otherwise its saying salvation isn’t ultimately based on faith at all, but based on works alone, or faith is just about helping others. Furthermore, if not His followers, who would His brothers and sisters be? Would it be the poor (ptōchos )? The text doesn’t say that. Would it be anyone in need? That would mean unbelievers who help unbelievers could be saved, without anything to do with belief in Jesus. The great commission is to make disciples teaching them everything Jesus taught and did.
Also consider John 5:24-
4 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
So Jesus says those who believe in Him will not be judged because they have crossed over from death to life, but the dead will be judged on what they have done. The context here is the end time, indeed because even as believers we will all the same have a judgement as believer on what we have done, which will determine our reward, but as believers we wont be judged about life or condemnation.
Finally, Matthew 25:31- should be an encouragement for Christians that whilst vengeance and judgement belongs to God, God will deal with those who persecute Christians and God is looking favourably on those who help persecuted Christians .
First the apologetic. Yes, Jesus is quite clear throughout the gospels and with the NT teaching that Christians have a mandate to have care and concern for the poor and those in need, but this surely cannot be what this specific Matthew 25:31- passage is saying. Also Matthew 25:31- is not undermining that mandate in any way.
So what do we make of Matthew 25:31-? Jesus comes in His glory and all the nations are gathered and He will separate all the people into sheep or goats. Jesus then addresses the sheep and then the goats about what they did or didn’t do for even the least of this other group of people, His brethren. To the sheep He says …
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
25:40 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐρεῖ αὐτοῖς ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε.
The word for His brothers and sisters is adelphos G80 - adelphos - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV)
Throughout the New Testament adelphos is almost exclusively a physical blood family member or a believer. So Jesus must be saying when the sheep or goats in the world did or didn’t help a believer who was hungry, thirsty, needing shelter of clothes, in prison or sick. Since we are in Christ Jesus through faith, this makes sense, it is how the world treats the believer. Otherwise its saying salvation isn’t ultimately based on faith at all, but based on works alone, or faith is just about helping others. Furthermore, if not His followers, who would His brothers and sisters be? Would it be the poor (ptōchos )? The text doesn’t say that. Would it be anyone in need? That would mean unbelievers who help unbelievers could be saved, without anything to do with belief in Jesus. The great commission is to make disciples teaching them everything Jesus taught and did.
Also consider John 5:24-
4 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
So Jesus says those who believe in Him will not be judged because they have crossed over from death to life, but the dead will be judged on what they have done. The context here is the end time, indeed because even as believers we will all the same have a judgement as believer on what we have done, which will determine our reward, but as believers we wont be judged about life or condemnation.
Finally, Matthew 25:31- should be an encouragement for Christians that whilst vengeance and judgement belongs to God, God will deal with those who persecute Christians and God is looking favourably on those who help persecuted Christians .
