31 When the Son of man
shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
the left. 34 Then shall
the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed
me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we
thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a
stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we
thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye
clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they
also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a
stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he
answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of
the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal. (Matt
25:31-46)
Collect
Third
Sunday after Trinity
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O
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LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to
hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray,
may, by thy mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Do you have any plans for where you will be and what you will be doing at the
Lord's Second Coming? If so, you may as well cancel them for the schedule of
activities is already set in concrete. Regardless your spiritual state, you
shall be gathered for a grand meeting on that morning that burst upon the world
with brilliance of Light and Infinite Power. The event will be similar to
the choosing of sides on the school play ground but with far greater consequences.
At the time of the His Coming shall the Holy Angels bring before Him all
nations, tribes, and people for a division of the spiritual sheep from the
goats? At that moment, we will have no time to alter our behaviors or
reputations to be like sheep, for, if we are goats, goats we shall remain.
Sheep follow their masters, but goats have their own head and will follow their
own desires. Jesus reveals that which differentiates goats from sheep in
conduct, in love, and in fidelity to those who are admitted into the kingdom
prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Have you known those
distinctions, and do they exist in your life?
31 When the Son of man shall come in
his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne
of his glory: Please note the preposition
with which this verse begins, and note that it is the word WHEN
and not IF! His coming has been long settled in the Councils of
Heaven – He shall certainly come. The only mystery that remains unrevealed to
us is that mystery comprehended in the word WHEN? Christ shall not come alone
for every dignitary of a great Kingdom travels with a royal entourage.
The Holy Angels shall be among His great and divine delegation. Remember back
in sleepy little Bethlehem how a precious little baby was born to be our
Savior? He came in the glow of tender love and consolation. But now, at this
Second Coming, He shall come in great power trailing (as says Wordsworth) the
clouds of glory – and leading the armies of Heaven. (see Rev 19:11-21) At that
moment, the time of decision will be past and the gates of mercy closed for
those who have played the fool with the Word of God.
32 And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats. These
are of those people among the nations and kingdoms, I believe, that have
mingled together in the kingdom of heaven indistinguishable, as in the other
parables, until the time of harvest coming, as well as those of the world who
never graced the doors of the church. Professor John Broadus, Chaplain to the
Army of Northern Virginia during the War Between the States, illustrates this
event as follows: "The morning after reaching Palestine, when
setting out from Ramleh, across the plain of Sharon, we saw a shepherd leading
forth a flock of white sheep and black goats, all mingled as they followed him.
Presently he turned aside into a little green valley, and stood facing the
flock. When a sheep came up he tapped it with his long staff on the right side
of the head, and it quickly moved off to his right; a goat he tapped on the
other side, and it went to his left. Thus the Savior's image presented itself
exactly before our eyes." 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the
goats on the left. The right
side is the place of honor; the left the place of dishonor.
34 Then shall the King say unto them
on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world: Christ, for the first time and just hours before His
blessed Passion, makes reference to Himself as the King which title He
rightfully holds above every title of man. He has used the common animals of
the shepherd to illustrate His dividing of the saved from the unsaved. Even
though the sheep and goats pictured are of the same flock and grazing ground,
He makes application to the truly Chosen of God (sheep) and all others – either
pretenders to the kingdom or those totally without – as goats. It is of
particular interest to note that the kingdom to which Christ refers was
prepared for these exact sheep from the foundation of the world. He knew them
long before they saw the light of day at birth.
35 For I was an hungred, and
ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye
took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed
me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Please note carefully the reason that
Christ claims these particular sheep for His own. At the sum total, it is
because they have a like nature with Himself! They have fed the hungry, they
have given water of life to the thirsty, they have entertained strangers and
provided lodging, they have given attire to the naked, and they have visited
the sick and those in prison. All of these classes that were shown compassion
represent the Lord Himself for it is on His behalf that these things were done
to widows, orphans, and all in need. Jesus knows well our hearts, and He makes
no mistake in knowing which heart has taken on the nature of His own great and
pierced Heart. A great old preacher of the past, Dr. Horatius Bonar,
gives us an example in a dream he experienced: Bonar dreamed that the angels
took his zeal and weighed it, and told him that it was an excellent zeal, that
it weighed out at 100% - all which could be asked. He was greatly gratified by
the result. Next they wished to analyze that zeal. They placed it in a crucible
and tested it in various ways with this result: 14 parts were selfishness, 15
parts sectarianism, 22 parts ambition, 23 parts love to man, and 26 parts love
to God. He awoke humbled, and determined on a new consecration of his life to God!
The outward appearance makes no impression on the heart of God. It is the Inner
Heart of man that decides the issue.
37 Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or
thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a
stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and
clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we
thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? The elect of God are never set on
themselves and over proud of their righteousness imputed by Christ. They will
always and forever be amazed at the grace of Christ in granting them salvation
based on none of their own works and solely upon His own. We often wonder, even
though we have surety of it, how this mystery can be!
40 And the King shall answer
and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me He still speaks to those on His right hand and, by
extension, the same right hand of the Father. We have a lesson herein that many
churchmen will find offensive. The church feels that it has the sole
prerogative to receive your alms and offerings and to dispose of them according
to the will and intent of the committees. however, it is clear to me that one
can most directly give to Christ through the direct application of love
demonstrated in these verses. Christ is represented here, as the stranger who
was entertained unawares, in the hungry child, the naked beggar, the homeless
traveler, and the thirsty vagrant. When love and kindness are shared with
these, it is a direct gift and favor to Christ. The other obligations to
support the ministry of the Church is not obfuscated, but made clearly a
parallel duty of the Christian. We are not just Christians on Sunday morning,
or just in the shadow of the Spire, but everywhere and every day.
The King will now address those on the side of dishonor: 41 Then shall he say
also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I
was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger,
and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and
ye visited me not. Bear
in mind that these represent not only the abject and open sinners, but also
those in the church who have borne their testimonies in hypocrisy, and their
piety for the praise of men. Their boastful public prayers and positions of
power in the church have been their only reward, for their hearts were never
moved to the consolation and comfort of the poor and disadvantaged. These false
professors will readily take the lead in the line for the upper seats, but shun
lifting a finger for the private needs of the poor.
44 Then
shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or
athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister
unto thee? These posers have loved pride and
privilege, but have failed to have a heart that can love both God and man. In
fact, it is impossible to love God and forsake love to others of His creatures.
45 Then shall he
answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. No one
will cling to Christ simply because they fear Hell, nor will any cling unto Him
simply for reward of Heaven. No mother would lay down her life for her
only child simply to share in the future prosperity of that child – it is all
of love. Love is enough to drive the most forlorn of sinners to the mercy seat
of Christ, and bind him there until the disposition of his soul has been
finalized by grace. Even if He kills us, we shall LOVE Him! So spoke the
sorrowful Job: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…. (Job
13:15)
46 And these shall go away
into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. `There are none righteous, no not one"
can also be spoken of each of us; however, if we are in Christ, our sins are
covered by that white robe of righteousness that He offers to all who come to
Him for His free grace He offers. Those "righteous" referred to here
are those who have received the imputed righteousness of Christ and not any
whose personal works are all righteous. Those goats (the pretenders to Christ
and the outright rebellious sinners) will go into everlasting punishment. Is
this fair? It is altogether fair and just for God is a God of justice, but also
because those on His left hand were complicit with that Red Dragon (Satan) who
rebelled against God and was cast down. If the soldiers of the Victor share in
the spoils of Heaven, so shall the troops if the fallen share in the bitter
fruits of defeat and despair. To which family do you belong, and to which Army
do you bear allegiance, today?
