NOTES for Mat 25:31-46
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. |
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Still, no teaching places the human being as high as Christ placed him, for if help given by us to anyone around us turns out to be help given to Him Himself, then here we see more than God's love for the human being. Here we rediscover the meaning of the long-known words that the Lord created us in His image and likeness, and even the fact that we constantly defile this image does not cancel the highest purpose He intended for us.
Here too we find an answer to those people who anxiously ask, "What will become of those who were far from faith but did good works?" Of course, none of us can answer with complete certainty the question of who will end up where. And yet, if the deeds really were good, those who did them will not be forgotten. For even without thinking of serving the Lord, they cared for Him. Correspondingly, those who did not give proper help to those around them will be asked according to their deeds, not according to adherence to theoretical positions.
It is interesting that if at the beginning of the parable the subject is the Son of Man, then afterward the story speaks of the King. Christ once again reveals to the disciples who He is, for by justice only the Lord is worthy to be King.
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Readings for 27 May 2026
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