Matthew 25:40

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

This Scripture passage is taken from the larger account of the final judgement in Matthew 25. Beginning in verse 31, it says: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.” After the Son of Man, Jesus, separates the sheep from the goats, He tells the sheep on the right about the many ways they have served faithfully.  This includes feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting those who are sick or in prison. Then the righteous answer by wondering when they did all these things.  And then Jesus answers in verse 40, that as the righteous did it to the least of these my brothers, they did it to Jesus. 

Notice that Jesus first separates the sheep from the goats.  We know from many places in Scripture that salvation is a gift of grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This makes it very clear that our salvation does not depend on what we do or don’t do.  So why does Jesus say all these things to the righteous sheep on the right?  If we look at verse 10 of Ephesians 2, it says: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  As people who are saved by grace, we respond by walking in the good works that God created us to do.  And this passage in Matthew 25:40 tells us that as we serve those in need around us, we are actually serving Jesus.  

So how can we apply this to our everyday lives?  First, it is obvious from this passage of Scripture that God knows everything about our lives and we will all give an account to Him.  2 Corinthians 5:10 says.”For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.”  That probably makes all of us feel a little uneasy.  I know I don’t measure up against God’s standards and I have messed up plenty.  That is why I am so grateful for the free gift of salvation I have received because of the death and resurrection of Jesus who paid the penalty for my sin. As a result of that gift of salvation, we are invited to walk in a relationship with our Savior.  Our hearts are renewed, and God puts new desires in our hearts.   Matthew 6:21 says: “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”  When Jesus becomes our treasure, the desire of our hearts is to serve him by serving others.  Psalm 37:4 says: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires”.  Also Philippians 2:13 says:“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

These Scripture passages are great reminders that when we are walking in relationship with Jesus and finding our treasure in Him alone, He puts new desires in our hearts.  The cool thing about this whole passage in Matthew 25 is that our service becomes a natural part of who we are.   2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) says: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”  As we live this new life in Jesus, our service goes unnoticed to us and we will be surprised when Jesus tells us on judgement day about all that we have done.  It’s good to remember that as we serve others, Jesus is right there with us.  Afterall, He is Immanuel, God with us. And Jesus tells us at the end of the great commission in Matthew 28: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We might wonder: “What if I don’t feel like serving?”  I have times when I feel that way as I’m sure most of us do. We are all sinners and our sinful flesh is selfish.  When I am feeling unmotivated to serve, I go back to remembering the great price Jesus paid to redeem me.  I ask myself several questions: “What is my response to the Gospel?  How is my relationship with Jesus going?  Have I been neglecting spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer?” Our first response should be to plead guilty to letting our sin get in the way of our relationship with Jesus.  We can go back to the Gospel message of forgiveness and put to death those sins that so easily affect our attitudes. I need this every day!  Then we can say with David in Psalm 51: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”  It is great to know that the blood of Jesus washes away my sins and God gives me a “clean heart” and a “right spirit.”  My prayer is that until that day when I will stand before God, I will be his “workmanship” that he created me to be, and that serving him becomes more and more a natural part of who I am in Him.  Let’s pray that prayer together.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your forgiveness of my sin and the free gift of salvation.  Thank you that you have given me a new heart and a new life to serve you.  Give me the power to serve others as a natural part of walking in relationship with you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Paul Hoemann