Coming Judgement: Matthew 25:31-46
““31) But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32) All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33) and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.” Matthew 25:31-33
Jesus now talks about a coming judgement for the whole world. Notice that all nations will be brought before Him. He will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.
Read the full context through verse 46. The dialogue is profound and very surprising. A key component in judgement will be the way you treated others, especially “the least of these.”
Look at verse 40; “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Salvation is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Do not mistake that point. But a personal relationship with Jesus radically impacts the way you treat people.
We expect Jesus to base His judgement on doctrine or theology, but He doesn’t even mention that in this context. Instead, He focuses on love and compassion and extending grace, mercy and help to others. The way Jesus treated others becomes the standard of judgement.
We now have a rule that surpasses the golden rule. Don’t merely treat others as you would have them treat you, rather treat them as if they are Jesus. Why? Because as Christians, we become His hands and feet in the world.
In the kingdom of darkness, everyone promotes self first. In the kingdom of light, everyone treats others as if they are serving Jesus. The difference is profound.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
