41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41–46 ESV)
Jesus described hell in four distinct ways in today’s text. First, hell is separation; “Depart from me.” Second, hell judgment; “…you cursed.” Third, hell is association; “… into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Fourth, hell is “eternal punishment.”
The Lord judges the goats, or the unrighteous, by the same judgment in which He judges the sheep, or the righteous (Matt. 31-40). The behavior of each reflect the heart and soul of each. The behavior of both is toward Jesus’ brothers, or His disciples. This does not refer to the Lord’s disciples at that time, but His disciples of all time.
The unrighteous hate the Lord’s disciples (John 15:18-25). They always have and they always will. This reflects their fallen condition. The Apostle expressed this in Colossians 1:24-26. The Apostle Peter stated the same (I Peter 1:3-7; 2:12; 18-25; 3:13-17; 4:1-6; 12-19) as did James (James 1:2-4).
The specific reasons for God’s judgment are stated. “42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
“It should be noted that all these sins are negative. Not a single sinful deed—such as idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, etc.—is mentioned. Only sins of omission are enumerated, sins of neglect. Cf. Heb. 2:3. This neglect proves that these people have not believed in the Son of man. For this unbelief, thus demonstrated, they are condemned,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.
“We actually serve the Lord when we do simple acts of service for one another. It does not take much effort to make a meal for new parents or a family who has recently lost a loved one. A call or visit to the lonely or shut-in takes mere moments but can reap lasting rewards. The donation of time, money, or supplies to your church’s mercy ministry is an act of love for Jesus. Our profession of faith is invalid if we are not engaged in these or other similar activities,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
Soli deo Gloria!
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