Raleigh
Bible Study Materials
FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE
Matthew 25: 31 - 46
15 Oct 2023
Message
FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE
(Matthew 25:31-46)
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (v. 40)
In the previous two parables, Jesus taught us how to prepare for his Second Coming. From the parable of “The Ten Virgins”, we learned spiritual preparedness through our personal relationship with Christ. It is to remain in Jesus through the word of God, prayers and living a life to follow in his footsteps. The second parable, “The Bags of Gold” taught us loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus. It is to love God with all our heart, soul and strength and give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Today we will study the third and final parable, “The Sheep and the Goats.” When Jesus returns, he will divide all people into two groups “The blessed and the cursed.” The blessed inherit the kingdom of heaven. The cursed depart into eternal punishment. Through today’s passage, I pray that God may help us to learn how to be among the blessed!
Look at verse 31. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.” Jesus teaches that his second coming will be glorious. It is a great contrast to his first coming. The first time he came, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and became a little baby in a manger. He became like us in every way to be our Friend and Shepherd. When the temperature became cool, he shivered. When he worked hard, he became tired. When everybody, even his beloved disciples, abandoned him, he felt lonely and isolated. On his cross, when nails pierced his hands and feet, he groaned with extreme pain. His human flesh veiled his heavenly glory as God. In his vulnerable state, sinners despised, mocked and rejected him.
However, when Jesus comes again, he comes “in his glory” as the King of kings and Lord of lords. His appearance will be dazzling in his resurrection body. His eyes will be like blazing fire, his face like the sun shining in all its brilliance, and his voice like the sound of rushing waters. (Revelation 1:14-16) This glorious Jesus will be accompanied by all the angels of heaven, thousands and thousands of them. The angels will blow the trumpet to announce the return of the King. Wow! Imagine how spectacular and magnificent it will be. After that, Jesus will sit on his glorious throne as King and Judge. What will happen then?
Look at verses 32-33. “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” All people from every nation, great and small alike must stand before Jesus, the righteous Judge, without exception. In the previous parable, as the master settled accounts with his servants, Jesus will settle life accounts with each of us.
All kinds of people from different nationalities, backgrounds, and education will gather before him, but Jesus will categorize people into only two groups. One kind is compared to sheep. The sheep are put on his right as the blessed. The other is compared to goats. The goats are put on his left as the cursed. To some, sheep and goats look alike. They each have four legs and are of similar color and size. They make similar sounds and may smell alike. But they are quite different. Sheep have fluffy wool while goats have coarse hair. Sheep are gentle and cuddly whereas goats use their horns to butt people. Sheep can lose their way easily but generally, they will recognize their shepherd’s voice (John 10:4-5; 14) and with one gesture from the shepherd, they will form a flock and follow after the shepherd. But goats are rebellious and somewhat mean. To the shepherd it is obvious which are sheep and which are goats. Sheep and goats used to be herded together in the daytime but were separated at night by their shepherd. Otherwise, goats try to dominate the sheep and fight or upset sheep at night and disturb their sleeping.
Likewise, people may look alike in our eyes. But the King perfectly discerns the inner hearts of all people. He knows who has the heart of a sheep and who has the heart of a goat. Then he puts the sheep on his right and the goats on his left without making any mistake. When we finish our life’s journey, all human distinctions will disappear. It will not matter whether we were rich or poor, educated or illiterate, popular or unknown, the social elite or a common man; what truly matters is whether we are sheep or goats. This will determine each one’s eternal destination.
What would the King say to the sheep? Look at verse 34. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world…’” King Jesus invites the sheep into his kingdom. Salvation and the kingdom of God have been prepared before the creation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4) The King’s reward for the sheep is supported by the evidence of their lives. Look at verses 35-36. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” God’s blessing on them relates to their serving Christ’s needs. They served Jesus when he was hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, sick, and enduring hardships. But the blessed one asked in their surprise when they served Jesus. Then the King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” What can we learn from the King’s answer?
First, Jesus identifies himself with the least. Jesus explains who the least are. They are anyone who needs help in all aspects of our lives. They are those in physical poverty. They are those sick in bed. Mentally they may be isolated, wounded, and lonely. Spiritually, they are hungry and thirsty for the word of God and God’s love. They are those literally imprisoned or spiritually confined by the power of sin and death, so they are despaired and hopeless. By identifying himself with all the needy, Jesus teaches us that he has compassion on such people. Jesus loves them as himself. As the least are in pain, suffering, and agony, Jesus feels the same. To serve the least and participate in their weaknesses, Jesus left his heavenly throne and lowered himself to the point of even becoming the least.
What Jesus did on earth was to serve those in such need. Once when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) Out of his compassion, he fed five thousand hungry people with five loaves and two fish. (Matthew 14:13-21) When a leper came to him, with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” and healed him. (Mark 1:41) When a Samaritan woman was lonely and despaired from pursuing men’s love, Jesus visited her and quenched her thirst by giving her a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4) There was a man named Levi. He was a tax collector, outcast and stranger to his own nation. He was imprisoned by his own selfishness and greed. But Jesus visited him at the tax collector’s booth and called him, “Follow me.” (Matthew 9:9) As he followed Jesus, he was changed. He became Saint Matthew, the author of Matthew’s Gospel. Finally, Jesus gave his life for all the needy. All people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, so we need reconciliation with God through the forgiveness of sins. While we were powerless and ungodly, Jesus was crucified like one of the worst criminals. He identified himself with sinners like us. He shed his blood and his flesh was torn instead of ours. Through his death on the cross, Jesus clothed every believer with his own righteousness. Jesus loves the least, and himself became the least, to lay down his life for us.
Second, Jesus wants us to serve the least. Look at verse 40 again. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” We learn what Jesus wants us to do and how we should live. Jesus wants us to have the same heart, attitude, and compassion toward the least as he loved us and loves them. He considers our good deeds for the least as direct service towards him. Jesus expects his children to love others sacrificially. It means Christians live to love. 1 John 4:16b-17 says, “…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.”
Furthermore, Jesus remembers and counts all our love toward the needy without failure. Even small things like giving one cup of cold water that we might forget about, Jesus remembers as if it were done to him and rewards us for it. Jesus wants us to participate and grow in his love in our practical lives. So then where are the least who need our attention and help now? The least may be one of our family members and friends. The least may be one of our church members. The least also may be among our colleagues or classmates at our workplaces or schools. They may be among college students on the campus. Wherever we go, we can meet the least who are waiting for our love and practical help. Sometimes, the least may seem insignificant, unworthy, unlovable, or even unbearable. They may be rebellious and stubborn. Serving them requires time, energy, money, and sacrifice. Therefore, it is not easy to love and help them. But when we remember how Jesus has loved each of us, and how he sacrificed for one soul like each of us when we were powerless and helpless, we can serve them. 1 John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Elisabeth Johanna Schepping (September 26, 1880 – June 23, 1934) was a German-born American nurse and missionary who served in Korea for 22 years. She went to Korea in 1912 at the age of 32. The land of Korea that Schepping saw was full of hardships under the Japanese regime. She lived as a Korean in the extremely poor country and served her poor and sick neighbors, including beggars, orphans, and lepers and educated poor women until her death. Suffering from her own illness, she constantly traveled to care for sick people and teach poor women. Once she went on a medical and missionary tour, she rode her horse for more than a month, covering distances of more than 160 miles. Sometimes, she walked a hundred miles with her horse when it fell in the mud. At that time, women were despised and most Korean women did not have names or they were just called as nicknames, like pig grandmother, dog poop mother, big bitch, little bitch, etc. Although she did not receive her own mother's love throughout her life because she was abandoned by her own mother when she was one year old, she adopted and raised 14 Korean children, including 13 of her foster daughters and one son of a leper until they grew and married. In June 1934, missionary Schepping died in Gwangju from her chronic disease, overwork, and malnutrition. All she had left behind was half her blanket, seven coins, and a small amount of corn powder. The one blanket left was already torn in half and shared with the beggars. Her body was also donated for medical research according to her will. When the funeral was held, thousands of Gwangju citizens, beggars and lepers came out and cried and cried for her, calling “Mother.” Missionary Schepping’s life’s motto was “Not success but service!” She is buried on the hill of a theological university campus in Gwangju.
Last week, Grace and I visited Washington D.C. with our son, Daniel to do business at the Korean embassy. We also visited some places such as the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, U.S. Capital, and Korean War Veterans Memorial. Compared to other places, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was small and humble near the Lincoln Memorial. The Memorial commemorates the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed services during the three years of the Korean War. Almost 37,000 American servicemen and 7,000 Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) died and around 140,000 Korean soldiers died during the war. There are some words carved on the stones that moved my heart. “Freedom is not free.” "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." I was deeply moved by the American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Koreans, the least at that time. Many Koreans are enjoying freedom and prosperity based on the love of God’s calling and practical sacrifice of the soldiers.
When I was a senior in college, I was like the least. Apart from God, I was powerless and helpless due to the sense of failure among my classmates. Spiritually I was imprisoned and tortured by Satan due to my sins, shame and guilt. At the same time, I was hungry and thirsty for true love. God knew my agonies and sufferings and sent me a shepherd. Through 1:1 Bible study, God fed me with the word of God and love until I knew God’s sacrificial love that sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ. In his time, God sent me and my family to the U.S.A. The main reason that I came to the U.S.A was to pay back our debts to Americans and American campus students. I wanted to let young American students know their ancestors’ shepherd heart for the least like Koreans and reignite their zeal to grow shepherds for the world. Based on today’s passage, I must serve the least here. At my workplace, there are the least, including my patients. Nursing should not be merely my method to satisfy my economic need but the way to help the least and show God’s love for them. On the campus, I need to find the least, who are thirsty, hungry and lonely as I was and serve them with the word of God and practical love. Furthermore, I learned there are many sick co-workers in our UBF community around the world who need prayer support and comfort. In addition, many people are terribly suffering under wars like the Ukraine War and Israel War. With Jesus’ compassion, I must participate in intercession for the sick and suffering. I cannot but repent that I neglected to serve the least as myself. I pray that God may strengthen to love God with all my heart and love my neighbors as myself as an evidence of my faith in Jesus, my Lord and King.
In verse 41, Jesus now turns to those on his left and says, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The goats are sent into eternal punishment in hell. For what reason are they punished so severely? Is it because they are all serial killers? No. Look at verses 42-43. “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” Their main problem was that they were too selfish to care about others. They were blind to the needs of those around them as they lived for their own pleasure and comfort. They did not know God’s heart or the love of God.
The goats are surprised, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” (44) They claimed that they had no opportunity to serve the King. It shows that they were ignorant about both their duty and their wrongdoings. What did the King answer? Look at verse 45. “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” Jesus teaches that to fail to serve the needy is to fail to serve the Lord. The goats were selfish; they were not mindful of God or others. Selfishness is the most prominent symptom of sin-sickness, and God judges those who remain in selfishness because it is the evidence that they don’t know God’s love and have no personal relationship with him.
Jesus concludes in verse 46. “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Jesus clearly teaches that spiritually there are only two kinds of people, two kinds of lifestyles, and two kinds of destinations. The purpose of this parable is to help us revere God and live a life of love to God and others while waiting for Jesus’ second coming. Jesus does not want us to be paralyzed or fatalistic in our selfishness but to repent of self-centeredness, follow in his footsteps and grow in his image. In Christ, we have hope to be changed as Levi was changed into Saint. Matthew. We can come to Jesus as we are, accept his love and forgiveness, and learn to love others as Jesus did. May God bless us to hear our King Jesus say when he comes back, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” (34)
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