Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 25:37

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink?" — Matthew 25:37 (ASV)

When did we see you hungry? It is clear that this question of surprise could not be asked by any who, as believers in Christ, have received this teaching. They know, even now, the full significance of their acts of mercy, and that knowledge is their strongest motive.

But on the lips of unbelievers who stand before the judgment seat, such a question is perfectly natural. They have acted from what seemed to be merely human affection toward merely human objects, and are therefore rightly represented as astonished when they hear that in their ministrations to the sons of men, they have been ministering to the Son of Man.