Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 25:45

"Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me." — Matthew 25:45 (ASV)

The condemnation is even more awful than in 7:23. The “goats” are cursed: they are banished from the King’s presence and sent to the eternal fire. Hell is here described in categories familiar to Jews (5:22; 18:8;Jude 7; Revelation 20:10–15; see comment on Mk 9:42–49). The kingdom was prepared for the righteous (v.34); hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels but also serves as the doom of those guilty of the sins of omission of which Jesus here speaks—refusing to show compassion to King Messiah through helping the least of his brothers. There is no significance in the fact that the “goats” address Jesus as “Lord,” for at this point there is no exception whatever to confessing Jesus as Lord (cf. Php 2:11).

More important is the surprise of the sheep (vv.37–39) and the goats (v.44), a major part of the parable, though rarely discussed. Three things can be said with confidence.

(1) Neither the sheep nor the goats are surprised at the place the King assigns them but rather at the reason given for this—i.e., that they are admitted or excluded on the basis of how they treated Jesus.

(2) The surprise of the righteous makes it impossible to think that works of righteousness win salvation. The sheep did not show love to gain a final reward, not did the goats fail to show it to flout final retribution.

(3) The parable therefore presents a test eliminating the possibility of hypocrisy. If the goats had thought that their treatment of Jesus’ “brothers” would gain them the kingdom, they would doubtless have treated them compassionately. But Jesus is interested in a righteousness of the whole person, a righteousness that comes from the heart. As people respond to his disciples and align themselves with their distress and afflictions, they align themselves with the Messiah who identifies himself with them. True disciples will love one another and serve the least brother with compassion; in so doing they unconsciously serve Christ. Those who have little sympathy for the Gospel of the kingdom will remain indifferent and, in so doing, reject King Messiah (cf. Acts 9:5).

We must not think that the Bible is unconcerned for the poor and the oppressed (Matthew 22:37–40; Matthew 26:11; Galatians 2:10), but that is not the center of interest here.