Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 Vs. 42

The Final Judgment

 

Matthew 25:42 “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:”

For I was... Hence it appears, that these were such as dwelt among Christians, and professed the Christian name, and yet disregarded the poor members of Christ in distress, when it was in the power of their hands to help them. But when they were hungry and ready to starve for want of food, these professing to be Christians did not communicate to them for Christ’s sake.

Which showed that they had no true faith in him, and love to him. Therefore, are justly condemned by him; whereas such who never knew Christ, or any of his people, or any obligation they were under to regard any for Christ’s sake, these will never be condemned for the non-performance of these things.

I was thirsty...  As not the least morsel of bread to eat, so not so much as a cup of cold water to drink. Which with what follows, are manifest tokens and evidences, that they did not belong to Christ, were not true believers in him, nor had they any real love to him.

The grace of God was not in them, and therefore had neither right unto, nor fitness for, the kingdom of heaven. But were righteously banished from the presence of the Lord, and sent to dwell among everlasting burnings. For righteous it was, that such as they who would not show any love to him here, should not dwell with him forever hereafter.

The dividing line is one entirely new. All nations are there; but not as nations are they divided now. This is strikingly suggested in the original by the change from the neuter (nations, εθνη) to the masculine (them, αυτους), indicating as by a sudden flash of unexpected light that not as nations, but as individuals, must all be judged. The line is one which crosses all other lines that have divided men from one another, so that of all ranks and conditions of men there will be some on the right and some on the left. Even the family line will be crossed, so that husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, may be found on opposite sides of it. What, then, is this new and final line of separation? The sentence of the King will mark it out for us.

In answer to such a perversion of our Lord’s language it should surely be enough to call attention to the fact that all is made to turn upon the treatment of Christ by the one class and by the other. Kindness to the poor comes in, not as in itself the ground of the division, but as furnishing the evidence or manifestation of that devotion to God as revealed in Christ which forms the real ground of acceptance, and the want of which is the sole ground of condemnation.

Again, The basis of their judgment will be their failure to extend mercy to the remnant of Jewish believers during the Tribulation. Their lack of righteous works will evidence their unconcern (Mat. 25:42-44.