8/28/24 - Matthew 25:31-46

   Matthew 25: 31-46

Observation:

Jesus is depicted coming in His glory, accompanied by all the angels, and He will be sitting on Hi glorious throne, signifying the majesty and authority of Jesus as the ultimate judge. The gathering of all nations indicates that this judgement will apply to everyone; Jesus will separate people, like a shepherd with sheep and goats. Jesus will place all the righteous (the sheep) on His right and the all the unrighteous (the goats) on His left. The righteous are welcomed into the kingdom as a reward as it was prepared for them long ago. The righteous are commended for their acts of mercy and compassion. This response indicates their humility and unawareness that their actions had such eternal significance hence genuine compassion. Jesus identifies himself with the needy and marginalized, teaching that serving others is equivalent to serving Him. The judgement for the unrighteous is severe--eternal separation from God and punishment. The "eternal fire" symbolizes the ultimate consequence of rejecting God's ways. Unlike the righteous, the unrighteous are condemned for their lack of compassion and neglect of those in need. Their indifference to others is viewed as a rejection of Jesus Himself. The unrighteous were unaware or unconcerned that their lack of action had such grave consequences. Their self-centeredness prevented them from seeing Jesus in others. The unrighteous are condemned not just for their actions, but for their inaction. Their neglect of the needy is equated with neglecting Jesus Himself. In conclusion, the contrast between eternal punishment and eternal life highlights the importance of our choices and actions in this life. 

Interpretation:

In verse 31, this describes the return of Jesus at the end of time, not in humility as He first came, but in glory, accompanied by angels. He will assume His role as the judge of all nations, sitting on a throne that represents His divine authority and kingship. At His return, all people will be gathered before Jesus for judgement. The imagery of separating sheep from goats is used to describe how He will distinguish between those who are righteous (sheep) and those who are unrighteous (goats). According to the word, the right side is often associated with honor and favor (Psalm 101, Matthew 22:44), while the left is associated with judgement and disfavor (Ecclesiastes 10:2, Matthew 20:21-23). Here, the sheep (representing the righteous) are placed on the right, indicating that they will receive a favorable judgement. The goats (representing the unrighteous) are placed on the left, indicating their unfavorable judgement. 

Jesus, now referred to as "the King," invites the righteous (sheep) to receive their inheritance--the kingdom of God. This kingdom has been prepared for them from the beginning of creation, emphasizing God's eternal plan for those who follow Him. In verses 35-36, it highlights the acts of kindness and mercy that the righteous performed, such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison. These actions demonstrate practical love and compassion for others, which are the marks of true righteousness. The righteous express surprise and humility, asking when they ever did these things for Jesus. This reflects their lack of self-awareness regarding the significance of their actions--they did not perform these deeds for recognition, but out of genuine compassion. Jesus identifies Himself with the needy and marginalized, teaching that serving others, especially "the least of these," is equivalent to serving Him. Verse 40 emphasizes that acts of kindness and love toward others are considered acts of devotion to Jesus Himself. 

The King condemns the unrighteous (goats), commanding them to depart into eternal punishment. The "eternal fire" is a metaphor for hell, originally prepared for the devil and his angels. The unrighteous are condemned for their lack of compassion and failure to act in love. Their indifference to the needs of others is seen as a failure to serve Jesus Himself. Like the righteous, the unrighteous are also surprised, but their surprise is rooted in ignorance and self-centeredness. They did not recognize the opportunities they had to serve Jesus by serving others, and their indifference is revealed as a grave failure. Jesus reiterates that neglecting the needs of others, especially the marginalized, is equivalent to neglecting Him. Their failure to show compassion is a direct failure to honor Jesus, leading to condemnation. Verse 46 concludes the passage with the final destinies of both groups. The unrighteous face eternal punishment while the righteous inherit eternal life. This underscores the gravity of our actions and choices in this life, as they have eternal consequences. 

Personal Reflection:

I remember vividly during my younger elementary years on how fearful I was of hell. The way my father described it actually gave me nightmares and it actually made me want to stay close to God no matter what. But does that mean it translate into me doing everything God wanted me to do through sheer obedience, glorifying Him in every manner at the same time showing genuine compassion towards others? Of course, not as I am imperfect, human and sinful. But I do not want to fall under the group of goats or the unrighteous and I want to ensure that my time here on earth has me fall under the group of sheep (righteous). Today, I overheard a teacher explain to me that during his post-college years he felt like he was wasting his gifts that God gave him. He knew in his heart of hearts God wants him to serve but he wasn't sure exactly where and prayed to God on leading him to the path of servitude. Eventually God did lead the teacher to teaching and he's been doing it for fifteen plus years. After the teacher explained his story to me, I felt the similar yearn for serving but unsure the destination on where God wanted me to serve. I have a teaching mentality where I want to guide those around me to help them have a better relationship w/God through the experiences that I have dealt with in my life. I want those around me to know that I, too, have gone through many things in life and that if I can overcome those challenges with Jesus by my side then so can they. But while I was given the opportunity to teach and serve the church, I eventually became burnt out and that flame of serving quickly became lifeless or dormant. Things didn't help that during those times when I was serving, I came off as arrogant that they were inferior to me, or I was above them even though I explained numerous times that was not the case. Humans are humans are the end of the day and there's definite lessons learned that I have taken. Even though I have gone through failure and how I left my previous church, one thing that never died nor quit was the flame of serving. God never quit on me as I've been hearing His voice/call to serve especially during the years when my kids were infants and even after moving from SoCal to NorCal.

Application:

Serving in general is not easy. As mentioned, I was heavily burnt out from serving in my previous church. Nothing against them but I simply did not know how to deal with the frustrations behind it. Fast forward to today, I am being asked to serve my current church by being a cell group leader. Admittingly, I am dealing with similar situations that I had to deal with in the past, but I strongly feel I am better equipped to deal with the disappointment and setback compared to before. I used to lash out, maybe even go far as scolding certain members of the cell group letting them know what they're doing is wrong and constantly pointing the finger at them. The heart was in the right place but the way I went about it was incorrect. With my current cell group, each family is in a different stage in life but they're all going through stages that I have dealt with. I am taking my experience and God has given me compassion, understanding and love as I shared with the group that my greatest desire for them is to understand that we will not be able to live our lives out by our own understanding and strength, rather, we should be putting it all in God's hand and trust Him along the process ("trust in His process"), and the best way to do that is by meeting together as a group and learn, worship, praise God together and grow together. But based on my assessment and discernment of the group, it will take a while for them to realize that. It will require patience. I would know; I've been in their shoes before. And right now, the best I can do is pray for them. I will not lose hope. In the past, I've lost hope but now I believe that through God all things are possible. That's something I learned the hard way. Not saying I want everyone in the group to do the same, but I want them to know that I am here for them. It will take some time but it's not under my schedule, it's all under God's timing and that's something I need to remind myself on a daily basis.