The Olivet Discourse: Part Ten

Matthew 25:31-46 – “The Revelation of Righteousness” 

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on November 3, 2024 at Beacon Church

The Lord Jesus told His apostles, “Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known,” (Mat 10:26). If you serve the Lord Jesus, people are going to find out. If you’re a phony Christian, you will be found out. Daniel says everyone whose names are written in God’s book will be saved (Dan 12:1). He says everyone who is dead will rise again, “some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt,” (Dan 12:2). But he says that those who are wise, when they rise again “will shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever,” (Dan 12:3). You know what really makes the stars so bright? The blackness of outer space. It’s a lot harder to see the stars in broad daylight. But the stars are still there.  Well Daniel prophesied a day is coming when the saints, the holy people of God, will shine like stars against the backdrop of night sky. The contrast will make them visible. That’s what this prophecy in Matthew 25 is about.

It's a bit like the parable Jesus told in Matthew 13 about the wheat field full of weeds. Jesus said the wheat stands for “the sons of the Kingdom” but the weeds are the “sons of the evil one,” (13:38). Right now they’re all mixed together. But one day God will separate them: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matt. 13:43 ESV) “Then,” but not “now.” You know what that means? It means that even if you go to church, the one place in the world you expect to find full of Christians, it’s hard to know who the true saints are—because mixed among the children of the Kingdom are the children of the evil one; scattered throughout the wheat, there are weeds. To put it plainly, you can’t yet tell for sure who are true Christians and who are not, even in a church. Right now the saints are different, but that difference is hard to see. But at the very end of Matthew 25, Jesus predicts a day is coming when the whole world will see what right now is hard to see.

In Mat 24:13, Jesus said “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” In verse 42 He said, “stay awake for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” In verse 46 He said that faithful servant is blessed who will be found still serving faithfully when his master comes. Then in a parable at the beginning of chap 25, He taught that true saints are like bridesmaids who take their bridesmaid responsibilities really seriously. Then He taught in the next parable that true saints are like servants so grateful for the generous fortune entrusted to them that they work hard to repay their master’s trust. But if you try to look around the church to see who is enduring, or who is awake, or who is faithful, or who takes their responsibility seriously, or who is grateful for grace, it’s hard to know for sure who the true saints are. One day, though, the whole world will see. In these verses, the Lord predicts three truths God will bring to light that show you how much now will matter forever. The first is in verses 31-33. The second is in verses 34-40. And the third is in verses 41-46. Three truths will be brought to light for everyone to see. What are they? First…

God will bring His Son’s glory to light (31-33)

When Jesus comes again, God will reveal His Son’s glory for all the world to see.

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. (Matt. 25:31-33 ESV)

I want you to see three ways God will show off His Son’s glory on that day: 1) how Jesus will come again; 2) who is coming with Him; 3) what He’s going to do. How Jesus will come again: Look at verse 31. The NASB and LSB add a “but.”  “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory…” You know why? Because Jesus said, “But…” It’s a contrast. Right now most people can’t see who Jesus really is. That’s why there are so many people in churches like that third servant, in the parable before this, who see the Lord as a harsh and miserly Ebenezer Scrouge. That’s why verse 29 warns if you aren’t interested in who Jesus really is, or in the grace of God in Jesus, then even the little grace you do have will be taken from you. But. Verse 31 says “but.” On the day when Jesus comes back, God will show the world who Jesus really is: He will come in His glory. That’s what that means. All His excellency, His character, His worth, His majesty, and His divine nature will be shown. That’s what the glory of Jesus Christ is: the visible radiance of all His perfections. When He said this, sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, they couldn’t see it. When He hung dying on the cross, they couldn’t see it. Even today, while many do believe in Jesus, most people don’t see it. But they will: But when the Son of Man comes, He will come in His glory.

Who is coming with Jesus: He will come “with all the angels.” In 24:31, Jesus said He is going to “send out His angels.” Now He makes it clear they’re all His angels. In Mat 16, Jesus said, “the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father,” (Matt. 16:27 ESV). In 2 Thess 1:7, Paul prophesies, “the Lord Jesus [will be] revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire…” (2 Thess. 1:7-8 ESV). Jude writes that Enoch prophesied, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones…” (Jude 1:14 ESV). When He comes with all His mighty angels, it will draw attention to His glory. It will make His majesty more visible. The angels will add to His glory. Then the world will see.

What Jesus is going to do: Then He will sit on His glorious throne. At the risk of stating the obvious let me point out this isn’t about the furniture. It’s about His position in this world. If you haven’t realized this yet, the world today is following someone else. A usurper. Why did the very first man born on earth murder his brother? The apostle John says it was because “he was of the evil one,” and Cain murdered Abel “because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous,” (1 Jo 3:11). John says “whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil,” (1 Jo 3:8). John says this is how you know who are God’s children and who are the devil’s children: “whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother,” (1 Jo 3:10). This world has a ruler, Paul calls him, “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,” (Eph 2:2). But the throne of this world does not belong to him. Look again at verse 31: whose throne will the Lord sit on? His throne. I like how one scholar put it, “The Son of Man is no intruder or usurper. The throne is reserved for him, and he alone is to occupy it.”[i]

But. When He comes and takes His place, in His glory, on His throne, the Lord Jesus won’t just sit there. Look what else He is going to do: Jesus predicts two more things. “Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,” (Matt. 25:32 ESV). First, He is going to separate all people on earth, the people of all the nations on Earth, one from another. People from Botswana and Bolivia, from Nigeria and Nicaragua, from Djibouti and Dominica, from China and Chile, from Uruguay and United States, and from Kazakhstan and Canada—one from another, the Lord will separate them all. Like a shepherd separating the goats and sheep of His flock. Understand that this isn’t a parable. It’s a prediction of real events that will happen in real life, one day in the future. Jesus pictures it like a shepherd sorting a flock. But the flock is a metaphor. The sorting is real.[ii]

Second, He will put one group, the “sheep” on his right, and the other group, the “goats,” on his left. Do you know why He does that? Because sheep and goats are not the same thing. Neither are wheat and weeds. Neither are the children of the Kingdom and the children of the evil one. They might sit next to each other in church but they are different animals altogether. And one day Jesus will sort them, sheep on His right; goats on His left. Why? Because God the Father is going to glorify His only Son, and not everyone who calls themselves Christians bring glory to Jesus. Now I said, the Lord predicts three truths God will bring to light that show you how much now will matter forever. First, God will bring the true perfection and worth of Jesus Christ out into the open for all the world to see. And this means what you are doing with your life today matters forever. Which side of the throne will you be on? That is the most important thing you need to think about today. Which side of the Son of Man’s throne will you be placed on when He comes? Second, then…

God will bring righteousness to light (34-40)

When Jesus comes again, God will reveal a righteous people. People who add to the glory of Jesus Christ. Not that these people will make Jesus more glorious, but that they will make His glory more visible. Remember Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven,”  (Matt. 5:14-16 ESV). Your good works are supposed to reflect glory to God. Well here Jesus is predicting that the righteousness of these people on His right will make the King’s glory more visible. Look at these verses. First, He tells them something in v34; they ask Him a question in v37; and He answers in verse 40.

34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'  (Matt. 25:34-36 ESV)

What does He tell them? This is the first time in the whole Gospel of Matthew that Jesus explicitly calls Himself King. That’s what makes the people on His right different from the rest: He is their King. And He was their King even before He came back. And He says they are His people. That His Kingdom is their Kingdom. And He says why: Because long before any of them were born, from the very beginning of the world, God the Father began preparing a Kingdom for them. So Jesus calls them “blessed by my Father.” But then notice there’s another reason the King claims these on his right as people for His Kingdom, and not the people on His left: because of their righteousness. Verse 35 begins with an explanation. Jesus says “for.” These are the people God blessed, these are the people God chose for His Kingdom from the beginning of the world. The people whose good works shine like light for all to see so that God will be glorified. And boy do they shine!

The King exposes their good works, He shines a light on the way they lived, He draws the attention of all the angels of heaven and all the nations on earth to the righteous deeds of the people God chose for His Kingdom. But what I want you to see here is the way their good works reflect on Jesus. They ask the King a question:

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' (Matt. 25:37-39 ESV)

Who asks this question? “The righteous.” That’s who they are, and now that they are separated out from all the rest of the people on Planet Earth, all Creation can finally see who they are. Jesus was their King before He comes back, and Jesus says their good works proved it. But they ask a question: Lord, “when did we see you…”? Three times they ask “when did we see you?” When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick or in prison and do any of those things you said? You would think they would remember doing any of those things to this great King!

“And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me,'” (Matt. 25:40 ESV). How does He answer them? Truly I say to you. He bears witness. He gives testimony: They were never conscious of doing those things to Jesus, but they did it for Jesus. So let me ask you this morning: how has knowing Jesus changed why you do what you do? Does your life add to the glory of your King? You can’t make Jesus more glorious. But if He really is your King today, that fact should make His glory visible in your life. Do you say to yourself, “Jesus wouldn’t want me to do this sin”? Or “Jesus would want me to do this good thing”? Or, “I should do this thing for Jesus because He deserves it”? What is Jesus worth to you? Is He your King? Do you treat people differently for His sake?

Care for the nobodies. Love the weak. Welcome the small. And do it all for Jesus. But who does Jesus mean when He says, “the least of these my brothers?” Jesus is pointing them out: “these.” Not pointing with his finger but his words: “these.” And I can tell you for sure he’s not pointing to those on His left! It’s the people on His right. Whatever you do for the very least and the lowest Christian, you do it, Jesus says, to Him—the Church is His Body. This isn’t the first time Jesus said something like this. In Mat 10:42, Jesus called His disciples “little ones” and you know what He said? The smallest act of kindness to someone because they are a disciple will be rewarded. Even giving a cup of water. That’s a small thing. You see?

I know some of you who cling to faith in Christ and feel like your life has nothing to show for all the years you’ve known Him, you feel like a failure of a Christian. The parable of the Teenage Bridesmaids (25:1-13), and the parable of the Misjudged Master (25:14-30) nearly break your heart because you see yourself as the Christian who forgets your duty; yourself as the servant who buries the grace the Lord has given to you. But you see how the Lord Himself comforts you here? He brings up what you do for the smallest most insignificant Christian—just like in 10:42 He talked about the smallest and most insignificant act of kindness. And in both places, in both cases, the smallest good work to the least of these His brothers is an act of genuine faith when you do it out of love for your Lord. Small acts to small people usually go unnoticed in this world. But not unnoticed by Jesus. If you give a follower of Jesus even a cup of water because they follow Jesus, you’re doing it for Jesus’ sake. And that adds to His glory: it makes His worth visible.

Don’t love the people in our church because they’re in our church, love them because they love Jesus. Don’t be kind to Christians because they’re part of your club, be kind to Christians because they follow Christ. Don’t care about the needs of your brothers and sisters around you because they’re your brothers and sisters, but because they are the King’s family. Look around you! They might be nobodies here on Earth, but the King is their brother and His Father is their Father! Are you going to be on the King’s right hand, or on His left hand? Want to know how you can know? Does love for Jesus make a difference in your life? Does what Jesus has done for you make you so grateful enough to do things for Him? I said, the Lord predicts three truths God will bring to light that show you how much now will matter forever. First, God will bring to light the glory of His Son. Second, if Jesus is your King, your life will be shown to add to His glory. And this means what you do now matters forever. Well then, third…

God will bring hypocrisy to light (41-46)

When Jesus comes again, God will reveal hypocrites. People who detract from the glory of Jesus Christ. Not that these people will make Jesus less glorious, but that they make His glory harder to see. Notice then, this exchange the King will have with the people on His left. It’s almost exactly the same. He tells them something in verse 41; they ask a question in verse 44; and He answers them in verse 45. This fact that the two exchanges are almost identical makes the differences glaring. It’s glaring and ominous that in this exchange Jesus doesn’t call Himself “the King.” And you should ask why. Because He was never their King: they never served Him, they didn’t live for Him. So when His Kingdom finally comes, He won’t be their King, He’ll be their Judge. And He will expose the hypocrisy of these people who passed themselves off as Christians. What does He tell them?

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,  43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' (Matt. 25:41-43 ESV)

What’s different is what they didn’t do. He says when He was hungry, thirsty,  a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison, they did nothing. But then they also ask a question: “Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?'” (Matt. 25:44 ESV) “Lord,” they say (what an empty show of respect!). When did we see you in any such need “and did not minister to you?” You know what that says? They claim that if they had known it was Him, they would have ministered. They would have served. They would have cared. If they saw it was Him. So how does He answer them? “Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me,'” (Matt. 25:45 ESV). Truly I say to you. He bears witness. He gives testimony: They never ministered or served or cared out of love for Jesus. So let me ask you this morning: Are you on the King’s right or on His left? Does your life add to the glory of the King or detract from His glory? Does the way you treat the King’s family, the smallest and least of them, reveal how little you think Jesus is worth? How little He deserves?

This is not a parable you know, it’s a prediction. A day is coming when all the nations of earth who can’t yet see that Jesus is Lord will finally see God glorify His Son. A day is coming when the people blessed and chosen and changed by God through faith in His Son will finally be set apart and honoured for all the world to see. The saints are different, and on that day all Creation will be able to see it. And a day is coming when the people who claim to follow Christ now but don’t truly love Him will be exposed and put to public shame. It’s not a parable, it’s a prediction. “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life,” (Matt. 25:46 ESV). Jesus says there is an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. And Jesus says on that day He Himself will banish those who do not love the King to eternal punishment in Hell. But on that day, the King will welcome those who know Him now into the unending Kingdom God has prepared for His people from the day He made this world. You know what makes the stars so bright? The darkness of outer space. And you know what makes God’s people shine? It’s the great truth that out of all the people on earth, the good things they do they do out of love for the Lord Jesus Christ.