The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE JUDGMENT SCENE
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE JUDGMENT SCENE
Golden Text: “Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me.” (Matt. 25:45)
Lesson Plan:
1. The King on His Judgment Throne (vs 31-33)
2. The Inheritance of the Righteous (vs 34-40)
3. The Judgment of the Wicked (vs 41-46)
Lesson Setting:
Time: Directly after the last lesson, on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 4, A.D. 30, on the way to
Bethany.
Place: On the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. The place where the tenth Roman legion was
encamped at the siege of Jerusalem, 40 years later.
Place in the Life of Christ: After Jesus had finished His work with the Jewish authorities, and was
instructing His disciples.
Research and Discussion: The coming of the Son of Man. When is this judgment scene to be? The sheep; why so called? The goats; why so called? How did the true disciples prove that they were Christians? Are good works a proof that we are Christ’s? How can a loving God so punish the disobedient?
Introduction: “Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath ten talents” (Matt. 25:28). This is no high-handed case of robbing the poor to enrich the rich. This action on the part of the Lord calls for no indignation. It is God’s law that neglected gifts perish while improved gifts multiply, and that law is as inviolate as the law of gravity. The slothful servant invited the loss of his gift when he buried it. None may flout this law with impunity; and, in order for more men to know what the law is, Christ immediately stated it. “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:29-30). A much more severe fate for this unprofitable servant is recorded than the mere exclusion of the foolish virgins from the bridal supper (in our last lesson); but in that case, their exclusion stands for the total fate of the wicked, no less than the punishment of the unprofitable servant stands for the same thing. The nature of the two parables (Matt. 25:1-13, the ten virgins; Matt. 25:14-30, the talents) required a different statement of the penalty in each case. On the whole problem of the eternal fate of the wicked, Jesus is now about to be much more specific in the solemn account of the judgment scene which immediately followed the two preceding parables in Matthew 25. The scene we now consider is peculiar to Matthew and is one of the most awesome revelations brought to mankind by Christ. All who hope to avoid the fate of the unrighteous and who aspire to enter the home of the redeemed should deeply take to heart the words of Christ in this lesson.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-33
1. The King on His Judgment Throne
Jesus at the time He spoke these words was about to be crucified, but He knew He, the Son of Man, was yet to sit on the throne of the world, Lord of lords and King of kings as described in the book of Revelation.
v 31 ... “Shall come in his glory,” the outshining of His real nature and character, and greatness, as at the Transfiguration.
v 31 ... “And all the holy angels with him,” the angels who sang at His birth, rejoicing at every sinner who repents; His ministering spirits working for and with Him. Instead of a few humble followers, He will have a glorious retinue of the most noble, powerful and radiant beings in the universe, serving as His attendants, executing His will; His messengers with the speed of light. “The Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).
v 31 ... “Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory,” ready to give His decisions as a judge. This seems to be a general all-inclusive statement of Jesus’ work as a judge. Not only on the last great day, but all through the history of man, a process of judgment is going on at every great crisis of our lives. From Matthew 16:28; 24:29-34, Luke 21:32, it seems plain that one of these judgment crises was the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Old Dispensation or age, and the coming of the Gospel Dispensation; as well as the great Judgment Day described in the last chapters of Revelation, when there shall be a final separation of the righteous and the wicked, and the kingdom of heaven shall have come.
The Intermingled Flocks: In the study of this picture of the judgment sufficient notice has not usually been given to the fact that the good and the bad lived intermingled together until the time of the Judgment. That was the last scene, the close of the period. So it is described in the Parable of the Tares. The wheat and tares grew together till the harvest when it was necessary for the good of all to burn the tares, and gather the wheat into the barn. God waits as long as possible before the final judgment comes. For example, there was a training of the Jewish nation for more than a thousand years, with the intermingling of prophets and idolators, of obedient and disobedient, before the final judgment of the nation when Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed. And even since then the good and the bad have been mingled together – individuals and nations – and the final judgment is still in the future.
Why Is This? – (a) It is difficult in the early stages to make a fair judgment. There always is a vice near to each virtue. It is no easy thing for someone indignant against wrong, to also have the gentleness of love. It is no easy thing for someone who is calm, patient and peace-loving to also be full of energy against wrong. We are apt to have within us something of the double nature described in Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; and may see ourselves in the mirror of a certain minister “who had a wing on one shoulder and a chip on the other.” (b) The separation is delayed because God with His whole nature desires that all men should be saved from sin, and become members of the kingdom of righteousness. He repeats it over and over again. He urges us: “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye” (Ezek. 18:31, 32). “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” – and so throughout both the Old and New Testament. No one is given up on till he proves himself incurable; and even then the invitations still sound, and the influences still attract, although the ears are too deaf to hear, and the heart too hard to feel. (c) Good and evil are intermingled because this gives evil a better chance, a better environment. Such an intermingling of good and evil puts those consumed by evil close to and among those with good spiritual influences. A Christian’s personal contact is the greatest power for good. It is not self-seeking business men, but unselfish Christians who are transforming non-Christian communities and nations. Are you unselfish? Are you unselfishly trying to transform those you know to be desperately in need of Christ? (d) The intermingling of good with bad is an essential element in the training of good to become better. Good grows by overcoming evil. The war against wrong makes mighty men; it increases courage, patience, loyalty and endurance, love of good and hatred of evil.
In Revelation 2 and 3, all the great spiritual blessings – the tree of life, the hidden manna, the new name, power over the nations, the morning star, the name in the Book of Life, and a place near the throne of God – are given “to him that overcometh.” “The Palace of Destiny” is a story of a man whose career was worked out in a series of different kinds of worlds. He was fairly good in all the imperfect worlds where he came into contact with temptations, trials and sinful men. But when he came to the best possible world, where there was all that was beautiful and perfect, no bad people, no sin and its evil effects, there he was a wicked and ruined man. His friend was astonished, till he learned that “the best possible world” is best only for those who have learned to love and obey God perfectly. Adam was driven from paradise because it was not the best place for him after he sinned. Those who would be saints must labor to make others good, to help them into a better life. There is no escape from this spiritual law. Fully redeemed from sin, dwelling in Paradise Regained, the glorious City of God, Christians are still ministering spirits.
The Separation of the Sheep from the Goats: At this time the sheep were white and the goats black, clearly distinguished, although intermingled in the flock.
v 32 ... “He shall separate them from one another as a shepherd divideth [R.V., ‘separateth’] his sheep from the goats.” Dr. J.A. Broadus in the American Commentary describes a scene of separation as he once saw it: “The morning after reaching Palestine, when setting out from Ramleh, across the plain of Sharon, we saw a shepherd leading forth a flock of white sheep and black goats, all mingled as they followed him. Presently he turned aside into a little green valley, and stood facing the flock. When a sheep came up he tapped it with his long staff on the right side of the head, and it quickly moved off to his right; a goat he tapped on the other side, and it went to his left. Thus the Savior’s image presented itself exactly before our eyes.” Sheep are the symbol of good because they are white, peaceful, gentle, lovable, obedient, and ready to follow their shepherd. Goats are especially repulsive animals, a fitting image for wicked men. They have black fleece, are stubborn, wanton, wild, intractable, with a disagreeable stench.
v 33 ... “He shall set the sheep on his right hand,” the place of honor. The right hand is a symbol of strength, executive power, usefulness, friendship, authority, as distinguished from the left hand where He set the goats.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:34-40
2. The Inheritance of the Righteous
v 34 ... “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come.” Come to my heart, come closer to me in sympathy, in the oneness of nature. Draw near to your Elder Brother, to your Father, to your home.
v 34 ... “Inherit the kingdom,” as a child inherits from his parents. You have not purchased the kingdom. You have not earned it. You have become children of God by His gracious love; “and if children then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.”
The Kingdom: We will understand this whole scene better and see the truth more clearly if we realize the two moral kingdoms in this world – The kingdom of God and the evil kingdom of Satan. The principles of the kingdom of heaven are found in the moral laws of God, in the fruits of the Spirit recorded in Galatians 5:22, 23, in the Sermon on the Mount. And in the last chapters of Revelation they are seen in their completion in the description of the city of God, where all is perfect righteousness, and no evil thing or anything that defiles can enter.
The Test: Everyone who has chosen these principles as his own; whose sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ; who has been raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:1-6); who is loyal to Christ, is a member of this kingdom in training for its perfect work. The proof that one belongs to the kingdom of Jesus is in doing the same kind of works that Jesus did on earth. The things enumerated in vs 35, 36 are specimens of the things that Jesus was doing all through His ministry. He was ever helping, healing, comforting, and uplifting both the bodies and spirits of men. They are the fruits of the principles and spirit of Jesus and of His kingdom. We know the tree by the fruit it bears. We know the fountain by the stream flowing from it.
Unconscious Virtue: “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred” (v 37), etc. The righteous stand amazed that the Son of man should so overwhelm their trifling services with a glorious reward. No, they can hardly recollect any service at all. The ministries were so trifling, they flowed so naturally from a kind heart, that they made no impression on the memory. They flowed from the Christ-spirit as naturally as the birds warble their morning songs, or as the soul full of music sings. The unconsciousness of the righteous shows that their virtues were sincere and true. Whosoever does good deeds for the sake of the reward deserves no reward, and will obtain none. Why? Because the soul of goodness is left out of such self-serving deeds. Unconscious goodness is the highest form of goodness. The beginner in music counts his measures, studies on what note he shall sound with each finger. The trained and experienced musician strikes the right notes and expresses the right emotions almost as natural as he breathes.
The Marvelous Privilege: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (v 40). The poor, the needy and the sick; all the classes whom Jesus helped in Palestine are His representatives now on earth. The only visible expression of our love to Him is through them. What a privilege; such a wonderful and marvelous expression of love to our Master. Consider (a) the acts of kindness here mentioned are but specimens and illustrations of the good deeds of God’s children. The good deeds are not substitutes for faith, prayer, love, and honesty, but they are proofs of a right heart, from which all virtues grow. The fruits of the Spirit are the proofs of the Spirit. Flowers and fruit are not substitutes for seeds, culture and the life of the tree. All are the means by which flowers and fruits are gained. (b) Christians are still in training for the perfected kingdom. They are not perfect, but are striving for it.
Good fruit trees are subject to many enemies (the storms injure, insects cause imperfections), but these do not prove that the trees are not good, if the main body of the crop is good. The stream that flows from a fountain of pure water flows around rocks and is turned aside by curves of the banks, so that there are eddies and twists, but still the main stream flows steadily on to its home in the ocean. It is because of these imperfections that the Christian feels so deeply the need of God’s forgiving love that cleanses us from sin, removing transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. (a) Notice that every one of these good deeds which won award is a deed that anyone in his right mind can perform. The child, the poorest person can do them. We never know how small a thing may become a benediction to a human life. (b) Jesus made His healing of the body minister to the spiritual need of those He healed. If ministering to the bodies of men is a Christian duty and privilege, still more is the ministering to their spiritual needs like the apostles’ carrying the bread of heaven to unbelievers, helping men to the water of life, bringing liberty to those bound in the prison-house of sin, who are sick in spirit and lonely, “without hope and without God in the world.” Christ Himself has done all these things for us. “Freely ye have received, freely give.”
Illustration: A Boston doctor pointed out that disaster and failure come from the attempt to separate the body from the soul in social work. The sick person always needs spiritual help. “The physical pain provides with almost miraculous swiftness the spiritual meeting-ground for the person who needs help, and the person who has help to give.” “And I believe,” he says, “that we are worse than foolish – we are insane, if we do not call to our aid the greatest of all powers, the power of religion” (Dr. Cabot, ‘The Child in the City’).
Illustration: Where is Heaven? – A preacher preached about heaven. His sermon was greatly enjoyed by the little country church. Next morning a wealthy member of the church met him and spoke warmly of his sermon. “That was a good sermon about heaven,” he said, “but you didn’t tell us where heaven is.” “O,” said the old and wise preacher, “I can tell you now. Do you see that hilltop? In a cottage on that little hill there is a member of our church. She is sick in one bed and her two children are sick in another bed. I have just come from her house. There is no heating oil or a stick of wood; not a loaf of bread or any flour in that house. If you will go down town and buy some provisions and some heating oil and send them to that house, and then go yourself to the house and read the 23rd Psalm beside the woman’s sick-bed and kneel and pray with her then you will know where heaven is.” “O Master, let me walk with Thee In lowly paths of service free; Tell me Thy secret; help me bear The strain of toil, the fret of care. “Help me the slow of heart to move By some clear winning, word of love; Teach me the wayward feet to stay, And guide them in the homeward way” (Washington Gladden).
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:41-46
3. The Judgment of the Wicked
v 41 ... “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed.” These had gone under the curse because they had chosen the life and conduct which necessarily brings a curse, instead of conduct resulting in blessings.
v 41 ... “Depart from me” and the kingdom He represents. Why? Because they do not belong there. All they are and all they do are contrary to the very nature of the King and His kingdom. Having lived brambles and thorns they cannot reap grapes and figs (Matt. 7:16-20).
v 41 ... “Into everlasting fire,” not literal fire, for that cannot burn the spirit, or consume the conscience; but the sorrows which only fire can symbolize. It is everlasting, because it cannot be quenched, and as long as sin continues it cannot be escaped from. Why? Because the laws of God are so perfect that they cannot be changed for the better. God’s laws lead men to eternal blessing, if obeyed as best we can. But to the disobedient God’s laws work disaster and death. Only through repentance, obedience and the righteous character that flows from them can we escape the penalties. These fiery fruits of sin were ...
v 41 ...”prepared for the devil and his angels,” those who join with him in evil, because they are incurable. Their sin was the exact opposite of the virtue of the righteous – it was selfishness, the refusal to do the deeds belonging to the heavenly kingdom, to be ruled by its motives. They refused to be fit for heaven, deciding instead to live selfish lives. The plan of their lives was such that evils of society, such as graft, poverty, degradation, crime, oppression, drunkenness, and disease, continued without any serious effort on their part to remove them from their community and nation. These were as unconscious of the depth and vileness of their sin, as the righteous were of their goodness. They became so familiar with wrong, so blinded by selfishness, that their consciences were dulled: they had eyes, but they saw not, and ears, but they heard not. This is a warning of love. Punishment of sin is necessary for the good of all. Do you think that it is possible that the increase of crime is because so many criminals escape the penalty of their deeds? From the very nature of the kingdom of God “there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.” “Never by lapse of time The soul defaced by crime Into its former self returns again; For every guilty deed Holds in itself the seed Of retribution and undying pain” (Longfellow, Mask of Pandora).
v 46 ... “These shall go away into everlasting punishment.” This overwhelming word from man’s only Redeemer is shocking, to say the least. The soul draws back from the contemplation of anything as terrible as eternal punishment. Only a fool could fail to be moved by the dreadful thought that such a penalty as eternal punishment can be incurred. No wonder men have sought to soften this doctrine; and yet, the theological and philosophical grounds for this doctrine are profoundly overwhelming and convincing. Granted the immorality of soul, and the ultimate separation from the righteous God of every sinful and unworthy being, there appears no way that hell could be avoided; and certainly those two concepts (immortality and ultimate separation of the sinful from God) are universally held to be true and valid. Rejection of the doctrine of hell is a logical rejection of one or both those concepts. We are certain that the all-wise Savior would not have misled men concerning these eternal truths.
Insufficient Standards: As the bank returns a hot check stamped “insufficient funds,” so one day God will justly judge our self-serving standards of morality. Will God stamp your standards as insufficient? Have you heard or used one of the following phrases to justify anything lately? I like (Jer. 17:23); I feel (Gal. 5:16-24); I want (Acts 8:18-24); I think (2 Kin. 5:1-15); They do it (1 Sam. 8:4-8); It seems right (Prov. 14:12); I am sincere (2 Sam. 6:6, 7); I am always right (2 Cor. 13:5); No one will see me (Prov. 15:3); It is for a good cause (Rom. 3:8); I don’t see why not (Acts 5:1-11); The preacher said so (Gal. 1:6-9); Others do worse things (Matt. 7:5); God didn’t say not to (Lev. 10:1, 2); God doesn’t mind (1 Cor. 2:10-13); It isn’t against the law (Acts 5:26-29); It hurts no one but me (1 Cor. 8:12, 13); Most people think it is okay (Matt. 7:13, 14); My parents and grandparents did it (Gal. 6:5); It doesn’t bother my conscience (Prov. 30:20); We have done it this way for years (Josh. 5:2-9); It’s all right if we do it in God’s name (Matt. 7:21- 23); God doesn’t expect us to be so technical (1 Thess. 5:21).
v 46 ... “The righteous into life eternal.” Life means conscious existence, as well as the growth and development of all qualities making the kingdom of heaven what it is, forever. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as he is. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:2, 3).
