Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, 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?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

- Matthew 25:31–46 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been teaching the disciples about the end times and the destruction of the temple, beginning with this reading from Thursday last week.    Yesterday we read that Jesus gave the disciples the parable of the Talents, giving us all the understanding of how we are to conduct ourselves as faithful until He returns:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'   His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and  gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats."  Today's reading gives us what my study Bible calls the majestic climax of Christ's discourse on end times.  What He teaches in today's reading isn't simply a parable, it notes, but a prophecy of the universal judgment that will indeed come.  As the Cross is now near Christ, Jesus raises His hearers to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat and the whole world gathered around Him.  And not only the world as we think of it in our daily physical sense, but the whole of the cosmos, the created order, for the holy angels are with Him as well.  We should bear in mind that the angels are also witnesses as well, for they have been with us from the foundation of the world (verse 34; see also Matthew 13:35).

 

"And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  My study Bible explains that Christ uses sheep to illustrate the righteous, because they follow His voice and they are gentle and productive.  It says that goats indicate the unrighteous, as they don't follow the shepherd and they walk along cliffs, which represent sin.  

 

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: . . . "  Inherit, my study Bible teaches us, is a term used with regard to sons and daughters rather than strangers or servants, for the righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  

 

". . . for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "  My study Bible comments that the standard of judgment set down here is uncalculated mercy toward others.  The works that are produced by faith are emphasized, for saving faith always produces righteous works.  What we do reflects our true inner state.  The least, it says, refers to all the poor and needy.  But we are to understand that the needs described here include both physical and spiritual needs.  Therefore, the hungry or thirsty are not only those who need food and drink, but also those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel.  

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, 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?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "   My study Bible notes that the fact that Jesus says the fire was prepared for the devil shows that God did not create hell for human beings.  Rather, people choose this torment by their coldness of heart.  

 

When the Lord, the Son of Man, addresses the sheep in this parable of judgment upon His return, that is,  the righteous, telling them of their acts of mercy, they ask, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"   Jesus says that the King will answer them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."  The wording of this response invites us to ask, who are the Lord's "brethren?"  This is an important question, for although Christ who is the Judge knows the righteous from the unrighteous, we cannot distinguish this clearly.  We cannot make the judgment that He does, for only He knows the thoughts of all people, their hearts (Matthew 9:4; Acts 1:24).  This is an important distinction, because we only see partially, but in this parable it is made clear that what is at hand is all that is and was and even, indeed, what will be.  Only One with this perspective is able to judge.  So when Jesus speaks of His brethren, we must consider the righteous, and Jesus' perspective.  According to patristic commentary, "the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul."  And so, the state of the soul is seen by the Lord, and this He illustrates as the gentle sheep rather than the capricious goats. St. Chrysostom notes that it is the very mercy shown by those whom Jesus calls sheep that sets the standard by which judgment happens, indicating how we also play a role in this grand plan of salvation "from the foundation of the world."  Lest we take the parable too literally, we should understand the depths of its meanings in that, first and foremost, in the mission of Christ's disciples the stranger is clothed and welcomed with Christ and in Christ, and thus becomes "brethren."  St. Paul also speaks of this unification of strangers in Christ as those who put on "tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering" and "love," indicating what it means to do all "in the name of Christ" (see Colossians 3:12-17). Elsewhere, He writes, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).  Indeed, we may go directly to Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan, which is the answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?"  For He teaches there that the neighbor is one who acts as a neighbor (Luke 10:25-37).  Among patristic commentary, there is a great deal of emphasis placed upon the spiritual aspect of Christ's words, in that we also feed, clothe, liberate, and assist those in spiritual prisons with the wisdom and love of God, the truth of Christ that frees, and the comfort of His love which we first receive and then share with others.  See 1 John 4:7-19.  Let us put on the clothing of Christ, even the full armor of God, as St. Paul teaches, for this is how we will know and be known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." 

 

Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  

 

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"I will open My mouth in parables;

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world." 

 

- Matthew 13:31–35 

  

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds):  Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

 

  Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  My study Bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who writes that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples.  For they began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  They also stand for faith entering a person's soul, which then causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul will become god-like and can receive even angels (the birds of the air come and nest in its branches).  

 

 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  This quotation is from Psalm 78:2.  For an elaboration on the reason Jesus speaks in parables, see this reading.  

 

 The two very simple parables that Jesus gives in today's reading give us yet more dimensions (so to speak) in which the kingdom of heaven works in our world.  The first, the parable of the Mustard Seed, tells us a story of explosive and surprising growth, leading to developments which are unanticipated from such a small -- even tiny -- beginning.  The mustard seed is unassuming, humble, almost infinitesimal in its smallness.  And yet, the growth that comes from it is towering, as far as plants go; it even spreads enough and grows enough so that it can support other life:  the birds of the air who may take shelter in its branches.  We shouldn't forget that Jesus has already spoken of Himself as the Sower, and so this very tiny little seed is also part of the word of God.  It grows seemingly exponentially, in Jesus' description of the resulting tree-like herb.  The parable of the Leaven describes a different kind of growth.  This growth is not exterior and not exponential.  Rather it is an interior growth.  It describes an enzyme-like movement that entirely changes a substance into something other than what it was.  Elsewhere my study Bible comments that this is a rare instance in Scripture in which leaven is used as a positive influence.  Most often, leaven is used as an adulterating substance, that disturbs the purity of something.  But Jesus uses it positively here, to teach us about the work of the kingdom of heaven within us, and within our families and communities, extending even to to nations and to the world.  Similarly to the metaphors of salt and light to Christians within communities and in the world, leaven as metaphor for the kingdom of heaven gives us an image of even greater depth of influence and transformation.  It teaches us about the kind of change wrought by the presence of the kingdom of God within us, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  We are meant to be transformed, transfigured.  Even as Christ Himself was transfigured (Luke 17:1-2), we are given an image of the presence of the kingdom of God and its work within us and in our world.  However, as the very act of Christ choosing to speak in parables indicates, these effects also depend on faith, on our capacity for hearing and seeing and recognizing the precious value of the things He offers.  So much depends upon our hearts and our desires as well, a synergy that also depends upon our "yes" as well, our cooperation.  In today's reading, Jesus speaks of small things, easily overlooked, which have a great impact.  Perhaps in them is illustrated the question:  "For who has despised the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:10).  St. Matthew tells us that by speaking in parables, Jesus fulfills the words of the psalmist, whom he calls a prophet, "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  All this work of the kingdom of heaven is hidden, secret.  But it takes those with the eyes and ears to perceive and to know its working within us and among us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  

"I will open My mouth in parables;

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world." 

 

- Matthew 13:31-35 

 

Yesterday we read that, continuing His preaching to the crowds in parables, Jesus put forth to them another, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' " 

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   My study Bible comments that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples, according to Theophylact.  He said that they began as just a few men but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  They also stand for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul, my study Bible says, will become godlike and can receive even angels.  

 

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  St. Matthew quotes from Psalm 78:2.  In this context, the fulfillment of the words of the psalm teach us about the tremendous truths revealed in Christ's parables.  In this sense, just like Christ Himself, these truths are hidden in plain sight, so to speak.  They are revealed to those who will find faith, and come to understand; that is, to those with ears to hear.

 

 In today's reading, Jesus tells two parables:  the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the leaven.  The parables are similar in that they both tell of the growth of the Kingdom, although in each one the growth works in a different way.  That Jesus speaks of leaven as an illustration of the work of the word and the Holy Spirit is unusual.  Leaven is found frequently in the Bible, but most often it's used as an example of a bad influence; it's used negatively.  But here, this unusual reference is positive.  Leaven is a natural yeast.  It's enzymatic action works from within to transform the "whole lump" of dough.  St. Paul uses this illustration negatively in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, comparing bread leavened with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, to unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  Jesus uses leaven negatively when He teaches the disciples, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6), indicating their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  Whatever way, positive or negative, that Jesus is using the term in this instance, leaven indicates a kind of surreptitious, hidden, quiet way of working from within, and we can certainly put the word of Christ the Sower into this category, and also the working of the Holy Spirit within us.  Faith works from within, in the changes we can see in people that take place mysteriously through God's working in their lives, in the seed that takes root in the heart to transform people.  There is a kind of quiet choice going on in the inner workings of the soul, in the depths of the heart that only God can reach, only Christ the Judge can know.  This is why we pay attention to the heart, to the inner life:  that is, to the thoughts we nurture, to the ways we spend our time, to our prayers.  We need to nurture and grow that inner life, the seed that may sprout a crop of a hundredfold, sixty, maybe thirty (see again the parable of the Sower).   St. Matthew gives us a quotation from the psalms indicating that Jesus is speaking of "things kept secret from the foundation of the world."   Like the work of the leaven, these hidden, secret things may not be visible nor are they obvious to the world, but they nonetheless work in us, even as we listen to Him.  This is the work of the Logos, the Word, the One who spoke into existence the foundation of the world, who opens His mouth even now for us all, if we can hear.

 

 

 

 

I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation  of the world."

 

- Matthew 13:31-35 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read another parable given by Jesus, after He first taught the parable of the Sower:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  My study Bible comments that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples who, according to Theophylact, began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  It notes also that these symbols of the mustard seed and the leaven stand for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul will become godlike and can receive even angels (birds of the air).

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation  of the world."  This quotation by Jesus is from Psalm 78:2, and illustrates once again how He fulfills prophesies about the Messiah.  It also tells us of the hidden truths "revealed" through the parables. 

What are the things kept secret from the foundation of the world?  In Jesus' hands, this quotation from the prophecy in the Psalms indicates the mysteries contained in the parables He teaches.  He is teaching us about the kingdom of heaven, and letting us know, with this language, that the simple stories He tells -- illustrations of the Kingdom -- are giving us great mysteries, truths embedded within them.  This Kingdom is essentially without time and even without space, so its mysteries are thereby eternal -- and kept secret from the foundation of the world, since God's Kingdom pre-existed the foundation of the world.  Let us make note, while we are considering the eternal nature of the Kingdom which He illustrates with His parables, that this also ties Resurrection into the picture.   Moreover, who would know what was kept secret from the foundation of the world except One who was present at the creation of the world?  John's Gospel begins by telling us this story of Christ's divine identity as Son:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3).  So when we hear these simple and charming stories (and they are captivating in their quiet simplicity, the way a beautiful icon works when we behold it), we should consider that the Master Storyteller, who is giving us these parables to teach about the Kingdom, is also the One who was God and with God before the foundation of the world.  In contemplating this "pre-time" reality, we might consider the things the Bible tells us about Him which also existed before time:  He is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8); the One foreordained from before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20); who has suffered often for us since the foundation of the world (Hebrews 9:26); who chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); and Beloved of God the Father from before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).  The One who has given us these parables has done so through a divine identity and power that not only makes them still speak to us today, but invested these simple illustrations with the power to continually reveal to us truths about our lives in Him and as participants in His Kingdom.  Therefore, when we consider the tiny mustard seed of faith in us, which can have effects to grow great branches which can even give shelter to the birds of the air, let us understand that He's telling us that together with our faith, and our participation in His life and Kingdom, we are capable of producing spiritual beauty and fruit of spectacular heights and reach.  When we think about the leaven that leavens the whole of the grain for bread, let us consider how powerful that means the faith is within us, for its enzymatic action works deeply and thoroughly, and we don't know the depth and extent of our souls, nor how many other souls these factors may touch within the Body of Christ.  It is our eternal Lord who speaks to us in these divine icons of the Kingdom, and in their divine simplicity they reveal so much splendor, given to us in the creation from the foundation of the world, in the love which has been there for us even before the foundation of the world.  This is why we turn to Scripture continually, and to His words, which never stop giving and making new.

 

 

Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.   And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of  My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'   Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.'

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, 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?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46

In our recent readings, Jesus has been telling the disciples about the end times, and the time of His return.  In yesterday's reading, He gave the following parable:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two,  and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent on the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.   And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of  My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'   Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.'"  This is what my study bible calls the majestic climax of Jesus' discourse, which is not simply a parable, but rather a prophecy of the universal judgment that will indeed come.  Since Jesus' Cross is now near to Him, He raises the hearer to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat and the whole world before Him.  He is clearly preparing His disciples for the Cross, and also all the rest of us for the time in which we live, in which we await His return.  The true standard of Christ's judgment is uncalculated mercy toward others.  Works that are produced by faith are the true emphasis here.  Saving faith always produces righteous works, my study bible tells us.  What we do reflects our true inner state.  The least refers to all the poor and the needy, in any sense of those words.  The needs that are described here include both physical and spiritual needs.  So, the hungry or thirsty aren't only those who need physical nourishment, but rather include all those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel.  Sheep are used by Christ to illustrate the righteous, as sheep follow His voice and are gentle and productive.  But goats indicate the unrighteous, not because any creature is inferior to another, but because they do not follow the shepherd and they also walk along cliffs, representative of sin.  To inherit is a term used only with regard to sons and daughters, rather than strangers or servants.  The righteous, we are to understand, become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  Seeing Christ in others is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself  (22:39).

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, 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?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."  My study bible comments that the fire that was prepared for the devil shows that God did not create hell for human beings; rather, people choose this torment by their own coldness of heart.

One really couldn't think of a more eloquent parable than this, illustrating the importance of the practice of mercy, compassion, and love.  It is a perfect illustration of the golden rule, and -- as my study bible says -- the great commandment that Jesus cites to love one's neighbor as oneself.  Jesus has very frequently emphasized the importance of caring for the "little ones," here equivalent to "the least of these My brethren."  He is speaking directly to those who will become the leaders and founding pillars and bishops of His Church, so we must take into consideration His emphasis on this type of leadership among those who will be in authority.  But the teaching in the parable applies to each one of us, no matter what our situation, as we will each find circumstances in which there is an opportunity to exercise our own leadership and authority.  If you have a child, that is an opportunity.  If there is someone who is in some way one of the "least of these My brethren" who could use your help or care, then that is also an opportunity for the proper use of authority or position in a type of hierarchy.  In any situation or circumstance, someone who is powerful has the capacity to exercise the authority He proclaims in the parable for others who simply do not possess the strength, or the currency, or the capacity for doing for themselves what each of us would wish for if we were in such a position.  All of these are concepts of opportunity for the exercise of Christ's kind of leadership, helping the "least of these My brethren," whether that be someone with an illness, a deficiency of any kind, an inability to function in one dimension or another, or any other type of incapacity in any situation.  Let us consider how often we come across another who cannot fulfill every capacity or function for themselves, whether they are debilitated by their own frailties or susceptibilities or ailments of any kind, or subject to forms of prejudice or social stigma and hierarchies.  Frailty can be as simple as age and infirmity, or the helplessness of a child.  Let us consider the infinite ways God presents us with an opportunity to exercise the type of leadership and authority Christ proclaims as His own here.  He has already taught the disciples, on more than one occasion, that "whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (20:26-28, 23:11; see also James 1:27).  Each of us is presented with opportunities to "step up" and be the kind of authority that Jesus proclaims belongs to His household, His Church, His Kingdom, and the mansions therein.  Let us keep in mind that Jesus is not talking about pity when He speaks of caring for others.  He speaks of caring for "My brethren."