Bible In A Year | Read: Matthew 25
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-46
Overview of Chapter
Jesus gives three parables to illustrate the need to be ready for his return and the final judgment. The story of the bridesmaids and the oil illustrates being ready at any time, while also realizing that it could be a long time before Jesus returns. The story of the money being left in the hands of the servants tells us we need to be working hard to multiply what God has given us to accomplish more of his work. The story of the sheep and goats teaches that you can tell those who are genuinely following Jesus by how they treat the oppressed. In the final judgment, Jesus will recognize his followers by their behavior.
We don’t know if Jesus will come back soon or not for another 1000 years. Jesus’ advice to those waiting for his return 2000 years ago is the same for us: be prepared at any time, but be prepared to wait. Make sure you are using what you have been given to do God’s work, and let your belief in Jesus show in how you treat others.
Thoughts on the verses
Now Jesus closes out what will happen when He returns – He will give everyone their reward. What will be the basis? How they treat His followers. Because whatever we do to those who follow Jesus, we do to Jesus Himself. Stop and let that sink into our hearts for a moment. If a king came to our house, we would honor him greatly. If a poor member of his kingdom came – we likely treat him with much less honor. Jesus says to this world, “the honor you give to any member of My kingdom determines how you treat Me.” That is scary. Especially because it determines our eternal destiny.
This is not just a temporary reward that we move beyond to other things. These are consequences that last for eternity. Jesus makes this clear to His followers – and everyone who reads this. When He comes back the second time – there will be no third chance. For those who listened to Jesus, they receive the kingdom as their eternal inheritance. Stop and let that resonate in your spirit. God’s kingdom is our inheritance.
Prayer
Father, when I read this, I stop and think about how I treat Your children. Sometimes I have not treated them with the honor that I would treat You. Forgive me, and keep reminding me that they are Your representatives on this earth. I need to treat them that way – even if they represent You poorly. Also, as Your child, I want to represent You well. I want to represent Your love, mercy, grace, holiness, truth and justice well. That way the world knows who Jesus is – and what He looks like. So strengthen me – and all Your children – today to represent Jesus well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Action Step
What is God showing me? What am I going to do about it?
Have you ever thought it would be cool to hear some C3 leaders discuss the daily verses, share about their lives and mostly just talk about nonsense? Of course not!…even though nobody has ever thought that we are still doing it. You can follow along with us each morning in a brand new podcast – Friday Ice Storms & The Least of These.
Recent Comments