The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
February 8
Matthew 25:31 - 26:13
Commentary by Nick Boork
February 8
Matthew 25:31 - 26:13
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“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. 32 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. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 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: 35 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; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 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 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 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.’
41 “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: 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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “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?’ 45 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.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 26
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany 6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
The parable of the sheep and goats
This parable follows the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the Talents. Both of these parables have to do with being ready for Jesus coming and the final judgement. So in the parable that Jesus gave of the sheep and the goats once again, it’s about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the final judgement at the end of this age. Jesus said that there will be two groups of people; the righteous and the wicked. Now this is very important to understand because it's a principal of Jesus teaching that is well established in Scripture. I think the Lord was making it easy for people to understand His teaching by continually emphasizing that at the final judgement there would only be two groups. Let's review some of the other places that Jesus taught this principle.
In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus used parables to teach that at the final judgment there would only be two groups of people:
In the parable of the tares and the wheat Jesus said that the tares would be separated from the wheat, gathered into bundles and burned then righteous would shine in the kingdom of their father. So Jesus clearly taught the tares represent the wicked that received the judgment of hell and the wheat represent the righteous that entered the eternal kingdom of God.
In the parable of the dragnet, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven was like a net cast into the sea that gathered many fish and when the net was brought to shore the fish were separated. The good fish were kept but the bad fish were thrown away. Jesus explained this parable in Matthew 13:49-50 “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
So according to Jesus, at the final judgment there's only two groups of people:
· People that are saved and people that are unsaved
· People that entered Heaven and those that ended up in Hell
· People that are born again and people that are not born-again
Some theologians and scholars teach that the parable of the sheep and goats represents God's judgment on nations as it relates to how they treated Israel in this age. God did promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 that He would make him a great nation and bless those that blessed Abraham and curse those that cursed Abraham.
However, the point Jesus was driving home was there would only be two groups at the final judgement. The characteristics of the righteous were that they cared about people and did their best to serve people in their suffering by doing all the things that Jesus listed like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, putting up a stranger in your home, visiting the sick and those in prison. People that are born-again Christians should show their faith by their good works. This is one of the basic teachings of Jesus Christ that he included on his famous Sermon on the Mount that applies to all His disciples: Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Remember, our good works are not the basis of our salvation. This is made very clear all through the Bible especially in Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Here the Bible clearly teaches us that we are not saved by our own works or our own self effort to live good enough to be accepted by God but we are saved through the grace of God. Salvation is a gift of God. You can't earn a gift you just have to receive it. However, once a person is saved, the Bible says we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. What does this mean? It means once we are saved we are to give our lives to the cause of Christ and Jesus made it clear that His cause is people! Jesus healed the sick, cleansed the leper, fed the hungry and preached the Gospel then He gave the ultimate sacrifice of Himself when He suffered and died on the cross to redeem humanity from sin and death proving he is the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead!
I think another interesting point to be noted in this parable of the sheep and goats is the characteristics of both these animals. Jesus said sheep referred to those on his right side and they were the ones that were blessed with eternal life. Sheep follow the Good Shepherd. The Bible says that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that his sheep follow Him. Christians with the love of God in their hearts represent the sheep, are the ones that build hospitals, orphanages, schools, shelters all around the world and care for people. Christians value people because they believe the Bible in the Bible teaches that all of humanity is made in the image of God. The goats were separated from the sheep on the left side of Jesus at the judgement. Goats have horns to butt people! Goats bite and are rebellious! Goats are characteristic of wicked people that are totally self-centered and don't care about anybody except themselves. Goats represent wicked people that are not saved and show it by their attitude and lack of concern for suffering humanity all around them.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
Make sure you're in the right group and on the right side being a born-again Christian, a sheep following the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ doing good works that lift and bless humanity knowing that everything that you do for other people is in reality doing to God because people are made in his image and God loves and cares for everyone but He does it through us. Besides, God will reward us for all that we do to others in his name. Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.
41 “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: 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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “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?’ 45 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.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 26
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany 6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
The parable of the sheep and goats
This parable follows the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the Talents. Both of these parables have to do with being ready for Jesus coming and the final judgement. So in the parable that Jesus gave of the sheep and the goats once again, it’s about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the final judgement at the end of this age. Jesus said that there will be two groups of people; the righteous and the wicked. Now this is very important to understand because it's a principal of Jesus teaching that is well established in Scripture. I think the Lord was making it easy for people to understand His teaching by continually emphasizing that at the final judgement there would only be two groups. Let's review some of the other places that Jesus taught this principle.
In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus used parables to teach that at the final judgment there would only be two groups of people:
In the parable of the tares and the wheat Jesus said that the tares would be separated from the wheat, gathered into bundles and burned then righteous would shine in the kingdom of their father. So Jesus clearly taught the tares represent the wicked that received the judgment of hell and the wheat represent the righteous that entered the eternal kingdom of God.
In the parable of the dragnet, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven was like a net cast into the sea that gathered many fish and when the net was brought to shore the fish were separated. The good fish were kept but the bad fish were thrown away. Jesus explained this parable in Matthew 13:49-50 “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
So according to Jesus, at the final judgment there's only two groups of people:
· People that are saved and people that are unsaved
· People that entered Heaven and those that ended up in Hell
· People that are born again and people that are not born-again
Some theologians and scholars teach that the parable of the sheep and goats represents God's judgment on nations as it relates to how they treated Israel in this age. God did promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 that He would make him a great nation and bless those that blessed Abraham and curse those that cursed Abraham.
However, the point Jesus was driving home was there would only be two groups at the final judgement. The characteristics of the righteous were that they cared about people and did their best to serve people in their suffering by doing all the things that Jesus listed like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, putting up a stranger in your home, visiting the sick and those in prison. People that are born-again Christians should show their faith by their good works. This is one of the basic teachings of Jesus Christ that he included on his famous Sermon on the Mount that applies to all His disciples: Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Remember, our good works are not the basis of our salvation. This is made very clear all through the Bible especially in Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Here the Bible clearly teaches us that we are not saved by our own works or our own self effort to live good enough to be accepted by God but we are saved through the grace of God. Salvation is a gift of God. You can't earn a gift you just have to receive it. However, once a person is saved, the Bible says we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. What does this mean? It means once we are saved we are to give our lives to the cause of Christ and Jesus made it clear that His cause is people! Jesus healed the sick, cleansed the leper, fed the hungry and preached the Gospel then He gave the ultimate sacrifice of Himself when He suffered and died on the cross to redeem humanity from sin and death proving he is the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead!
I think another interesting point to be noted in this parable of the sheep and goats is the characteristics of both these animals. Jesus said sheep referred to those on his right side and they were the ones that were blessed with eternal life. Sheep follow the Good Shepherd. The Bible says that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that his sheep follow Him. Christians with the love of God in their hearts represent the sheep, are the ones that build hospitals, orphanages, schools, shelters all around the world and care for people. Christians value people because they believe the Bible in the Bible teaches that all of humanity is made in the image of God. The goats were separated from the sheep on the left side of Jesus at the judgement. Goats have horns to butt people! Goats bite and are rebellious! Goats are characteristic of wicked people that are totally self-centered and don't care about anybody except themselves. Goats represent wicked people that are not saved and show it by their attitude and lack of concern for suffering humanity all around them.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
Make sure you're in the right group and on the right side being a born-again Christian, a sheep following the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ doing good works that lift and bless humanity knowing that everything that you do for other people is in reality doing to God because people are made in his image and God loves and cares for everyone but He does it through us. Besides, God will reward us for all that we do to others in his name. Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.
ORDINATION
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ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll