'When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all
the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the
throne of His glory: 32. And before Him shall be
gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats: 33. And He shall set the sheep on His right
hand, but the goats on the left. 34. Then shall the
King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed
of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world: 35. For I was an hungred,
and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me
drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: 36. Naked,
and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was
in prison, and ye came unto Me. 37. Then shall the
righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an
hungred, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?
38. When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in! or
naked, and clothed Thee! 39. Or when saw we Thee sick,
or in prison, and came unto Thee? 10. And the King
shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. 41. Then
shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels: 42. For I was an hungred, and
ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no
drink: 43. I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in:
naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and
ye visited Me not. 44. Then shall they also answer Him,
saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, or athirst,
or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did
not minister unto Thee? 45. Then shall He answer them,
saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it
not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.
46. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:
but the righteous into life eternal.'--MATT. xxv. 31-46.
The teachings of that wonderful last day of Christ's ministry, which
have occupied so many of our pages, are closed with this tremendous
picture of universal judgment. It is one to be gazed upon with
silent awe, rather than to be commented on. There is fear lest, in
occupying the mind in the study of the details, and trying to pierce
the mystery it partly unfolds, we should forget our own individual
share in it. Better to burn in on our hearts the thought, 'I shall
be there,' than to lose the solemn impression in efforts to unravel
the difficulties of the passage. Difficulties there are, as is to be
expected in even Christ's revelation of so unparalleled a scene.
Many questions are raised by it which will never be solved till we
stand there. Who can tell how much of the parabolic element enters
into the description? We, at all events, do not venture to say of
one part, 'This is merely drapery, the sensuous representation of
spiritual reality,' and of another, 'That is essential truth.' The
curtain is the picture, and before we can separate the elements of
it in that fashion, we must have lived through it. Let us try to
grasp the main lessons, and not lose the spirit in studying the
letter.
I. The first broad teaching is that Christ is the Judge of all the
earth. Sitting there, a wearied man on the Mount of Olives, with the
valley of Jehoshaphat at His feet, which the Jew regarded as the
scene of the final judgment, Jesus declared Himself to be the Judge
of the world, in language so unlimited in its claims that the
speaker must be either a madman or a god. Calvary was less than
three days off, when He spoke thus. The contrast between the vision
of the future and the reality of the present is overwhelming. The
Son of Man has come in weakness and shame; He will come in His
glory, that flashing light of the self-revealing God, of which the
symbol was the 'glory' which shone between the cherubim, and which
Jesus Christ here asserts to belong to Him as '_His_ glory.'
Then, heaven will be emptied of its angels, who shall gather round
the enthroned Judge as His handful of sorrowing followers were
clustered round Him as He spoke, or as the peasants had surrounded
the meek state of His entry yesterday. Then, He will take the place
of Judge, and 'sit,' in token of repose, supremacy, and judgment,
'on the throne of His glory,' as He now sat on the rocks of Olivet.
Then, mankind shall be massed at His feet, and His glance shall part
the infinite multitudes, and discern the character of each item in
the crowd as easily and swiftly as the shepherd's eye picks out the
black goats from among the white sheep. Observe the difference in
the representation from those in the previous parables. There, the
parting of kinds was either self-acting, as in the case of the
foolish maidens; or men gave account of _themselves_, as in the
case of the servants with the talents. Here, the separation is the
work of the Judge, and is completed before a word is spoken. All
these representations must be included in the complete truth as to
the final judgment. It is the effect of men's actions; it is the
result of their compelled disclosing of the deepest motives of their
lives; it is the act of the perfect discernment of the Judge. Their
deeds will judge them; they will judge themselves; Christ will
judge.
Singularly enough, every possible interpretation of the extent of
the expression 'all nations' has found advocates. It has been taken
in its widest and plainest meaning, as equivalent to the whole race;
it has been confined to mankind exclusive of Christians, and it has
been confined to Christians exclusive of heathens. There are
difficulties in all these explanations, but probably the least are
found in the first. It is most natural to suppose that 'all nations'
means all nations, unless that meaning be impossible. The absence of
the limitation to the 'kingdom of heaven,' which distinguishes this
section from the preceding ones having reference to judgment, and
the position of the present section as the solemn close of Christ's
teachings, which would naturally widen out into the declaration of
the universal judgment, which forms the only appropriate climax and
end to the foregoing teachings, seem to point to the widest meaning
of the phrase. His office of universal Judge is unmistakably taught
throughout the New Testament, and it seems in the highest degree
unnatural to suppose that He did not speak of it in these final
words of prophetic warning. We may therefore, with some confidence,
see in the magnificent and awful picture here drawn the vision of
universal judgment. Parabolic elements there no doubt are in the
picture; but we have no governing revelation, free from these, by
which we can check them, and be sure of how much is form and how
much substance. This is clear, 'that we must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ'; and this is clear, that Jesus Christ put
forth, when at the very lowest point of His earthly humiliation,
these tremendous claims, and asserted His authority as Judge over
every soul of man. We are apt to lose ourselves in the crowd. Let us
pause and think that 'all' includes 'me.'
II. Note the principles of Christ's universal judgment. It is
important to remember that this section closes a series of
descriptions of the judgment, and must not be taken as if, when
isolated, it set forth all the truth. It is often harped upon by
persons who are unfriendly to evangelical teaching, as if it were
Christ's only word about judgment, and interpreted as if it meant
that, no matter what else a man was, if only he is charitable and
benevolent, he will find mercy. But this is to forget all the rest
of our Lord's teaching in the context, and to fly in the face of the
whole tenor of New Testament doctrine. We have here to do with the
principles of judgment which apply equally to those who have, and to
those who have not, heard the gospel. The subjects of the kingdom
are shown the principles more immediately applicable to them, in the
previous parables, and here they are reminded that there is a
standard of judgment absolutely universal. All men, whether
Christians or not, are judged by 'the things done in the body,
whether they be good or bad.' So Christ teaches in His closing words
of the Sermon on the Mount, and in many another place. 'Every tree
that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire.' The productive source of good works is not in question here;
stress is laid on the fruits, rather than on the root. The gospel is
as imperative in its requirements of righteousness as the law is,
and its conception of the righteousness which it requires is far
deeper and wider. The subjects of the kingdom ever need to be
reminded of the solemn truth that they have not only, like the wise
maidens, to have their lights burning and their oil vessels filled,
nor only, like the wise servants, to be using the gifts of the
kingdom for their lord, but, as members of the great family of man,
have to cultivate the common moralities which all men, heathen and
Christian, recognise as binding on all, without which no man shall
see the Lord. The special form of righteousness which is selected as
the test is charity. Obviously it is chosen as representative of all
the virtues of the second table of the law. Taken in its bare
literality, this would mean that men's relations to God had no
effect in the judgment, mid that no other virtues but this of
charity came into the account. Such a conclusion is so plainly
repugnant to all Christ's teaching, that we must suppose that love
to one's neighbour is here singled out, just as it is in His summary
of 'the law and the prophets,' as the crown and flower of all
relative duties, and as, in a very real sense, being 'the fulfilling
of the law.' The omission of any reference to the love of God
sufficiently shows that the view here is rigidly limited to acts,
and that all the grounds of judgment are not meant to be set forth.
But the benevolence here spoken of is not the mere natural
sentiment, which often exists in great energy in men whose moral
nature is, in other respects, so utterly un-Christlike that their
entrance into the kingdom prepared for the righteous is
inconceivable. Many a man has a hundred vices and yet a soft heart.
It is very much a matter of temperament. Does Christ so contradict
all the rest of His teaching as to say that such a man is of 'the
sheep,' and 'blessed of the Father'? Surely not. Is every piece of
kindliness to the distressed, from whatever motive, and by
whatsoever kind of person done, regarded by Him as done to Himself?
To say so, would be to confound moral distinctions, and to dissolve
all righteousness into a sentimental syrup. The deeds which He
regards as done to Himself, are done to His 'brethren.' That
expression carries us into the region of motive, and runs parallel
with His other words about 'receiving a prophet,' and 'giving a cup
of cold water to one of these little ones,' because they are His.
Seeing that all nations are at the bar, the expression, 'My
brethren,' cannot be confined to the disciples, for many of those
who are being judged have never come in contact with Christians, nor
can it be reasonably supposed to include all men, for, however true
it is that Christ is every man's brother, the recognition of kindred
here must surely be confined to those at the right hand. Whatever be
included under the 'righteous,' that is included under the
'brethren.' We seem, then, led to recognise in the expression a
reference to the motive of the beneficence, and to be brought to the
conclusion that what the Judge accepts as done to Himself is such
kindly help and sympathy as is extended to these His kindred, with
some recognition of their character, and desire after it. To
'receive a prophet' implies that there is some spiritual affinity
with him in the receiver. To give help to His brethren, because they
are so, implies some affinity with Him or feeling after likeness to
Him and them. Now, if we hold fast by the universality of the
judgment here depicted, we shall see that this recognition must
necessarily have different degrees in those who have heard of Christ
and in those who have not. In the former, it will be equivalent to
that faith which is the root of all goodness, and grasps the Christ
revealed in the gospel. In the latter, it can be no more than a
feeling after Him who is the 'light that lighteneth every man that
cometh into the world.' Surely there are souls amid the darkness of
heathenism yearning toward the light, like plants grown in the dark.
By ways of His own, Christ can reach such hearts, as the river of
the water of life may percolate through underground channels to many
a tree which grows far from its banks.
III. Note the surprises of the judgment. The astonishment of the
righteous is not modesty disclaiming praise, but real wonder at the
undreamed-of significance of their deeds. In the parable of the
talents, the servants unveiled their inmost hearts, and accurately
described their lives. Here, the other side of the truth is brought
into prominence, that, at that day, we shall be surprised when we
hear from His lips what we have really done. True Christian
beneficence has consciously for its motive the pleasing of Christ;
but still he who most earnestly strove, while here, to do all as
unto Jesus, will be full of thankful wonder at the grace which
accepts his poor service, and will learn, with fresh marvelling, how
closely He associates Himself with His humblest servant. There is an
element of mystery hidden from ourselves in all our deeds. Our love
to Christ's followers never goes out so plainly to Him that, while
here, we can venture to be sure that He takes it as done for Him. We
cannot here follow the flight of the arrow, nor know what meaning He
will attach to, or what large issues He will evolve from, our poor
doings. So heaven will be full of blessed surprises, as we reap the
fruit growing 'in power' of what we sowed 'in weakness,' and as
doleful will be the astonishment which will seize those who see, for
the first time, in the lurid light of that day, the true character
of their lives, as one long neglect of plain duties, which was all a
defrauding the Saviour of His due. Mere doing nothing is enough to
condemn, and its victims will be shudderingly amazed at the fatal
wound it has inflicted on them.
IV. The irrevocableness of the judgment. That is an awful contrast
between the 'Come! ye blessed,' and 'Depart! ye cursed.' That is a
more awful parallel between 'eternal punishment' and 'eternal life.'
It is futile to attempt to alleviate the awfulness by emptying the
word 'eternal' of reference to duration. It no doubt connotes
quality, but its first meaning is ever-during. There is nothing here
to suggest that the one condition is more terminable than the other.
Rather, the emphatic repetition of the word brings the unending
continuance of each into prominence, as the point in which these two
states, so wofully unlike, are the same. In whatever other passages
the doctrine of universal restoration may seem to find a foothold,
there is not an inch of standing-room for it here. Reverently
accepting Christ's words as those of perfect and infallible love,
the present writer feels so strongly the difficulty of bringing all
the New Testament declarations on this dread question into a
harmonious whole, that he abjures for himself dogmatic certainty,
and dreads lest, in the eagerness of discussing the duration (which
will never be beyond the reach of discussion), the solemn reality of
the fact of future retribution should be dimmed, and men should
argue about 'the terror of the Lord' till they cease to feel it.