TRANSLATION MATTHEW 25:31

When the Son of Man comes in his splendour and all the messengers with him, he will sit on his splendid throne. And all the nations will be assembled before him; and he will separate them from each other, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the kids. He will stand the sheep to his right and the kids to his left.

Then the King will say to those in his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom which has been made ready for you since the foundation of the cosmos. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was parched and you gave me drink, I was a foreigner and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was ill and you helped me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Then the just people will answer him, “When Lord did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or parched and give you drink? When did we see you a foreigner and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and come to you?.

And the King will say to them in answer, ” Amen, I tell you, whatever you did for the least important of these my brothers and sisters, you did for me.”

Then he will say to those on his left, “Out of my sight, you that are under God’s curse, away into the fire made ready for the Devil and his messengers! For I was hungry and you gave me no food, parched and you gave me no drink. I was a foreigner and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not help me.”

Then they will say in answer, “When Lord did we ever see you hungry or parched or a foreigner or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to you?”

He will answer them,”Amen, I tell you, whatever you failed to do for one of the least important of these my brothers and sisters, you failed to do for me.”

So these will go off to eternal punishment, but the just into eternal life.

The interpretation of this great parable has been subject to a number of misunderstandings:

1. It IS a parable, not a piece of descriptive and prescriptive theology.

2. When Jesus draws a clear line between something acceptable and something totally unacceptable to God, the line goes through the middle of all human beings; rather than distinguishing one group from another. The STORY makes that distinction, but the MESSAGE is about us all. My unjust bits are bound for punishment, of which I heartily approve, while my just bits are bound for life. Hallelujah! The dichotomous form, as in all Jewish wisdom, is for clarity.

The story, which may have come from Jesus, bears some of the marks of his authorhood. The rhythm of narrative and especially of repetition belongs the rhetoric of folk tales, with balance and sharp distinctions. To announce that you will narrate the judgement on humanity is a kind of impertinence which allows for humour. The narrator has to enjoy this story,

On the other hand the crux of the matter, attending or not attending to the precise needs – food, water, acceptance etc. – is made very clear by the definite vocabulary and its many repetitions. Jesus is not talking about being nice or having sympathy. He means business: actually helping.

Although the parable may come from Jesus, Matthew sets it as the key to his gospel, that is, to the magical one who can heal the sick and mingle with sinners, who can model the Rule of Heaven, and yet remain vulnerable to the machinations of power. The Jesus who can defeat evil and give victory to the poor and needy is also the Jesus who can be arrested, tortured, condemned and killed, because he is ONE with the poor and the needy. He shares their defeats and oppressions. The magic Jesus is the real Jesus, a truth that only becomes fully understood in the resurrection and the arrival of the kingdom.

I am asked to trust that the One who is the foundation of the cosmos relates to every creature and its need, and wants me to do so as well.