Sunday School Lesson: Ministering Mightily

By Elder Richard Wayne Wood

Scriptures: Matthew 25:31-46 

By the end of this lesson, we will:  

*Summarize Jesus’ description of what will happen at the final judgment; 

*Contrast the behavior of the “sheep” with that of the “goats”;   

*Write a plan to serve Jesus in the week ahead as the “sheep” do. 

Background: The parables in Matthew 24-25 encourage us to love Christ’s appearing, to look for His appearing, and to labor faithfully until He comes. We should be watching, witnessing and working. The latter part of chapter 25 focuses on the judgment that comes with the coming Kingdom of Christ in His glory. To fully understand Jesus, it is important to see not only His love but also the reality that His coming will be accompanied by judgment. Jesus came so that those who love God may devote their lives to following Him, but His offer has another side: judgment on those who willfully choose to turn their backs on God.  

Lesson: The Judge (Matthew 25:31-33). “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” (verse 31). This speaks of the second coming of Jesus at the end of the great tribulation. Then He will sit upon His throne here on earth and judge the nations. This is not to be confused with the final judgment, The Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20. There is a difference in time, place and subjects. (Read Revelation 20:11-15) “And before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth His sheep from goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left” (verses 32-33). The basis of their division is the practical love and service rendered during the tribulation. Note that the “right” is a place of honor and favor for the believer, but the “left” is a place of dishonor and rejection for the unbeliever.  

The Sheep (verses 34-40). “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” (verse 34). Standard says that this is an alluding to Genesis 1:1, an invitation to enter Heaven. “For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger and ye took me in. I was naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me. I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (verses 35-36). Jesus says that the “sheep” are those who embraced the Great Commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” as an imperative, not as unimportant or inconsequential. Their practical love and service has positioned them on the right hand of Christ. “Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee as hungered … thirsty … a stranger … naked? (verses 37-38). Jesus considers services rendered to brothers and sisters and especially the marginalized as a demonstration of faith in Him. “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” (verse 40).  Jesus speaks of the needy in general and draws a close connection between how you treat others and how you treat Him. 

The Goats (verses 41-46). “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” (verse 41). The “sheep” were invited to come but the “goats” were ordered to depart. The sheep are called “blessed”; the goats are called cursed. Sheep- inherit the kingdom, while goats get what the devil and his angels get. Only two destinies await every person: everlasting punishment for those who reject Christ or eternal life for those who trust Him. “For I was hungered, and ye gave me no meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink. 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” (verses 42-43). The goats are being punished for not taking advantage of opportunities to be charitable. Feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, and visiting the sick are mundane acts. The sins here are all sins of omission. “Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and did not minister unto thee” (verse 44). (Read 1 John 3:17 and James 4:17). “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 unto me” (verse 45). When you give service to others you give service to Christ is a concept taken from Proverbs 19:17 – Jesus identifies with His people. “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal” (verse 46). Everlasting punishment awaits the “goats” and life eternal awaits the “sheep.” The Son of Man does not demand supernatural feats but simple, unobtrusive charity. The former but not the latter can easily be counterfeited. Charity is accordingly the true test of faith. 

The purpose of this judgment of the nations is to separate peoples before the beginning of Jesus’ millennial kingdom. The wicked and cruel will not enter, the moral and good will enter. Note, it is right for the believer to do good, but good deeds are not the way unbelievers can be saved. We are all saved by faith in Jesus Christ. (Standard Lesson Commentary 2024-2025, The MacArthur Study Bible, The Tony Evans Study Bible, The Jesus Bible, Experiencing God Bible, The Wiersbe Study Bible, Ellicott’s Bible Commentary and The Oxford Bible Commentary).  

For Your Consideration:  What have you done for others that Jesus would view as having done for Him? Does reading this lesson make you want to be more charitable? 

Application:  Write a plan to serve Jesus in the week ahead as the “sheep” do.    

FYI: Forsyth County Sunday School Union meets in person every third Sunday, 1:30 p.m. at a member church. Contact your Sunday School Superintendent for more information.