“An Interpretation of Jesus’s Statement about the Final Judgment, Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 31-46,” by Andrew J. Schatkin

“An Interpretation of Jesus’s Statement about the Final Judgment, Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 31-46,” by Andrew J. Schatkin

My dear friends, readers and fellow thinkers and you who reject and eschew political code words, political correctness, and media falsehoods and lies and the propaganda mill imposed on all of us, I bid you join me in another intellectual adventure where together we will find and discover truth and facts and engage in valid critical thinking with the object of penetrating the darkness of media falsehoods that surround us and set about to engage in an expedition where we will all be enlightened by our efforts to engage in honest discernment and get hold of some hint of honesty and truth discarding and ridding our minds of the lies that are continually forced on us on a daily basis.

I would like to take a close look and seek an understanding and analysis and explanation of Jesus’s discourse on the final judgment found in chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew, verses 31-46. Let me preface this discussion by saying that the final judgment Jesus speaks of in these verses which I shall shortly set forth is a somewhat unpopular doctrine and is rarely spoken of or discussed in the church. No one wishes to be told that we all will face the final judgment of god whereby we will enjoy the joy of eternal life in heaven with Christ or be cast into the fire of eternal torment. Despite the reality of this doctrine, it is something our modern age and population are unhappy with being told and perhaps reject and do not choose to believe. Hell is not something most of us do not either want to hear and do not to be told of its reality and possibility of the outcome of this for all.

These are the verses and passage involved: ‘When the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and he will place the sheep at his right hand but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come O blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed the thirsty and give thee drink; and when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee or naked and clothed thee and when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee. And the king will answer them, I say to you as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me. Then he will say to those at his left hand, depart from me you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and all his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you did not welcome me; naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and prison and you did not visit me. Then they will also answer, Lord when did we see the hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to thee; then he will answer them truly I say to you as you did it not to one of the least of these you did it not to me. And they will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.’

This passage has and challenges us to many interpretations and understanding and explanations. First, it is clear that Jesus is here in no uncertain and unequivocal terms informing us the coming and inevitable final judgment where there will be a judgment based on righteous deeds and actions and behavior and most of all based on how we have treated our neighbor and have done so with deeds of love and kindness, whether clothing the naked; giving food and drink; visiting the sick and those in prison; and welcoming the stranger. The issue here that must be resolved is what of the Christian and his faith will Christians be subject to this sort of judgment based on their life actions of goodness and love. That would not seem to be the case. The passage says the nations will be gathered meaning the non-Jewish or non-Christian peoples. They will be judged in this fashion based on the good deeds of mercy described while Christians will be saved right their faith in Christ and that faith will cover what would otherwise be the case in the judgment described. However, this text could be interpreted to include Christians, Jews, and non-Christians and non-Jews alike.

The passage seems to reflect Jesus’s understanding and concern how to enter the kingdom and presents a practical basis for love of neighbor. Jesus might be saying here that it is our lives and how we live them that is determinative and not faith or church membership that will gain us entrance into the kingdom, but our life of love and kindness as we all conduct our lives. The son of man referred to here is god in essence and the nations might be interpreted to include all nations Israel, and pagans and Christians. I prefer to understand this to mean nations outside of those saved by he blood and righteousness of Christ where for those Christians the judgments and the criteria for these judgment will and do not apply. Either interpretation is possible .Here the son of man invites the saved to enter into his kingdom and in verses 35 and 36 are listed the deeds of kindness and mercy required and applicable to enter the kingdom.

Finally, I would like to comment on some final verses where Jesus makes clear that it is how we treat others in this life or the needy is how we treat and live the Christian life. More to the point, Jesus says that our service and love of our neighbor and the poor and wanting are how we treat and know Christ. In our neighbor and in the needy and poor we see the face of Jesus and live the love of Christ as we live the Christian life as we are transformed by the love of Christ.

Ladies and gentlemen, this completes my interpretation and comprehension and analysis of this most both inspiring and also disturbing statement of Christ on the nature of the final judgment and either I can be seen as the scenario for all peoples and nations including Jews, pagans, and Christians, or the reference to the nations can be seen as the criteria for the judgment of non-Christian and non-Jewish nations. I take the second option here as the proper interpretation and am stirred and fascinated with Jesus’s statement that it is how we treat our neighbor that is the issue for the religious life, not the outward expression and profession of faith and church attendance in short not form but substance. I ask you to give thought to what I have said here that comes from my limited understanding and grasp of the words of the eternal god in holy scripture and ask you to read and reread this passage of the Gospel of Matthew which is a far better source of truth than I as a weak vulnerable person have to say here.