Passion Week ~ Tuesday (continued)
In our last post, we continued to examine the final days of Yeshua’s life and ministry. In this post, we explore some more of Yeshua’s parables mid-day with His talmidim. Yes, we are still on Tuesday, BUT…
Discourse on Future Events ~ Part 6
The Final Judgment
Yeshua’s final parable in Mattityahu looks ahead to a time of judgment. The scene He describes here seems to resume His earlier account of the Son of Man sending out the angels.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, accompanied by all the angels, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before Him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. 33 The ‘sheep’ He will place at His right hand and the ‘goats’ at His left.
As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats… When shepherds brought in their flocks at the end of the day, they typically put the goats in a sheltered area while leaving the sheep in an open-air pen.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
The King upon His throne recalls the prophecy of Daniel 7:13–14, in which the Ancient of Days bestows the Kingdom upon “one like a son of man.” Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you… The Jewish worldview of Yeshua’s day envisioned the present age ending with a time of tribulation, followed by divine judgment. Then God’s Kingdom – the age to come – would be fully inaugurated. This plan also is reflected in the book of Revelation.
35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me food, I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you made Me your guest, 36 I needed clothes, and you provided them, I was sick, and you took care of Me, I was in prison, and you visited Me.’
For I was hungry… The actions described here (and in the next verse) reflect obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor and thereby demonstrate love for God.
37 Then the people who have done what God wants will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and make You our guest, or needing clothes and provide them? 39 When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ 40 The King will say to them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for Me!’
The least important of these… Yeshua’s remarks call for Believers’ care to reach the bottom of the social structure, thus inverting earthly values.
41 “Then He will also speak to those on His left, saying, ‘Get away from Me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire (refers to the divine wrath) prepared for the Adversary and his angels! 42 For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food, thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink, 43 a stranger and you did not welcome Me, needing clothes and you did not give them to Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see Mou hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothes, sick or in prison, and not take care of You?’ 45 And He will answer them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you refused to do it for the least important of these people, you refused to do it for Me!’ 46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.” [1]
The punishment of the wicked dead is described throughout Scripture as “eternal fire” (v. 41). Here, Yeshua indicates that the punishment itself is everlasting – not merely the smoke and flames. The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. They consciously suffer shame and contempt and the assaults of an accusing conscience – along with the fiery wrath of an offended deity – for all of eternity. Even hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Ps 76:10); those who are there will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (see Deuteronomy 32:3–5). [2]
In our next, we continue to follow Yeshua into Yerushalayim for His Crucifixion by the end of the week and finally get to Tuesday Afternoon.
Click here for the PDF version.
[1] Mattityahu 25:31–46.
[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.
My Heart is for Israel 
As much as people want to blame God for someone’s eternal destiny, He has provided a choice for us all-We can choose life or death. How sad so many choose death.
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