“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46 (TNIV)

There was a time when I read this passage and wondered how it meshed with the idea that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Our Lord makes it pretty clear in this passage that we are going to be judged based on what we do or do not do. So what’s up with that?

The problem I had stemmed from the fact that I failed to heed James’ warning that faith always manifests itself in works. Faith without works is no faith at all and here we see our Lord telling us the same thing. “Do you love me,” he asks? “Then show me your love through your service to others. This is what I want from you. This is what I expect from you. This is how you bring honor and glory to my name (or dishonor and shame). Let your faith in me be made manifest in your actions.

“Oh. And by the way, stop deluding yourself by thinking that doing good works will save you. It won’t. You’re toast without my cross and me. That’s not a bad thing, you know, because it frees you to obey me joyfully and without compunction.”

With this in mind, go back and reread today’s passage. With the Spirit’s help, irrespective of where you are in your faith journey or understanding, reading this passage through the lens of faith will help you deepen and develop your understanding of the nature of a saving faith in Christ.

After you reread the passage, read the excerpt from Muggeridge below. It is a case study for today’s passage and will help you see more clearly what he was talking about when he talked about serving the destitute in India.

Accompanying Mother Teresa, as we did, to these different activities for the purpose of filming them—to the Home for the Dying, to the lepers and unwanted children, I found I went through three phases. The first was horror mixed with pity, the second compassion pure and simple, and the third, reaching far beyond compassion, something I had never experienced before—an awareness that these dying and derelict men and women, these lepers with stumps instead of hands, these unwanted children, were not pitiable, repulsive or forlorn, but rather dear and delightful; as it might be, friends of long standing, brothers and sisters. How is it to be explained—the very heart and mystery of the Christian faith? To soothe those battered old heads, to grasp those poor stumps, to take in one’s arms those children consigned to dustbins, because it is [Christ’s] head, as they are his stumps and his children, of whom he said that whosoever received one such child in his name received him.

—Malcolm Muggeridge, Something Beautiful for God

It is impressive to see how prayer opens one’s eyes to nature. Prayer makes men contemplative and attentive. In place of manipulating, the man who prays stands receptive before the world. He no longer grabs but caresses, he no longer bites, but kisses, he no longer examines but admires. To this man, as for Merton, nature can show itself completely renewed. Instead of an obstacle, it becomes a way. Instead of an invulnerable shield, it becomes a veil which gives a preview of unknown horizons.

—Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton: Contemplative Critic

O you who are faithful and true, reject us not utterly though we are often lukewarm in your service. Save us from thinking that we are rich in good works; show us where we are poor and blind and naked; and as you chasten those whom you love, incline us to lay to heart the reproofs of your Spirit and to be zealous and to repent. Let your people, O Lord, hear your voice and be open to you, that in the power of so holy and mighty an Indweller your church may conquer, and we finally may be enthroned with you in your kingdom. Amen.

—The Gelasian Sacramentary

Patience trains up the longing. Wait, for he waits. Walk on steadfastly that you may reach the end. [God] will not leave that place to which you are moving.

—Augustine, Homilies on 1 John 4.7

Do you see how Augustine uses hope here? It is a sure and certain expectation, not wishful thinking. This, of course, is consistent with how the NT uses the word hope. Do you have hope or wishful thinking?

Set free by the grace of God from fear, we have received the Spirit of sonship so that, considering what we were and what we have become by the gift of God, we might govern our life with great care lest the name of God the Father be disgraced by us and we incur all the things we have escaped from. God in his goodness has indulged us with what is beyond our natural capacity.

—Ambroasiaster, Commentary on Paul’s Epistles