matthew-25:31-46,-ezekiel-34:20-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:36

Ye visited me. The visitation of the sick has become a common term among us. It implies properly going to see, though other ideas are connoted. Ye came unto me. It was easier in those days to visit friends in prison than it is at the present time. Good men, if they could not obtain release of prisoners, might comfort and sympathize with them. The seven corporal works of mercy which antiquity has endorsed have been preserved in the mnemonic line, "Visito, poto, cibo, redimo, tego,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:37-39

Shall the righteous answer him . The righteous are those on the right hand, those who have passed through earthly probation, and have come forth holy and pure. Their reply (which is given before the Lord's explanation) is contained in three verses, which recapitulate the deeds specified by the Lord, with some slight variation in the wording. When saw we thee, etc.? If this reply is conceived as spoken by the followers of Christ, who most be supposed to know what he had said ( Matthew... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:40

The King shall answer. The royal Judge condescends to explain the meaning of the seeming paradox. Inasmuch as; ἐφ ὁ ì σον , rendered in the Vulgate quamdiu, rather, quatenus, in which sense the phrase is found also in Romans 11:13 . Unto one of the least of these my brethren. That is, not the apostles, nor specially but all the afflicted who have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings and Any such he is not ashamed to call his brethren. Ye have done ( ye did ) it... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:40

Christ's acceptance of vicarious service. What is striking and suggestive is, that our Lord should make no reference to the cultured and. sanctified personal life of his disciples, but fix attention on their service to others, their sympathies, generosities, and charities. At first it may seem as if his praise rested on their good works; but soon we come to see that what our Lord accepts is the best indication of character, and precisely of Christly character. There is a sort of goodness... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:41

Unto them on the left hand. The sentence on these is comprised in Matthew 25:41-45 . It is conveyed in terms parallel to that on the righteous; but how infinite the difference! Depart from me! Not "Come!" ( Matthew 25:34 ). What a world of misery is contained in this word, "Depart"! As the light of God's countenance is happiness, so banishment from his presence is utter woe. What it implies we know not; we will not attempt to imagine. God preserve us from ever knowing! Ye cursed. He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:42-43

The Lord gives the ground of the sentence, which proceeds on the same terms as the former one. The crimes for which these souls are punished are those of omission and negligence; they failed to per form the most elementary duties of charity and brotherly love which conscience and natural religion enjoin; they had lived utterly selfish and unprofitable lives. If sins of omission are thus punished, we may infer that positive transgressions shall meet with still heavier retribution. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:44

Then shall they also answer [ him ]. Not in words, for at that time objection and expostulation would not be allowed, but in thought, "standing at the judgment seat, yet ceasing not to sin." There is a certain self-confidence in their reply, very different from the humility and misgiving of the righteous. When saw we thee , etc.? They put all these neglected duties in a careless summary. They had never thought of Christ in the matter: were they to be condemned for this? Some had never... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:45

Inasmuch as , etc. The Judge at once disallows all such pleas. He exacts nothing which any good man, Christian or not, might not have done. As before, identifying himself with the human race, he shows that, in neglecting to perform acts of mercifulness and charity to the afflicted, they disregarded him, despised him. dishonoured him. One of the least of these. He adds not "brethren," as above ( Matthew 25:40 ), because the evil acknowledge no such brotherhood; they live for self alone,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:46

Shall go away. Bengel notes that the King will first address the righteous in the audience of the unrighteous, but these last will be dismissed to their place of punishment before the others actually receive their reward. Thus the evil will see nothing of the life eternal, while the good will be bold the vengeance inflicted on the others ( Matthew 13:49 ). Into everlasting punishment ( εἰς κο ì λασιν αἰω ì νιον )… life eternal ( everlasting, ζωηνιον ) . The same... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:46

The eternal future. This is a fearful subject, and one from which we naturally shrink. Yet if Christ spoke of it he must desire us to study his words; if what he said was true, we can only neglect it at our peril. The difficulty is to take his words just for what he meant them to teach us, without over-weighting them with the fantastic horrors of the mediaeval imagination, and also without diminishing their force when we have set them free from those monkish accretions. I. THE ... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:36

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:37-39

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:40

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:40

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:41

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:42-43

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:44

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:45

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:46

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 25:46

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