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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Matthew 25:31 - 25:33
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_25:31-33
31"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left."
Mat_25:31 "the Son of Man" This was a term used in the OT to simply signify a human being, as in Psa_8:4 and Eze_2:1. However, in Dan_7:13 a human being, called "a son of man," comes riding on the clouds of heaven-the mode of transportation for deity -and is given the eternal kingdom. The title "Son of Man" was not used in rabbinical Judaism. Jesus used this term as a self-designation which included the concepts of humanity and deity and did not have the narrow Jewish nationalistic, militaristic connotation. As the Son of Man rode on the clouds of heaven in Dan_7:13, He now comes with all the holy angels to judge mankind (cf. Mat_25:31; 1Th_4:13-18).
▣ "in His Glory" See note on "glory" at Mat_16:27.
▣ "and all the angels with Him" The angels will do the work of gathering and dividing. They were often associated with Christ's coming (cf. Mat_16:27; Mar_8:38; 2Th_1:7; Jud_1:14; and Dan_7:10).
▣ "He will sit on His glorious throne" He will take His seat on the throne of God (cf. Psa_110:1) not only as Lord and King, but as Judge (cf. Mat_19:28). Rejecting Jesus has a temporal aspect (cf. Joh_3:18) and an eschatological aspect. The judgment in time is consummated in eternity.
Mat_25:32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him" This passage may not be a parable, but a dramatic presentation unique to Matthew. All questions about the end time are not dealt with. One wonders if all nations include those humans who are alive and dead, or just those who are alive. The phrase "all the nations" implied the universal spread of the gospel to all people (cf. Revelation 5) which included Israel. This is the goal of Gen_3:15; Gen_12:3, and Exo_19:4-6. Israel's call was to be missionary to the nations!
It is difficult to identify with certainty who "the goats" are: (1) those who have rejected the gospel or (2) those who have an outward profession only? Both groups call Jesus "Lord" (cf. Mat_7:21-23). This judgment seems to be limited to those who have, at least outwardly, responded to the gospel. Therefore it is similar in meaning to the parable of the soils (cf. Matthew 13). The pressures of end-time events and the lack of love for other believers (cf. 1Jn_2:9; 1Jn_2:11; 1Jn_3:15; 1Jn_4:7-21) will clearly reveal false professions (cf. Mat_13:21-22; 1Jn_2:19).
▣ "and He will separate them from one another" Much like the wheat and tares (cf. Mat_13:24-30; Mat_13:36-43) could not be separated until judgment day, so the sheep and the goats wait until the last day for all to see the fruit of their lives. Also notice there are only two categories.
▣ "as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" God as shepherd was a common OT metaphor (cf. Psalms 23). "Shepherd" was used in Ezekiel 34 to describe the false shepherds of Israel and God as Chief Shepherd and Judge. The same terminology is applied to Jesus in Zec_11:4-14; John 10.
Mat_25:33 "on His right" This is a biblical anthropomorphic phrase to describe the place of preeminence, honor, power, and authority.