The Sheep and Goat Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46

Today, we come to the conclusion of the Olivet Discourse, that portion of the Gospel of Matthew in which our Lord taught His disciples about His second coming. After giving signs that will precede and accompany His coming, Jesus spent most of this discourse warning His disciples to watch and be ready for His coming (Matt. 24:42,44). He showed that His coming would be swift and unexpected like in the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37-42) or like a thief coming at night (Matt. 24:43-44). At the end of Matthew 24, Jesus said that His coming would be like a master returning to find a slave either faithfully doing the work that he was assigned, or a slave who neglected his duty and abused his authority (Matt. 24:45-51).

In Matthew 25, we have already studied two parables about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said it would be like a wedding feast where the bridegroom is delayed. Some virgins were prepared for this by bringing extra oil for their lamps. Others did not prepare and were shut out. So Jesus taught His disciples, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matt. 25:13). Next, Jesus compared the kingdom to a master who entrusted his wealth to certain slaves. Some put the master’s money to work and produced a good return for him. One did not trust the master, so he buried his master’s money. When the master returned, he settled accounts with them, rewarding the faithful servants and casting the wicked, lazy servant into the outer darkness.  

Do you see the common theme in all these illustrations that Jesus gave about His coming? When Jesus comes again He will come in judgment, separating the faithful righteous from the unbelieving wicked. Whether it is the wise virgins separated from the foolish virgins, the faithful servants separated from the wicked, or the sheep separated from the goats, this is the point that Jesus emphasized. His second coming is a day of reckoning when those who are not ready will be separated from those who are ready.

In our passage today, although Jesus uses the illustration of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats, it does not read strictly like a parable. Rather, it is the startling description of Christ’s judgment at His second coming. In the other parables, there is a delay in the groom’s or the master’s coming, and the separation and judgment come at the end of the story. But in this last section, the Lord’s coming is featured first and the judgment consumes the entire teaching. It is all about that final day when Jesus returns and judges the righteous and the wicked, the saved and the lost, the sheep and the goats.

First, we see the …

The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

What will you do with the opportunities God has given you?

Remember, we are in the middle of our Lord’s Olivet discourse concerning the future and, in particular, His Second Coming. Again and again, Jesus has urged His disciples and us to be alert and ready because we do not and cannot know when He will return.  We must live so as not to be caught off-guard. That means to live in faithfulness to the Lord, serving Him, and doing His will. This was the Lord’s own application of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. Jesus concluded that parable saying, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matt. 25:13). Jesus expects His disciples to watch and be prepared at all times for His coming.

Now, in the parable of the talents, we will find that it has a similar elements to the other parables Jesus just told: a master who goes away for a period of time, his return coming at a time they do not expect, and the judgment of those who either were or were not prepared for it. But today’s parable makes still more explicit what readiness looks like. The parable of the virgins calls us to watch; the parable of the talents calls us to work.

Readiness is not a matter of passively waiting, but of active working. Being ready for the Lord’s return means serving Him faithfully in this world while we wait for His coming again. We should be preparing for Christ’s return by being faithful stewards of the opportunities God has given us.

So, let’s look at the parable of the talents together and see what Jesus teaches us about preparing for his return.

The Wise or Foolish Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

Are you ready for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ? This is the theme of the parables we are studying in Matthew 24 and 25. We are in the middle of Jesus teaching His disciples on the Mount of Olives about the destruction of Jerusalem and about His coming and the end of the age (Matt. 24:3). In Matthew 24, Jesus made it clear that the end would not come immediately, but only after some general and specific signs that would precede His coming. And He commanded His disciples to watch and be ready because no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come (Matt. 24:42,44).

To exhort us to readiness for His return, Jesus then taught three parables. Last time, from the parable of the wise or wicked servant we learned that readiness for Christ’s return includes faithfulness. If you want to be ready for the Lord’s coming, be faithful to serve your Master while He is away. We said that being ready for Christ’s return means that we watch expectantly, serve faithfully, and live holy.

Now, as we turn to Matthew 25, Jesus will teach two more parables and then describe the judgment that follows His return. The theme that ties this section together is separation in judgment.