Sorted and Separated

Matthew   •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Jesus ends this extended teaching on the end times by this parable that is more analogy than it is parable. In it we see humanity will be sorted in to two distinct groups; saved and unsaved.

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Context

Jesus is ending this extended teaching on the end times
This discourse all started after he was asked a three part question
In the beginning verses of Jesus makes a claim that the temple would be destroyed
This troubled his Jewish disciples and they assumed he ment at the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord
So they asked him when these things would be, what would be the sign of his coming and the sings of the end times
We have looked how Jesus responded to this question and found that his teaching should still be followed in this matter today
Most recently we went over the parable of the virgins and the parable of the talents
Discovering that we should always be ready for the coming of Christ
And that we shouldn’t squander the gifts, talents, and opportunities God gives us to build his kingdom
So far, it seems that the parables have focused on those within the kingdom
The virgins would be apart of the bridal party thus connecting them to the Bridegroom
The servants are already working for the master when he entrusts them with his investments
In our focus scripture today, Jesus brings everyone into the final judgment and sorts them into two groups
But before we get to that we ought to read the scripture and seek to understand it (as best we can) as the original hearers would have understood it
So this time we will look at the entire scripture, clarify some things to get a better understanding of it, and then apply it to our lives

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Son of Man - Jesus’ favorite title for himself
Jesus speaks of a future time of when he will come into his glory and sit on the throne
This happens at the cross ; his death, burial, Resurrection, and Ascension
We know this but at the time of this teaching that hasn’t happened yet
The disciples will remember these events and teachings and write them down (Bible) as they connect all these dots

32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

All nations - This is a way to say EVERYONE from EVERYWHERE; no one is opted out
Both sheep and goats had purpose and value, but sheep had much greater value than goats
Goats and sheep grazed together but goats were more susceptible to colder weather so the shepherd would need to sort and separate for the cooler evenings night
Placing the sheep on the right was another sign of value
Most people were right handed and conducted important things this their right hands
In some instances using your left hand could come across as offensive as less clean things were often ascribed to the left hand
Also we see that those on the right receive a blessing
Why?
He totally blurs the line between Son of Man, the King and the Father

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Hospitality was highly regarding in that day and culture
Feeding and entertaining were obligatory
It would be offensive not to take care of a guest
The greater the gues
And if the guest was really important and not taken care of the offense would be great
That is not very shocking to those hearing Jesus
These were already expectations
But it is important to note that Jesus increases the burden of this cultural norm by including strangers into the mix and also prisoners
Amongst these people there was no obligation of hospitality
What is perplexing to the hearers is that they didn’t recall doing these things for the King
In other words,
The King responds with when you did it for my people you did it for me
ILLUSTRATION
We can somewhat relate to this concept as parents
When someone goes out of there way to make sure my baby girl is fed, they might as well be feeding me
When someone looks out for my daughter and protects her, they might as well be doing it for me
When someone makes sure that my son gets his medicine, they might as well be doing it for me
This king feels that way
But he also doesn’t appreciate it when his people are not taken care of, especially when those around them had the capacity and opportunity to meet their need

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

This is similar to the contrast of the wise vs the foolish virgins in the earlier parable
The sheep are compared to the goats
The ones on the right against the ones on the left
Lets compare

Two Groups

Notice that there are only 2 groups
There is no middle
No place to wait and see how it all plays out
There are sheep and goats
Remember that the nations represent everyone
So everyone is sorted and separated into two groups based on how they treated the LEAST of these
Lets test ourselves against God’s Word; how are we doing?
Are we sheep or goats

When ________ was....

Think about one person you cannot tolerate
Perhaps its someone from the work place
Or a certain family member that always gets the good things while leaving you the bad
Maybe the person that hurt you; physically or emotionally
In your mind fill in the blank with their name
When __________ was...
Hungry - Can you say I fed ________
Or, I didn’t notice
Thirsty - Can you say I gave ________ a drink
Or, they can find their own well
A stranger - Can you say I welcomed _________
Or, _________ doesn’t want my welcome
Don’t they?
Naked - Can you say I clothed _________
Or, ________ doesn’t need my help
Sick - Can you say I cared for __________
Or, I am kind of glad. ________’s been getting around too good for too long
In Prison - Can you say I visited _________
Or, _________ is there because they deserve to be there
Test yourselves against scripture
What if you saw __________ as the King or as a child of the king
You don’t have to like the king’s child to take care of him
You’re not doing it for the child
You’re doing it for the king
This is how Jesus wants you to see that person;
Trust me, he knows who deserves to be in prison
and who hurt you
or wronged you
or has the ability but refuses to go after it
or who is sinning and what their sin is
He will deal with that, I promise you
But how will you be separated and sorted?

46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

NOTE: this is a rough skeleton to export to PP
Goats

Goats

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