Matthew 25:33-26:28

For a start both these judgements are of individuals whereas the judgement of the nations is exactly that, judgement of the gentile nations, and they’ll be judged on how they treated the nation of Israel through it’s horrendous persecution in the great tribulation.

We finished off last time in Matthew 25:33 and to recap we should read Matthew 25:31-32 again to get the continuity going.

Matthew 25:31-32,

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 

This is happening after the King has come in His second coming and is now reigning from David’s throne in Jerusalem according to prophecy.

How will God gather all the nations together? Well, we know from Joel chapter 3 verse 1 and 2 that it’ll all happen in the valley of Valley of Jehoshaphat, outside Jerusalem, but what are the mechanics of how all these nations will stand before the King?

We don’t know. We haven’t got a clue because these are things that God Himself knows and even if He did reveal it we wouldn’t have a hope of understanding it. However, if we believe in God and Who He is, the Almighty Creator of the universe, by faith we have no problem in believing that He not only can do this thing but that He will do it, and it won’t be hard for Him either.

Let’s move on now to Matthew 25:33-40,

And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 

When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 

Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 

So here, The King, Jesus Christ, judges the gentile nations.

It seems to teach that nations are saved or lost en masse, in a group, all together.

It brings up another question. Don’t individuals make up a nation? Isn’t a nation just the sum total of all the individuals in it?

Yet time and again throughout the Bible we see God dealing with nations. The most prominent of these of course is Israel but there are over 70 nations spoken of throughout the Bible and many of them don’t exist today because God judged them.

We must remember that God does deal with nations as whole.

The Old Testament is packed with instances of nations punished because of their sin.

Just a few of these passages are, Isaiah 10:12-19; Isaiah 47:5-15; Ezekeil 25:6-7; Amos chapters 1 and 2; Obadiah 1:10; Zechariah 14:1-5.

It’s not unreasonable to believe that nations will continue to experience divine retribution.

This doesn’t mean that every single individual in the nation will be involved in the outcome, but that the principles of divine justice will be applied on a national basis, as well as an individual basis.

Today individual Jews are offered salvation freely by God’s grace the same as the gentiles and yet time and again we see that the nation as a whole is spoken of by God and it’s immensely important to Him.

The point at where individuals become nations, and are therefore treated as a collection rather than as individuals, is just not that clear and God hasn’t deemed it a requirement for us to know.

We trust in His Word alone, by faith, realising that just because some things are not clear to us today, doesn’t mean they’re not completely clear to God.

Also, this event is still in the future so we simply cannot be as sure of the details as we can about events that have already happened in history.

One thing is certain, and that is that at this judgement of the nations the criteria that they’ll be judged on is their treatment of quote, “My Brethren”.

We do know that there are three groups involved in this judgement as we said last time, the sheep nations, the goat nations and “My Brethren”.

Who are “My Brethren”? Israel! This is about how the nations treated Israel during the tribulation.

This could be the whole remnant of Israel who believe on Christ in that time and are heavily persecuted and martyred to death for that belief.

It could also be, as many scholars speculate, the 144,000 Jews sealed at the time of the Great Tribulation who’ll go out over the entire world to preach the message of the gospel of the Kingdom, and to be ready for the King’s imminent coming. They’ll also be under heavy persecution from Antichrist.

Anyone who would give even a cup of cold water to either of these two groups will do so at the risk of his life.

Despite this, some will choose to protect them, feed them, hide them, etc. And, to their surprise, these nations will be singled out and spared. Also, to their surprise, the nations that did not bless Israel at this time will be cast into everlasting punishment.

We can see a historical pattern here in how nations rise and fall in relation to their treatment of the Jews. The Babylonians, The Persians; The Greeks, The Romans and Nazi Germany to name a few.

It all goes back to Genesis 12:3 and God’s promise to Abraham,

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The King places the sheep nations on His right hand, and the goat nations on the left.

He then invites the sheep to enter His glorious kingdom, prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

The reason given is that they fed Him when hungry, gave Him drink when thirsty, welcomed Him when a stranger, clothed Him, visited Him in sickness, and went to Him in prison. The righteous sheep profess ignorance of ever showing such kindnesses to the King; He hadn’t even been on earth in their generation.

He explains that in befriending one of the least of His brethren, they befriended Him. Whatever is done for one of His disciples is rewarded as being done to Himself.

Now we finish off with verses 41 to 46,

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 

“Then they also will answer Him, 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?’ 

Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 

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

The unrighteous goat nations are told to depart from Him into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels because they failed to care for Him during the terrible Time of Jacob’s Trouble. They’re surprised also.

When they try to excuse themselves by saying they’d never seen Him, He reminds them that their neglect of His followers was neglect of Himself.

Again, we see here a different age than we live in today and God working differently with mankind.

Here a person’s works are important to have any hope of entering the Kingdom.

God’s desire is that men should be blessed. Hell, and eternal punishment was not originally intended for the human race, however, if people willfully refuse life by rejecting God’s way to that life, they’re choosing death by default.

The Lord Jesus speaks here of “everlasting”, or eternal fire, eternal punishment, and eternal life.

The same One who taught eternal life taught eternal punishment. Since the same word for eternal is used to describe each, we can’t accept one without the other.

The Judgment of the Gentiles reminds us that Christ, and His brethren, Israel, are one. What affects them affects Him.

Now, in Matthew chapter 26, the final events in the life of Jesus unfold immediately before the Cross.

There’s the plot to arrest Him; the anointing by Mary of Bethany; the selling out by Judas Iscariot; the celebration of the first Lord’s Supper; the predicted denial by Peter; the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane; the betrayal by Judas; the arrest by the chief priests; the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin; and the denial by Peter.

Every incident and detail in this chapter points to the Cross. There’s a precision here that gives the impression that Jesus is trapped in the circumstances, and He has no control over them. But this is anything but true. He’s at all times the master over the circumstances, and He’s very much the King in command as He draws near the Cross.

In this chapter, and chapter 27, we should remember His determination to go to Jerusalem to die when He was at Caesarea Philippi six months previous. We saw that in Matthew 16:21,

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

He’s moving according to God’s timetable, and He’s forcing the issue. He’s not the helpless victim so often depicted, caught between the religious elite and Roman power.

The things in this chapter are vitally related to our salvation and there should be an awe about it all as we study them.

Matthew 26:1,

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 

“When Jesus had finished all these sayings”.

What sayings? The Olivet Discourse, which was prophecy, where He laid out all the things that would come to pass before He would come again and set up His Kingdom.

He’s answered their questions regarding that and now He’s got something else for them.

Verse 2,

“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 

Now let’s read ahead through verses 3 to 5 and look at something interesting and we read,

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 

But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” 

In Verse 2, Jesus again tells His disciples that He’s going to die. This is the sixth time He’s told them.

Six months before, at Caesarea Philippi, He announced His soon coming death as we just saw. And now He sets the time of His death.

He tells them that He’ll die during the Passover. But the religious rulers had other plans.

But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

The very ones who would put Him to death on the Passover were the ones who said that they’d not crucify Him during the Passover.

He said that He would die during the Passover. When did He die? During the Passover!

You see, Jesus, not His enemies, set the time of His execution. He’s in command; He’s the King in Matthew’s Gospel.

We’ve continually stressed that Jesus came to fulfill prophecy and the law. The whole reason for Him performing all the miracles and signs was to prove to the Nation of Israel, and by extension to us, Who He was, that He was The Christ, the promised Messiah. And all they had to do was just believe that.

Outwardly, He seems more helpless and weaker than at any other time, but He’s still in charge.

The bitter hatred of His enemies had led them to plot His murder, and they wanted to do it their way, but they’ll not be permitted to do that. The closer Jesus gets to the Cross, the more like the King He becomes.

In God’s Sovereign plan Christ would not be put to death at the hands just the Jew, which it would have been had the High Priest let the people kill Him. It had to also involve the Gentile in order to explicitly fulfill, Psalms Chapter 2.

Let’s look at that and let’s break it down as we go,

Why do the nations rage the King James says heathen, (who are the nations, the heathen in Scripture? Gentiles, the non-Jew.)

And the people plot a vain thing? (And who are “The People”? Israel, The Jews.)

The kings of the earth set themselves, (we know that this was Rome. David didn’t know that when he wrote this. But now we know that at that time, the kings of the world were the Caesars and the rulers of Rome. They set themselves, not just the Gentile rulers, but who else?) And the rulers (who are they referring to? The religious rulers of Israel. So now you have the Gentile rulers, which was Rome, and the religious rulers of Israel) take counsel (now what’s the next word?) together…

See, it wasn’t just a Jewish conspiracy or a Roman one.

Prophesy dictated that they’d work hand in glove to reject the King and that’s exactly what they did do.

Now to Matthew 26:6-7,

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 

In these final days leading up to the Crucifixion, Jesus goes back to Bethany to spend the night. Bethany’s just outside of Jerusalem. Then He goes back into the Temple again the next day. And that’s His schedule throughout those days leading up to His Crucifixion. So here again, He is back in Bethany for the evening.

This incident took place in the home of Simon the leper. Why did they call him Simon the leper? Did he have leprosy? There was a time when he had this disease, but Jesus had undoubtedly healed him.

Now, in comes this lady with an alabaster box of precious ointment and she came to Jesus and anointed both His head and His feet with fragrant ointment and John 12 verse 3 expands on the incident. Let’s read,

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Now we know through John that this woman was Mary.

Now back in Mattew 26:8-9,

But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” 

John 12 verse 4 also tells us that it was Judas Iscariot who led the agitation against her, although all the disciples all agreed with him.

How much did they really care about the poor?

Were they the same as many people today who’re always talking about taking care of the poor but do little or nothing about it themselves. We live in society full of hypocrisy! The evidence of how concerned we are is always in what we personally are doing. Are we trying to make an impression, or what they call “Virtue Signalling” today, or are we genuine?

Now to verses 10 to 13,

But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 

For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 

For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 

Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel (that’s the Kingdom Gospel. That He was The Christ) wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (And, of course, just about everyone has heard of this woman.)

This world will always have poor people and there’s nothing governments and politicians can do to stop it.

The Word of God says that the poor will always be with us until The Lord comes back again.

Now, Remember after death, the body was anointed with ointments and perfumes. So, Jesus says, “She’s doing this in view of my burial.” Did they know what Jesus was talking about?

No. We’ve already looked at those verses. This Mary that anointed Jesus didn’t know that she was putting on a burial ointment.

Now to Matthew 26:14-16 where we see Jeus being betrayed,

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 

So, from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. 

This deed of Judas Iscariot’s is so dark and evil in contrast to Mary’s act of love.

Dante gave Judas and Brutus the lowest place in The Inferno, and no one since then has said he was wrong. This man did the lowest and basest thing a man could when he betrayed the one to whom he should have been loyal.

“He sought opportunity to betray him.” You see, the arrest had to take place when Jesus was alone, that is, when the crowds were gone.

Judas waited for just such a time.

To verses 17 to 19 now,

Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 

And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ‘ ” 

So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. 

Now the Lord Jesus’ll go with His twelve disciples into the Upper Room, and there He’ll make the announcement that one of them will betray Him.

Now verses 20 to 22,

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 

Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” 

And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” 

Every one of those men knew that he had it within his heart to betray Christ, if we’re honest, that’s why we should keep close to Him through His Word.

Now there is a debate here about whether this was actually the Passover meal.

John, in John 13:1-2 seems to say this was not the Passover, but a supper that took place before the Passover, and that Jesus was actually crucified on the Passover. Let’s read that,

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 

And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 

Even this passage of Matthew that we’re in doesn’t actually say it was the Passover meal it says in verse 19 that the disciples prepared the Passover.

Mark 1:16 infers the same thing, as does Luke 22:13.

However, getting bogged down on this only succeeds in taking our attention off the most important issues.

We’re still in Matthew 26:23-25,

He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 

The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” 

Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.” 

It’s interesting to notice that Judas didn’t call Him Lord as the other disciples did as we saw in the previous verses. At this moment Judas left the room, and according to John’s record in John 13:30,

Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night. 

Now we come to Matthew 26:26-28 and yet another passage of scripture around which is a lot of misunderstanding.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

Traditionally this passage has become known as the Lord’s Supper.

Both Catholics and Protestants believe Jesus was issuing a command or a sacrament for the church when he passed the cup and broke the bread with his disciples at this supper.

However, we must keep in mind that the church, which is Christ’s body, hadn’t been revealed at this time, and everyone at that table was a Jew looking toward Pentecost and the kingdom come.

You and I, as gentiles, wouldn’t have be welcome at that table!

Most church goers today believe the Lord’s Supper was a New Testament celebration instituted by Jesus in this passage, in Luke 22:14-20, and in Mark 14:22-25.

It’s well proven that the twelve didn’t understand the mystery of the cross that night. In the resources below this episode list we have a list of verses that prove the disciples had no clue at that time about what was unfolding.

It’s pretty evident that the twelve weren’t having a celebration that night from the fact that Jesus called out his betrayers.

In Verse 21 which we’ve just seen we read this,

Now as they were eating, He (Jesus) said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

We certainly don’t get the impression they’re in any sort of celebration.

And then verse 22 which we’ve also just read we see,

And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

And in John’s gospel in John 13:21, even Jesus is not at ease as we read,

When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

The point is this wasn’t a joyous celebration!

Now, where does the church today get the instruction for what we call communion?

Is it from Jesus in the four Gospels?

It’s only in Luke 22:19, that Jesus told the disciples this,

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 

We need to remember that the audience were Jews, the 12 Jewish disciples who would judge the 12 tribes of Israel in the kingdom.

In neither of the accounts of this supper in Matthew or Mark do we have this command of Jesus to “do this in remembrance of me.”

The Gospel of John records the supper but doesn’t even mention the breaking of the bread or the taking of the cup at all. In fact, John speaks mainly of the washing of the disciples feet.

We simply don’t find the words “communion” or “The Lord’s Supper” in any of the Gospels.

So, where do we find the basis for the tradition we know of today as communion?

Next time we’ll uncover the foundations of communion purely from what’s written in The Word of God and setting aside church tradition which has given us many different versions of this event known as “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion”.

Until then, may God bless you with the knowledge of the truth.