The man of St Matthew

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

The Grand Finale: Mt 25,31-46

This magnificent scene of the Son of Man coming in all his glory forms the grand finale for the ministry of Jesus before the story of the passion begins in chapter 26. It needs to be read with the grand finale to the Gospel as a whole, the scene of the risen Lord commissioning his disciples, 28,16-20. Note now what the two scenes have in common (with a look back to 24,3).
As we might expect with a finale, there are plenty of cross references and OT references to be explored.

What is the genre of this scene, what is its style? See Apoc 1,1.

Verse 31 with the Son of Man coming in all his glory alludes to Dn 7,13-14. Note also Zechariah 14,5. See also 16,27 and 24,30-31.
Sitting on the throne: look at Isaiah 6,1 or Apoc 4,2; 20,11.

The key point of interpretation is the "nations" of verse 32. Commentators question whether "all the nations" refer only to Gentiles or if they include all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike. Consider this in light of the Gospel as a whole.
For this, look at 4,15 or 6,32 and especially 10,5-6. What is different with 24,9 & 14 as well as 28,19 and here, 25,32? How then can we understand the nations in this scene?

Who gathers the nations in verse 32? See Is 66,18. Look too at Apoc 20,11-15.
For sheep, see Ezekiel 34,17. Mixed herds are common in the Middle East as in the story of Gen 30, 25-43. They have to be separated because sheep need to be outdoors at night while goats need to be indoors.

Right and left: it is assumed that the right side is the side of honour.

Note that by verse 34, the Son of Man has become king. See 2,2 and 21,5. But he is still following his Father.

The key to the rest of the scene is the repeated listing of the good deeds. These are the traditional corporal works of mercy (though without burying the dead, see Tobit 1,17). Note how often the list is repeated and the changes in what is said each time.
The background here would be Leviticus 19,18 which Matthew has already quoted earlier: 5,43; 22,39. Other relevant Old Testament allusions would be: Is 58,7; Ezekiel 18,7-9.14-17; Job 22,7; Tobit 4,17; 10,42; Sirach 7,32-35.

Then we can note Jesus' own actions (14,116-21)) following Psalm 146,7. We have seen too what Jesus does in chapters 8 & 9.
Gen 3,21 points to another aspect of care.
Gen 18,1-8 brings out a traditional nomadic custom.
While Jesus in the Gospel frequently healed the sick, as in chapters 8-9 for example.

Note what the sheep are called in verse 37, see also the conclusion in verse 46. What is their reaction?

The question then arises in verse 40 of just who is my brother. Is this restricted or universal, anyone in need? Note the NRSV translation. Take a look at Proverbs 19,17.

Verse 41 then has the king addressing those on the left, the goats. See 7,23. Look also at Apoc 14,10.

What follows is the dialogue with those on the left, a similar but negative version of verses 37-39. Notice the address in verse 44.

Verse 45 is then parallel to verse 40.

For verse 46, see Daniel 12,2. Another look at 5,20 provides the key.

Time now to look at my response.

The Sunday and Weekday Gospels

It is not a surprise that this scene, Mt 25,31-46, forms the Gospel for the feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Church's year.

The accompanying reading from the Old Testament is taken from Ezekiel 34 which we have seen as a background text for this scene.

The weekday use of this scene is worth a mention. It is read on Monday week 1 of Lent. The Old Testament reading is the other background passage for this scene, Leviticus 19,1-2.15-18.

We are now ready to begin our reading of the passion of Jesus, chapters 26 and 27.