For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
At His coming in glory Christ sits as King to gather all nations and divide them as sheep from goats, placing the unfaithful on the left. To them He gives the sentence of departure into everlasting fire, and from that decision of the supreme Judge there is no appeal, while the righteous enter life eternal. To withhold food from the hungry and drink from the thirsty is to withhold it from Christ Himself, for He identifies Himself with suffering humanity and is Himself hungry and thirsty in the person of His saints. They are condemned not for great crimes they committed but for the good they left undone, for eternal destiny is decided by works and by character shown day by day in common acts of mercy. Property, money, and ability are entrusted as a stewardship to relieve the needy, and to spend them on display and selfish indulgence while the suffering go without care will be answered for to Christ.
Judgment Setting and Sentence
When He comes in His glory with all the holy angels, Christ sits as King on the throne of His glory, gathers all nations before Him, and separates them as a shepherd divides sheep from goats, setting the goats on the left hand. The verse gives the condemning side of that great day, when eternal destiny is determined by the single point of what was done or neglected for Christ in the person of the poor and suffering. It is part of His parabolical account of the final separation, spoken by the King from the judgment throne to specify the reward of each party.
To those on the left He speaks these words as the reason for the sentence, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, because when He was hungry they gave Him no food and when He was thirsty they gave Him no drink. For this neglect the goats go away into everlasting punishment, while the righteous enter life eternal. Then He will occupy the position of supreme Judge of heaven and earth, seated upon the Father's throne, coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory escorted by legions of angels to pronounce sentence upon His enemies, and from His decisions there will be no appeal.
In the last day there are only two parties, one on the right hand and one on the left, sheep and goats, just and unjust, righteous and unrighteous. The whole world will be represented by these two classes, with no third party between them. Those condemned on the left-hand side are surprised because they did not think they had done anything particularly wrong.
The verse belongs to the larger judgment accounts of Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 25:40-45, Matthew 25:42-43, and Matthew 25:14-46, which must be studied and compared with the life record. That instruction in Matthew 25:14-46 requires every man to put away boasting and self-trust, for self-sufficiency is fearfully dangerous and makes the words of Christ of no effect, calling instead for walking in humility of faith and committing to the Saviour day by day to receive and impart His grace. Profession alone does not determine the reward, which is measured by what a person has done, and ministers also are held accountable by what they did for Him in feeding souls.
Those deciding words fix destiny forever to everlasting punishment. The wicked are shut out of the kingdom with unbelievers outside the city and gates, seeing the righteous saved in the kingdom of God while they themselves stand outside. There it means shame and a terrible awakening that comes too late, because destiny has been decided by choice. They acknowledge with lamentation and woe that when opportunity was offered they dishonored their Redeemer, chose the service of Satan and his side of the controversy, and lost heaven and the eternity of bliss they might have had.
Christ Identified with Sufferers
To withhold food from the hungry and drink from the thirsty is to withhold it from Christ Himself, for neglect of the needy is neglect of Him and is counted against the neglectful at the final judgment as the ground of separation among the goats unto everlasting punishment. The King treats failure to relieve those who believe and to sacrifice possessions for sufferers as failure to serve Him, in contrast to a life moved by His love to care for His needy people rather than absorbed in earthly concerns. Jesus so identifies Himself with the suffering poor that care for them is care done to Him, and this principle reaches with special force to the sick and poor who cannot afford treatment, to help them being service to the Son of God.
He makes the cause of His suffering people His own in oneness with His suffering disciples, suffering in the person of His saints, so that it is Christ Himself who is hungry and thirsty when food and drink are refused. While others feast at ease from bountifully spread tables, He is famishing in the hovel or street not far from them, having nowhere to lay His head while they are at ease, destitute while they crowd their wardrobes, and languishing in prison while they pursue pleasure. Every neglect to feed the needy poor, the orphan and the fatherless, and to relieve missionaries in foreign fields who lack necessities, is a neglect of Jesus in their person, for those who neglect or oppress them are dealing with Christ, and those who control resources are accountable for it. All the days of life He is near in the person of the afflicted, yet the self-absorbed do not seek Him nor enter into fellowship with Him.
Those hungry and thirsty ones are the least of His brethren, His disciples and representatives on earth, hated, persecuted, afflicted, driven from homes, brought to poverty, in distress through disease and privation, cast into prison, having forsaken friends or home for His sake. Indifference or injustice toward them wounds Him, while pity and practical help given to them are accepted as given to Him, and His side is marked by mercy, pity, sympathy, love, and practical care. He identifies Himself not only with believers but with every child of humanity, including the fallen, the erring, the sinful, and the heathen who never heard the written law by human lips but heard His voice in nature, becoming a member of the earthly family that men might become members of the heavenly family. Their needs test character and call forth Christian sympathy, and He notices when the poor are left unfed and the destitute forsaken, without distinction between races.
The same identification covers the stranger not taken in, the naked not clothed, and the sick and imprisoned not visited, for what is done or not done to one of the least is done or not done to Christ Himself. Failure in food and drink, together with failure toward stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned, is the King's reason for condemning those on His left hand, profession alone not determining reward, which is measured by what was done. To minister to them as to Christ is the evidence of discipleship, while to neglect them brings rejection in the judgment. Every deed of kindness to uplift a fallen soul and every act of mercy to the needy and suffering is accepted as done to Him, opening the door to them welcomes unseen angels and brings joy in heaven, and those who so minister prove that the love of Christ binds them in His family and that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, even if they know little theology and are among the heathen who befriended His servants at peril to themselves.
Condemned for Neglectful Works
Eternal reward or punishment is meted out according to what was done or what was not done for Christ in the person of the poor and suffering, for people are judged according to their works. That decision is made day by day in the common incidents of life, while the whole life's tendency, disposition, and actions are examined in the courts of heaven to see whether character in probationary time was formed after Christ or after the enemy of all righteousness. To give no food to the hungry and no drink to the thirsty, to take in no stranger, to clothe not the naked, and to visit not the sick and imprisoned, is to give nothing to Christ Himself, because in all who suffer He is to be recognized, and that neglect brings the sentence to depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels with a portion with unbelievers shut out of the kingdom. Profession alone does not determine the reward, which is measured by what a person has done, and love shown through works, however small, is accepted and rewarded by God as genuine service to Christ.
They are not condemned for great crimes they did or for revolting crimes and actual outbreaking sins, but for what they did not do, for leaving undone the work Heaven assigned them. The condemnation is for neglecting to do what might have been done and ought to have been done, such as caring for orphans that should be cared for, and Heaven is for self-denying workers with no provision made for do-nothing, illiberal, selfish souls who love and please themselves. People are held accountable not only for wrongs they commit but also for good they fail to do, for good they could have done, and for abilities and opportunities left unimproved, and returning what was given without improving it does not satisfy God's claim. Christ made every provision to place moral qualifications within reach of every sinner by clothing divinity with humanity that humanity might touch humanity and bring moral power to combine with human effort, giving His life that the transgressor might become transformed in character, a fit subject for the kingdom, a member of the royal family and child of the heavenly King, changed into His likeness by beholding Him and working in His lines; those condemned are like the five foolish virgins who had lamps and a knowledge of the truth but took no oil, received not grace, had no living connection vitalized by the Holy Spirit, supposed themselves wise, had no saving faith with Christ as personal Saviour, had not grown in grace because they had not been doers of His words.
Church membership alone does not secure entrance into the kingdom, and profession of faith, knowledge of truth, and theology alone have no value to save, for everything in that judgment rests upon what character was developed. Those who choose Christ as Counselor become changed into His likeness and escape that sentence, for good works result from justification by faith and are the fruit of genuine faith. Genuine love is shown in works for Christ through care for the poor, afflicted, orphaned, and widowed, and acts done from love, however small, are accepted and rewarded by God. Those who live for themselves and take no responsibility are judged with those who do evil and receive the same condemnation, and God rewards self-denying, self-sacrificing work for the salvation of souls with the use of God-given abilities in service to Christ.
Those condemned are surprised and unconscious of guilt because they did not think they had done anything particularly wrong, not understanding that in neglecting the needy they neglected Christ Himself. Satan had blinded them and they were self-absorbed and cared nothing for others' needs, having educated and trained themselves in the school of self-indulgence and self-pleasing. Self-absorption and spiritual blindness keep them from seeing duty to others, and the result was they lost heaven and the eternity of bliss they might have had if they had devoted their powers to God and brought Christ into everyday life. While they feasted He was famishing in the hovel and street, while at ease He had nowhere to lay His head, while they crowded wardrobes He was destitute, and while they pursued pleasure He languished in prison, yet they did not seek Him in the person of the afflicted and would not enter into fellowship with Him.
That failure to minister to one of the least reveals a character God does not accept and proves having no part with Him, for those who neglect the suffering know nothing about Him and could not enjoy life in His kingdom. It shows a life attentive to self, lived to please and glorify self, disobedient to the commandments, wasting opportunity and probationary time given to form character for eternal life, without love for Him who died, despising His words and entreaties, with disposition unchanged by the Redeemer. Where self-love and selfishness reign Christ is not, and selfishness cannot dwell in the heart of a Christian, so many who make high profession are not on the Lord's side but on the side of the enemy. Those deciding words fix forever their destiny to everlasting punishment, with a portion with unbelievers, to whom He says, I know you not, and commands them to depart.
Every neglect of God's suffering ones is written in the books of heaven as neglect shown to Christ Himself, because He identifies His interest with theirs. Passing by the afflicted who need sympathy or practical help while giving attention to those who do not need it reveals hardness of heart and is recorded in heaven as part of character, and treating a poor stranger ungenerously and oppressively, refusing food and drink, is contrary to Christ's way of compassion. When the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened and the dead are judged out of the books according to their works, the question being the character of their works, rewards turn on practical benevolence, and those entrusted with resources who greedily keep what they can while leaving the poor hungry will face the record of their deeds. Such neglect will condemn a person when standing before the Judge of all the earth and will keep the Lord from welcoming him to inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, and such conduct must be faced at the final settlement.
Stewardship of Means Tested
Property, money, and talents of tact, skill, and worldly treasure are entrusted by God to human beings not as owners but as wise stewards to relieve the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widow and fatherless and suffering, and advance the gospel, and they must be used generously in self-denying service rather than greedily kept or wasted on pride, luxury, and selfish indulgence. To leave the hungry unfed and the thirsty without drink is to leave Christ Himself unfed and without drink, because He identifies His interest and Himself with the hungry and thirsty poor, and the decisions of the last day turn on such practical benevolence. Those who greedily keep what they can while the poor go hungry, who shut themselves away from the poor and spend His means on pride and selfishness and treat the poor with contempt, will face the record of their deeds, for while they feasted He was famishing in the hovel and street not far from their tables, while they were at ease He had nowhere to lay His head, while they crowded their wardrobes He was destitute, and while they pursued pleasure He languished in prison. They are unconscious of guilt because they are self-absorbed and blinded and care nothing for others' needs, yet all the days of their life He was near them in the person of the afflicted and they did not seek Him nor enter into fellowship with Him, so He answers, I know you not, and earthly riches and status gained even by breaking the law cannot excuse that neglect.
Spending time and money on show and personal indulgence, on jewels and needlessly expensive dress, fashion and display, elegant gold chains, necklaces, rings, feathers, ribbons, expensive trimmings, superfluous clothing and needless ornaments, while leaving the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned without care, will be answered for to Christ face to face in the day of God as giving nothing to Him. Money is a trust from God for food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, defense for the oppressed, health for the sick, and preaching the gospel to the poor, and to spend on display enough to feed all the hungry and clothe the naked in towns and cities leaves no excuse when missions languish and multitudes perish beside one's own door and in foreign lands. The guilt falls especially on those who have abundance yet have no ears for the cries of the needy and no eyes for the cold and almost naked women and children around them, who look upon real want as crime and withdraw from suffering humanity while weeping over imaginary sufferings.
Boasting and self-sufficiency are fearfully dangerous and make the words of Christ of no effect, so the instruction of Matthew 25:14-46, to which this sentence belongs, must be studied and compared with the life record in honest reckoning of whether conduct obeyed Christ. Self-trust must be put away, and men must walk in the footsteps of Christ in humility of faith, committing to the Saviour day by day and hour by hour to receive and impart His grace.
The poor and suffering are Christ's representatives among us, for their hunger and thirst become His own hunger and thirst, and refusing them food or drink is refusing Him. Their needs test character and call forth Christian sympathy, love, benevolence, and practical care, and meeting that test develops character.
The Lord of Sabaoth hears the cries of the suffering and dying, and He will call stewards to strict account with the question what they did with the money He gave them to use for Him, condemning as cursed to depart from Him into everlasting punishment those who spent it on self-gratification instead of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, taking in the stranger, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. Every act of oppression, double dealing, and fraud is registered, and unfaithful rich stewards who in luxury heeded not the cries of the destitute, who were receivers but not producers and refused to cooperate with Him and draw near to members of His family, rob Christ of glory. Their riches accumulated by withholding His money from the poor will make them the poorest, and seeking to become rich in this world's goods causes them to lose heavenly treasure and the soul, while the cries of widow and fatherless ascend to heaven and call down vengeance.
Practical Duties and Warnings
Failing to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty is failing Christ Himself, and that test reaches the sick and poor who cannot pay for treatment, for to relieve them is to serve Him and to withhold help is to neglect Him. The same reckoning falls on those who control means yet leave missionaries in foreign fields without necessities, and on those who leave fellow workers without care for their needs or a word of encouragement when they had responsibility and opportunity to help. It also reaches the Southern field left in misery, hunger, nakedness, and ignorance of God, and the general apportioning of means where needy workers and mission fields are neglected while funds are concentrated elsewhere or paid out in large wages. Withholding water and practical care from His messengers is withholding it from Him, and the missed opportunity stands written for the last day, when self-denying kindness and mercy will be shown to be love to God and neighbor and neglect will bring His displeasure.
Holidays are rightly kept by seeking out the needy close at hand and supplying what they lack, since giving presents to wealthy friends costs no sacrifice compared with relieving the poor. The condemnation rests especially on professed followers who leave the worthy poor unfed, the afflicted unrelieved, and widows, the fatherless, strangers, the naked, the sick, and prisoners in pinching want without the meager necessities of life. That neglect is neglect of Christ because He joins His interests to suffering humanity, and guilt is heaviest on those who have abundance yet spend it on extravagant display, jewels and ornaments, gold chains, necklaces, rings, feathers, ribbons, costly trimmings, superfluous clothing and needless adornment enough to feed the hungry and clothe the naked in towns and cities. Such persons have no ears for the cries of the needy and no eyes for cold and almost naked women and children around them, treat real want as crime and withdraw from suffering humanity while weeping over imaginary sorrows, and their deafness lets the cry of widow and fatherless rise to heaven and call down vengeance.
At the final assize the King counts failure to feed and water the needy as failure to serve Him, and calls for sacrifice of possessions to relieve the suffering of believers in present truth. Caring for children and taking responsibility for them is serving Him, and Christ is present in the poor, homeless, orphaned, and afflicted widow who need care, sympathy, love, and encouragement, so that to refuse them is to refuse Him. Neglect of orphans who should have been cared for, and of difficult children needing teaching and patient care, is among the undone works of heaven's appointment for which the self-pleasing are condemned, and such refusal puts both the salvation of precious souls and one's own interest in His kingdom at stake. A father who brings children into the world and then forsakes his rightful wife and children, leaving the mother to bear the labor and cost while he rears another family, violates the standard of Matthew 25:31-46 proclaimed before the assembled universe. Withholding means rightfully owed for food and support is robbery and an honest debt charged against him, and there is no entrance into the kingdom without thorough conversion, confession of the sin, and payment of what is owed.
Ministers also will be asked what they did for Him in feeding souls, for neglecting perishing souls in sin and iniquity is neglecting Christ. They are judged by whether with burning, living faith they sought to save those around them, gave the light and truth needed as the purchase of the blood of the Son of God, and opened minds to receive Jesus in the truth and in the Word He sends. Failing to care for or reach a neighbor with concern for salvation leaves that neighbor unprepared and shows indifference to Christ. Those who harm the weak and lead them into temptation and spiritual ruin will answer for the souls lost through their conduct.
Passing by those who need sympathy and help in order to favor those who do not need it insults Christ in the person of His afflicted ones and brings condemnation rather than reward. Condemned partiality gives special favors and prefers one above another, bestowing attention on the more pleasing while passing by one needing kindly acts. The least who test character are the afflicted needing sympathy, the bruised and wounded and lame of the flock, and the sick needing a physician, and such preference for the wealthy with neglect and oppression of the weak reveals hardness of heart recorded in heaven as character. God will not excuse the wrongdoer but requires exact and impartial justice, and beyond that requires His followers always to show compassion for the suffering and pity and love for the erring.
God proves faith and profession of desire to work for Him by placing one of His suffering children directly before a person to test willingness and zeal, for He calls the suffering His brethren and His servants and counts neglect of duty to them as neglect of Himself in the person of His saints. Many wish to do some great work for the Master yet refuse the common duties of life set before them, but faithfulness in what is least evidences fitness for higher trusts. Refusing the work God gives misses the very opportunities needed to gain valuable experience and to come into close sympathy with Jesus Christ, and where self-love and selfishness reign Christ is not, so that many of high profession stand not on the Lord's side but on the enemy's. The duty extends to learning the needs of the poor and returning gifts with added help when they are too poor to give without going without life's necessities, for Christ is present in the afflicted and poor and to neglect them is to fail to see Him and enter fellowship with Him.
Heaven is for workers who have denied themselves for Christ's sake, and no provision is made for do-nothing, illiberal, selfish souls who love and look out for themselves and please themselves. No selfishness belongs in God's service, and brotherly love includes giving food and drink to those in need. Those who show no mercy face judgment without mercy, for every neglect of God's suffering ones is written in the books of heaven as shown to Christ Himself. Those who profess to keep God's commandments yet neglect the needy, turn a deaf ear to the calls of the oppressed, and speak sharp, cutting words to those needing different treatment offend God daily by hardness of heart, lift up their souls to vanity while thinking themselves exalted in His favor, and lack the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The afflicted have claims upon sympathy, help, comfort, and Christlike love, and every church member must closely examine heart and course for harmony with the spirit and work of Jesus, since such neglect will condemn him before the Judge of all the earth and keep the Lord from welcoming him to inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.
At His coming in glory Christ sits as King to gather all nations and divide them as sheep from goats, placing the unfaithful on the left. To them He gives the sentence of departure into everlasting fire, and from that decision of the supreme Judge there is no appeal, while the righteous enter life eternal. To withhold food from the hungry and drink from the thirsty is to withhold it from Christ Himself, for He identifies Himself with suffering humanity and is Himself hungry and thirsty in the person of His saints. They are condemned not for great crimes they committed but for the good they left undone, for eternal destiny is decided by works and by character shown day by day in common acts of mercy. Property, money, and ability are entrusted as a stewardship to relieve the needy, and to spend them on display and selfish indulgence while the suffering go without care will be answered for to Christ.
Judgment Setting and Sentence
When He comes in His glory with all the holy angels, Christ sits as King on the throne of His glory, gathers all nations before Him, and separates them as a shepherd divides sheep from goats, setting the goats on the left hand. The verse gives the condemning side of that great day, when eternal destiny is determined by the single point of what was done or neglected for Christ in the person of the poor and suffering. It is part of His parabolical account of the final separation, spoken by the King from the judgment throne to specify the reward of each party.
To those on the left He speaks these words as the reason for the sentence, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, because when He was hungry they gave Him no food and when He was thirsty they gave Him no drink. For this neglect the goats go away into everlasting punishment, while the righteous enter life eternal. Then He will occupy the position of supreme Judge of heaven and earth, seated upon the Father's throne, coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory escorted by legions of angels to pronounce sentence upon His enemies, and from His decisions there will be no appeal.
In the last day there are only two parties, one on the right hand and one on the left, sheep and goats, just and unjust, righteous and unrighteous. The whole world will be represented by these two classes, with no third party between them. Those condemned on the left-hand side are surprised because they did not think they had done anything particularly wrong.
The verse belongs to the larger judgment accounts of Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 25:40-45, Matthew 25:42-43, and Matthew 25:14-46, which must be studied and compared with the life record. That instruction in Matthew 25:14-46 requires every man to put away boasting and self-trust, for self-sufficiency is fearfully dangerous and makes the words of Christ of no effect, calling instead for walking in humility of faith and committing to the Saviour day by day to receive and impart His grace. Profession alone does not determine the reward, which is measured by what a person has done, and ministers also are held accountable by what they did for Him in feeding souls.
Those deciding words fix destiny forever to everlasting punishment. The wicked are shut out of the kingdom with unbelievers outside the city and gates, seeing the righteous saved in the kingdom of God while they themselves stand outside. There it means shame and a terrible awakening that comes too late, because destiny has been decided by choice. They acknowledge with lamentation and woe that when opportunity was offered they dishonored their Redeemer, chose the service of Satan and his side of the controversy, and lost heaven and the eternity of bliss they might have had.
Christ Identified with Sufferers
To withhold food from the hungry and drink from the thirsty is to withhold it from Christ Himself, for neglect of the needy is neglect of Him and is counted against the neglectful at the final judgment as the ground of separation among the goats unto everlasting punishment. The King treats failure to relieve those who believe and to sacrifice possessions for sufferers as failure to serve Him, in contrast to a life moved by His love to care for His needy people rather than absorbed in earthly concerns. Jesus so identifies Himself with the suffering poor that care for them is care done to Him, and this principle reaches with special force to the sick and poor who cannot afford treatment, to help them being service to the Son of God.
He makes the cause of His suffering people His own in oneness with His suffering disciples, suffering in the person of His saints, so that it is Christ Himself who is hungry and thirsty when food and drink are refused. While others feast at ease from bountifully spread tables, He is famishing in the hovel or street not far from them, having nowhere to lay His head while they are at ease, destitute while they crowd their wardrobes, and languishing in prison while they pursue pleasure. Every neglect to feed the needy poor, the orphan and the fatherless, and to relieve missionaries in foreign fields who lack necessities, is a neglect of Jesus in their person, for those who neglect or oppress them are dealing with Christ, and those who control resources are accountable for it. All the days of life He is near in the person of the afflicted, yet the self-absorbed do not seek Him nor enter into fellowship with Him.
Those hungry and thirsty ones are the least of His brethren, His disciples and representatives on earth, hated, persecuted, afflicted, driven from homes, brought to poverty, in distress through disease and privation, cast into prison, having forsaken friends or home for His sake. Indifference or injustice toward them wounds Him, while pity and practical help given to them are accepted as given to Him, and His side is marked by mercy, pity, sympathy, love, and practical care. He identifies Himself not only with believers but with every child of humanity, including the fallen, the erring, the sinful, and the heathen who never heard the written law by human lips but heard His voice in nature, becoming a member of the earthly family that men might become members of the heavenly family. Their needs test character and call forth Christian sympathy, and He notices when the poor are left unfed and the destitute forsaken, without distinction between races.
The same identification covers the stranger not taken in, the naked not clothed, and the sick and imprisoned not visited, for what is done or not done to one of the least is done or not done to Christ Himself. Failure in food and drink, together with failure toward stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned, is the King's reason for condemning those on His left hand, profession alone not determining reward, which is measured by what was done. To minister to them as to Christ is the evidence of discipleship, while to neglect them brings rejection in the judgment. Every deed of kindness to uplift a fallen soul and every act of mercy to the needy and suffering is accepted as done to Him, opening the door to them welcomes unseen angels and brings joy in heaven, and those who so minister prove that the love of Christ binds them in His family and that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, even if they know little theology and are among the heathen who befriended His servants at peril to themselves.
Condemned for Neglectful Works
Eternal reward or punishment is meted out according to what was done or what was not done for Christ in the person of the poor and suffering, for people are judged according to their works. That decision is made day by day in the common incidents of life, while the whole life's tendency, disposition, and actions are examined in the courts of heaven to see whether character in probationary time was formed after Christ or after the enemy of all righteousness. To give no food to the hungry and no drink to the thirsty, to take in no stranger, to clothe not the naked, and to visit not the sick and imprisoned, is to give nothing to Christ Himself, because in all who suffer He is to be recognized, and that neglect brings the sentence to depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels with a portion with unbelievers shut out of the kingdom. Profession alone does not determine the reward, which is measured by what a person has done, and love shown through works, however small, is accepted and rewarded by God as genuine service to Christ.
They are not condemned for great crimes they did or for revolting crimes and actual outbreaking sins, but for what they did not do, for leaving undone the work Heaven assigned them. The condemnation is for neglecting to do what might have been done and ought to have been done, such as caring for orphans that should be cared for, and Heaven is for self-denying workers with no provision made for do-nothing, illiberal, selfish souls who love and please themselves. People are held accountable not only for wrongs they commit but also for good they fail to do, for good they could have done, and for abilities and opportunities left unimproved, and returning what was given without improving it does not satisfy God's claim. Christ made every provision to place moral qualifications within reach of every sinner by clothing divinity with humanity that humanity might touch humanity and bring moral power to combine with human effort, giving His life that the transgressor might become transformed in character, a fit subject for the kingdom, a member of the royal family and child of the heavenly King, changed into His likeness by beholding Him and working in His lines; those condemned are like the five foolish virgins who had lamps and a knowledge of the truth but took no oil, received not grace, had no living connection vitalized by the Holy Spirit, supposed themselves wise, had no saving faith with Christ as personal Saviour, had not grown in grace because they had not been doers of His words.
Church membership alone does not secure entrance into the kingdom, and profession of faith, knowledge of truth, and theology alone have no value to save, for everything in that judgment rests upon what character was developed. Those who choose Christ as Counselor become changed into His likeness and escape that sentence, for good works result from justification by faith and are the fruit of genuine faith. Genuine love is shown in works for Christ through care for the poor, afflicted, orphaned, and widowed, and acts done from love, however small, are accepted and rewarded by God. Those who live for themselves and take no responsibility are judged with those who do evil and receive the same condemnation, and God rewards self-denying, self-sacrificing work for the salvation of souls with the use of God-given abilities in service to Christ.
Those condemned are surprised and unconscious of guilt because they did not think they had done anything particularly wrong, not understanding that in neglecting the needy they neglected Christ Himself. Satan had blinded them and they were self-absorbed and cared nothing for others' needs, having educated and trained themselves in the school of self-indulgence and self-pleasing. Self-absorption and spiritual blindness keep them from seeing duty to others, and the result was they lost heaven and the eternity of bliss they might have had if they had devoted their powers to God and brought Christ into everyday life. While they feasted He was famishing in the hovel and street, while at ease He had nowhere to lay His head, while they crowded wardrobes He was destitute, and while they pursued pleasure He languished in prison, yet they did not seek Him in the person of the afflicted and would not enter into fellowship with Him.
That failure to minister to one of the least reveals a character God does not accept and proves having no part with Him, for those who neglect the suffering know nothing about Him and could not enjoy life in His kingdom. It shows a life attentive to self, lived to please and glorify self, disobedient to the commandments, wasting opportunity and probationary time given to form character for eternal life, without love for Him who died, despising His words and entreaties, with disposition unchanged by the Redeemer. Where self-love and selfishness reign Christ is not, and selfishness cannot dwell in the heart of a Christian, so many who make high profession are not on the Lord's side but on the side of the enemy. Those deciding words fix forever their destiny to everlasting punishment, with a portion with unbelievers, to whom He says, I know you not, and commands them to depart.
Every neglect of God's suffering ones is written in the books of heaven as neglect shown to Christ Himself, because He identifies His interest with theirs. Passing by the afflicted who need sympathy or practical help while giving attention to those who do not need it reveals hardness of heart and is recorded in heaven as part of character, and treating a poor stranger ungenerously and oppressively, refusing food and drink, is contrary to Christ's way of compassion. When the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened and the dead are judged out of the books according to their works, the question being the character of their works, rewards turn on practical benevolence, and those entrusted with resources who greedily keep what they can while leaving the poor hungry will face the record of their deeds. Such neglect will condemn a person when standing before the Judge of all the earth and will keep the Lord from welcoming him to inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, and such conduct must be faced at the final settlement.
Stewardship of Means Tested
Property, money, and talents of tact, skill, and worldly treasure are entrusted by God to human beings not as owners but as wise stewards to relieve the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widow and fatherless and suffering, and advance the gospel, and they must be used generously in self-denying service rather than greedily kept or wasted on pride, luxury, and selfish indulgence. To leave the hungry unfed and the thirsty without drink is to leave Christ Himself unfed and without drink, because He identifies His interest and Himself with the hungry and thirsty poor, and the decisions of the last day turn on such practical benevolence. Those who greedily keep what they can while the poor go hungry, who shut themselves away from the poor and spend His means on pride and selfishness and treat the poor with contempt, will face the record of their deeds, for while they feasted He was famishing in the hovel and street not far from their tables, while they were at ease He had nowhere to lay His head, while they crowded their wardrobes He was destitute, and while they pursued pleasure He languished in prison. They are unconscious of guilt because they are self-absorbed and blinded and care nothing for others' needs, yet all the days of their life He was near them in the person of the afflicted and they did not seek Him nor enter into fellowship with Him, so He answers, I know you not, and earthly riches and status gained even by breaking the law cannot excuse that neglect.
Spending time and money on show and personal indulgence, on jewels and needlessly expensive dress, fashion and display, elegant gold chains, necklaces, rings, feathers, ribbons, expensive trimmings, superfluous clothing and needless ornaments, while leaving the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned without care, will be answered for to Christ face to face in the day of God as giving nothing to Him. Money is a trust from God for food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, defense for the oppressed, health for the sick, and preaching the gospel to the poor, and to spend on display enough to feed all the hungry and clothe the naked in towns and cities leaves no excuse when missions languish and multitudes perish beside one's own door and in foreign lands. The guilt falls especially on those who have abundance yet have no ears for the cries of the needy and no eyes for the cold and almost naked women and children around them, who look upon real want as crime and withdraw from suffering humanity while weeping over imaginary sufferings.
Boasting and self-sufficiency are fearfully dangerous and make the words of Christ of no effect, so the instruction of Matthew 25:14-46, to which this sentence belongs, must be studied and compared with the life record in honest reckoning of whether conduct obeyed Christ. Self-trust must be put away, and men must walk in the footsteps of Christ in humility of faith, committing to the Saviour day by day and hour by hour to receive and impart His grace.
The poor and suffering are Christ's representatives among us, for their hunger and thirst become His own hunger and thirst, and refusing them food or drink is refusing Him. Their needs test character and call forth Christian sympathy, love, benevolence, and practical care, and meeting that test develops character.
The Lord of Sabaoth hears the cries of the suffering and dying, and He will call stewards to strict account with the question what they did with the money He gave them to use for Him, condemning as cursed to depart from Him into everlasting punishment those who spent it on self-gratification instead of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, taking in the stranger, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. Every act of oppression, double dealing, and fraud is registered, and unfaithful rich stewards who in luxury heeded not the cries of the destitute, who were receivers but not producers and refused to cooperate with Him and draw near to members of His family, rob Christ of glory. Their riches accumulated by withholding His money from the poor will make them the poorest, and seeking to become rich in this world's goods causes them to lose heavenly treasure and the soul, while the cries of widow and fatherless ascend to heaven and call down vengeance.
Practical Duties and Warnings
Failing to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty is failing Christ Himself, and that test reaches the sick and poor who cannot pay for treatment, for to relieve them is to serve Him and to withhold help is to neglect Him. The same reckoning falls on those who control means yet leave missionaries in foreign fields without necessities, and on those who leave fellow workers without care for their needs or a word of encouragement when they had responsibility and opportunity to help. It also reaches the Southern field left in misery, hunger, nakedness, and ignorance of God, and the general apportioning of means where needy workers and mission fields are neglected while funds are concentrated elsewhere or paid out in large wages. Withholding water and practical care from His messengers is withholding it from Him, and the missed opportunity stands written for the last day, when self-denying kindness and mercy will be shown to be love to God and neighbor and neglect will bring His displeasure.
Holidays are rightly kept by seeking out the needy close at hand and supplying what they lack, since giving presents to wealthy friends costs no sacrifice compared with relieving the poor. The condemnation rests especially on professed followers who leave the worthy poor unfed, the afflicted unrelieved, and widows, the fatherless, strangers, the naked, the sick, and prisoners in pinching want without the meager necessities of life. That neglect is neglect of Christ because He joins His interests to suffering humanity, and guilt is heaviest on those who have abundance yet spend it on extravagant display, jewels and ornaments, gold chains, necklaces, rings, feathers, ribbons, costly trimmings, superfluous clothing and needless adornment enough to feed the hungry and clothe the naked in towns and cities. Such persons have no ears for the cries of the needy and no eyes for cold and almost naked women and children around them, treat real want as crime and withdraw from suffering humanity while weeping over imaginary sorrows, and their deafness lets the cry of widow and fatherless rise to heaven and call down vengeance.
At the final assize the King counts failure to feed and water the needy as failure to serve Him, and calls for sacrifice of possessions to relieve the suffering of believers in present truth. Caring for children and taking responsibility for them is serving Him, and Christ is present in the poor, homeless, orphaned, and afflicted widow who need care, sympathy, love, and encouragement, so that to refuse them is to refuse Him. Neglect of orphans who should have been cared for, and of difficult children needing teaching and patient care, is among the undone works of heaven's appointment for which the self-pleasing are condemned, and such refusal puts both the salvation of precious souls and one's own interest in His kingdom at stake. A father who brings children into the world and then forsakes his rightful wife and children, leaving the mother to bear the labor and cost while he rears another family, violates the standard of Matthew 25:31-46 proclaimed before the assembled universe. Withholding means rightfully owed for food and support is robbery and an honest debt charged against him, and there is no entrance into the kingdom without thorough conversion, confession of the sin, and payment of what is owed.
Ministers also will be asked what they did for Him in feeding souls, for neglecting perishing souls in sin and iniquity is neglecting Christ. They are judged by whether with burning, living faith they sought to save those around them, gave the light and truth needed as the purchase of the blood of the Son of God, and opened minds to receive Jesus in the truth and in the Word He sends. Failing to care for or reach a neighbor with concern for salvation leaves that neighbor unprepared and shows indifference to Christ. Those who harm the weak and lead them into temptation and spiritual ruin will answer for the souls lost through their conduct.
Passing by those who need sympathy and help in order to favor those who do not need it insults Christ in the person of His afflicted ones and brings condemnation rather than reward. Condemned partiality gives special favors and prefers one above another, bestowing attention on the more pleasing while passing by one needing kindly acts. The least who test character are the afflicted needing sympathy, the bruised and wounded and lame of the flock, and the sick needing a physician, and such preference for the wealthy with neglect and oppression of the weak reveals hardness of heart recorded in heaven as character. God will not excuse the wrongdoer but requires exact and impartial justice, and beyond that requires His followers always to show compassion for the suffering and pity and love for the erring.
God proves faith and profession of desire to work for Him by placing one of His suffering children directly before a person to test willingness and zeal, for He calls the suffering His brethren and His servants and counts neglect of duty to them as neglect of Himself in the person of His saints. Many wish to do some great work for the Master yet refuse the common duties of life set before them, but faithfulness in what is least evidences fitness for higher trusts. Refusing the work God gives misses the very opportunities needed to gain valuable experience and to come into close sympathy with Jesus Christ, and where self-love and selfishness reign Christ is not, so that many of high profession stand not on the Lord's side but on the enemy's. The duty extends to learning the needs of the poor and returning gifts with added help when they are too poor to give without going without life's necessities, for Christ is present in the afflicted and poor and to neglect them is to fail to see Him and enter fellowship with Him.
Heaven is for workers who have denied themselves for Christ's sake, and no provision is made for do-nothing, illiberal, selfish souls who love and look out for themselves and please themselves. No selfishness belongs in God's service, and brotherly love includes giving food and drink to those in need. Those who show no mercy face judgment without mercy, for every neglect of God's suffering ones is written in the books of heaven as shown to Christ Himself. Those who profess to keep God's commandments yet neglect the needy, turn a deaf ear to the calls of the oppressed, and speak sharp, cutting words to those needing different treatment offend God daily by hardness of heart, lift up their souls to vanity while thinking themselves exalted in His favor, and lack the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The afflicted have claims upon sympathy, help, comfort, and Christlike love, and every church member must closely examine heart and course for harmony with the spirit and work of Jesus, since such neglect will condemn him before the Judge of all the earth and keep the Lord from welcoming him to inherit the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.