This passage has been taught for centuries, I imagine, as a preview of how Christians are divided from the unsaved. Over and over we are encouraged to give to poor and imprisoned people because doing so is like giving to Jesus.

Well, there is a world of truth in the efficacy and resultant reward of giving to those less fortunate. But I’m not so sure any longer that this story teaches it.

Have you ever noticed how Matthew 25 follows immediately after Matthew 24? Not trying to be cute here, but it is essential to remember the subject matter of the previous chapter so as to set the context for the telling of this story. And recall, there are no chapter divisions in the original.

Matthew 24 documents the deterioration of the planet just before Jesus’ return, then details the return itself. Warnings are issued, stories are told to cement the message of those warnings.

Then Jesus goes on to the natural flow of events.

He has arrived. His church, all of it, is already with Him. The ruling class of planet earth is now assembled. But, assembled before whom? Why, before the ones who remain on the planet! Not everyone is destroyed as Jesus comes in flaming fire to wreak His judgment on this Earth. The Book of Revelation speaks of a class of people labeled the “nations of those who are saved.” The saved nations. The spared nations.

Daniel envisions courts that “are seated” at this time. A judgment. A judgment which will be in part supervised by the saints of God, to whom the Kingdom is given.

And what is His and their first act? The separation of the assembled people – the nations – into two groups.

Group A: Those who fed, clothed, and visited believers in their trouble. What trouble? Why, the trouble they have just gone through, the Great Trouble, the Tribulation.

Group B is those who refused to minister to those believers, and perhaps were instrumental in torturing and killing saints.

This is not Jesus suddenly changing the means of salvation from faith to works. But in the leaning of their hearts toward Jesus’ people, these “good” nations showed a faith in Him that He here accepts as enough to enter the kingdom. Not as rulers, but as ruled. Not with new bodies, but with their present ones.

We shall not be ruling one another in that day. We shall inherit the earth, complete with a class of people with whom we will renew and replenish all that is wonderful about the heavens and the earth He created.

These earth-dwellers will then have access to salvation. Some will actually turn Jesus away, as evidenced by their rebellion at the end of this 1000 years.

But that’s another story.

We must all learn to face the Scriptures openly and honestly, is my point here. Tradition has given us one thing, but the clear text says something very different. The story does not make sense as is commonly taught, but we’ve passed on that understanding anyway.

Think about it? What experienced Christian would say to Jesus, “When did we see you and not minister to you?” They won’t say such things in that day, because Bible believers have been reading this story of Jesus for 2,000 years and they know the answer! But non-Christians who help Christians during the Tribulation will not know the Bible, and when Jesus comes, their question will make a lot of sense.