“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:31, 32.

One of the teachings about the kingdom of heaven that Jesus repeated over and over again was the fact of judgment. He talked about an investigative judgment in Matthew 22, when the king comes in to examine his guests, to see who has on the wedding garment. He talks about the net that is cast into the sea and gathers fish of every kind in Matthew 13. And then when it is drawn to shore, the fishermen sit down and separate between the good and the bad, keeping the good and casting the bad away.

In this description of the time of judgment in Matthew 25, we are given a clue as to what determines the outcome in that day of decision.

Let’s continue reading the description in verses 33 through 40.

“He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”

And when the righteous express surprise that they have done any of these things, He continues,

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

So the decision in the judgment is represented as turning upon this one point: What have we done for Christ by ministering to others? It could almost sound like a legalistic approach. Maybe we don’t earn our salvation by good works in terms of overcoming sin-but are we to conclude that we earn our salvation by good works in terms of humanitarianism? In that case, would it not be well for us to join in with the social gospel?

Have you ever looked at your own life and compared it with this list of good deeds, which Christ commends? Have you ever tried to count how many hitchhikers you have picked up and whether or not you opened your guest room the last time some traveling singing group came to town?

How many cans did you donate to the food drive at Thanksgiving time, and have you been faithful in giving your clothes to the Good Will, instead of throwing them in the garbage? How about the hospital visits and prison ministry? Hours of Christian help work? Maybe pieces of missionary literature distributed? How does it all fit into the picture?

The Parable of the Talents

Let’s leave the judgment scene for a few minutes and spend some time with another of Jesus’ parables of the kingdom-the parable of the talents. You may recall, a man was traveling to a far country (Matthew 25:14), and he called together his servants and delivered unto them his goods. He gave one five talents, another two talents, and yet another only one talent. And he went his way.

The servants that had been given five talents and two talents went to work and doubled their Master’s investment. But the man who had received only one talent buried his talent in a field.

When the lord of the servants returned, he was pleased with the increase from the two servants, but dealt severely with the one-talent servant, because of his actions. His one talent was taken away and given to the man who had ten talents, and it says,

“Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Verses 29, 30.

Again, judgment language, describing the time when the results are evaluated and justice is meted out.

This parable reminds us of the absolute necessity of service in the Christian life. It is not enough to receive–we must also give. If we do not grow, we die. It’s as simple as that. And it is as we work with Christ in working for others that we are working out our own salvation.

We are not to wait to begin our work for Christ. We are to follow through on the initial desire to share, for no sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious Friend he has found in Jesus. The saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we shall have something to tell. Like Philip when he found the Saviour, we shall invite others into His presence.

So, no sooner does one come to Christ than he is given a talent or two or five. He is given the equipment to get started. He sees the love of Christ, and he has something to tell. In fact, the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. He will not be able to hold his peace.

Then how was it possible for this man with the one talent to bury it in the earth? He should have been constrained to take it out and double it. Isn’t it supposed to happen automatically? If the impulse or desire to witness comes spontaneously when we have been born again, then at first glance it would seem that this warning about burying talents would be completely unnecessary.

But look again. Is the parable saying that it is impossible to try to hide the truth and bury it out of sight? Or is it only saying that it is impossible to succeed? The man in the parable thought he could keep the one talent to himself, but he found out that a talent is not something you can keep. You either use it, or you lose it.

You Can’t Keep Your Parakeet in Tupperware!

Suppose I told you that you cannot keep your parakeet shut up in a Tupperware container, that if you have a parakeet, you will not be able to keep him in your lettuce crisper. Would that mean that your parakeet was so strong that no matter how hard you tried, he would not be able to break out and get away? Or would that mean that if you were foolish enough to try it, you wouldn’t have a parakeet very long–all you’d have would be a pathetic little pile of feathers?

That’s the way it is in the Christian witness. We shall not be able to hold our peace, because if we try, we lose it! We cannot shut the truth up in our hearts, because we lose it if it is not shared. And if we don’t tell what the Lord has done for us while we have something to tell, it won’t be long before we will no longer have anything to say. There is danger for those who do little or nothing for Christ. The grace of God will not long abide in the soul of him who, having had great privileges and opportunities, remains silent. Such a person will soon find that he has nothing to tell.

The basic premise of the Christian religion is that all are workers. We may work in different ways, our talents may differ, but there is one common denominator. We will have something to tell about Jesus.

Sometimes people talk about the silent witness. My, but the silent witness is popular! Everybody wants to be a silent witness. I’ve heard church members say, “If I just bake a nice loaf of bread and take it to my sick neighbor, I’m witnessing. If I keep my car washed and my yard neat, I’m witnessing. If I work hard at my job and am honest in my business dealing, I’m witnessing.”

Are those things important? Sure they are. But would it be possible for an atheist to bake a loaf of good bread and take it to a sick neighbor? Would it be possible for an infidel to keep his car washed and his lawn mowed? Would it be possible for the agnostic to work hard at his job and deal honestly in his business?

The difference between the Christian and the one who accepts only a social gospel is that the Christian has something to tell. And if he doesn’t tell, he soon will find that he no longer has anything to tell!

What have you had to tell about the Lord Jesus this week? Have you been able to go beyond being a nice person, a good neighbor, a moralist? Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? That’s the starting place. You have to begin in your closet, getting acquainted with Him for yourself. But you don’t stay in the closet. You go about your day, but with a difference: you have something to tell. You have a message that the one who does not know God does not have. And that is what makes the difference.

Back to the Judgment

With that in mind, let’s go back to the judgment scene. Is Christ telling His disciples that the decision in the judgment will be based on how many sick calls and food baskets and alms for the poor have been given? No! All of those things are good in themselves, but there is far more involved. Christ Himself told us not to labor for the meat which perishes, but for everlasting life. How could He be settling the decisions for eternal life on the basis of food baskets and articles of clothing given away, valuable though those may be?

Let’s look a little deeper and see the spiritual meaning of this parable about the judgment. He says that in ministering to others, we are ministering to Him. And He says, “I was hungry, and ye gave me meat.” Is that talking about physical food, or could it also be talking about the Bread of Life? Isn’t He the One who said, in John 6,

“My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed”?

“This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” Verses 55, 50.

So, what have you done to share the bread of life? That’s the question.

Jesus said, “I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink.” Was Jesus talking about the waters of this world? He’s the One who said it in John 4:13, 14,

“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

“I was a stranger and ye took me in.” When we bring someone to Christ, then it can be said,

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19.

“Naked and ye clothed me.” When we ourselves have been clothed in the garments of Christ’s righteousness, we can offer the same to others, sharing with them the “white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.” Revelation 3:18.

“I was sick, and ye visited me.” Those who have never learned of Christ and the good news of the salvation provided are sick. In fact, we are told,

“The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores.” Isaiah 1:5, 6.

“I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Those who are captives to Satan’s control are in his prison house. The time will come when all will look upon him, and say, “Is this the man … that opened not the house of his prisoners?” Isaiah 14:16, 17. The worst kind of bondage there is is a slavery to sin, and the greatest freedom comes in the salvation Christ has to offer. There are people today who are behind bars, but who are free. But there are far more who are free, yet who are prisoners.

In the time of judgment, when the records of all are brought to light, what will the question be? It will be whether or not we have continued in fellowship and communion with Christ and in service with Him. We cannot long continue to fellowship with Him unless we join Him in working for a world that is in need. In ministering to others, we find not only our own salvation, but the greatest happiness of our lives as well.