Matthew 25:37Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Lord does not hunger for Himself, but rather for His faithful followers; He does not thirst for His own well-being, but for the needs of the impoverished. The Lord is not naked in Himself—He is the one who provides clothing for all—but in relation to His servants. He is not afflicted in Himself, for He is capable of healing all ailments and conquering death, but in connection with His followers. He is not a stranger in Himself—He possesses both heaven and earth—but rather among His servants. And while He is not imprisoned in His own being—He has the authority to liberate anyone from suffering—He identifies with His saints in their trials. Thus, you can see, beloved, that the saints do not exist solely for themselves: as they endure hardships for the Lord's glory, so too does the Lord participate in these sufferings alongside His saints.

It is the one who, like the Apostle, 'considers everything to be a loss in order to gain Christ, and to be found in Him not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith' (Philippians 3:8-9). Another Apostle writes, 'If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness' (1 John 1:9). The active pursuit of purification through repentance, the sincere quest of faith for the grace of Christ, and the diligent practice of every virtue with grace's assistance—this is the path of righteousness in which the humble Christian continuously recognizes his own lack of righteousness, and at its conclusion, grace reveals him as a perfectly righteous person. It may not be feasible or even wise to insist that you, dear brethren, be completely confident that you are on this path; however, it is essential to urge you to carefully examine yourselves to determine if your typical paths in life diverge from this sole path to salvation. One who has not sincerely and deeply repented has yet to take the first step toward the truth. One who does not seek their righteousness in Christ will not discover it elsewhere. Whoever fails to practice truth, meaning the virtues available to them, indeed does not traverse the road that elevates believers to the status of the righteous.

Conversely, those who fail to show mercy to their neighbors shall be deemed merciless towards Christ Himself in the divine judgment. This fearsome global judgment will serve as the final reckoning, determining the eternal fate of every individual. The initial act of this judgment, following the appearance of the Son of Man in divine splendor alongside His holy angels, will involve the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, placing the former on His right and the latter on His left. Subsequently, the Lord will invite the righteous to partake in the eternal joy that God has prepared for them from ages past, while the unrighteous will be irrevocably separated from Him and cast into everlasting fire, enduring eternal suffering, a fate designed for all of God's foes, particularly for the devil and his angels.

They do not only refrain from boasting about their acts of kindness, but they are also uncomfortable when others notice these acts; they recognize the triviality of their deeds in light of what they ought to have done and fervently desired; referring to themselves as unworthy servants who have achieved nothing (Luke 17:10), they express surprise when their good actions are regarded as remarkable. With the same humility and sincere astonishment, they will respond to Christ at the Last Judgment, saying, “Lord, when did we ever see You? When did we see You hungry and provide for You? Thirsty, and give You drink? When did You come to us as a stranger, and we welcomed You? When did we clothe You when You were naked? When have we encountered You sick or in prison, and offered You comfort?” And the King will respond to them (Matthew 25:40): “Indeed, you did not do any of these things directly to Me; but did I not say that whoever welcomes one of these little ones welcomes Me? And truly, you did not turn away anyone who sought your assistance in My name; you fed the hungry, quenched the thirst of those in need, clothed the naked, offered hospitality to the stranger, and comforted the sick as well as the imprisoned. All the acts of kindness you extended to the needy, the suffering, and those who required your support were done unto Me. Go forth and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven!”

The King replied, saying, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” The least of the Lord's brethren are the poor, the broken, the lame, the blind, the unfortunate, the suffering, and the oppressed, who are unable to repay the kindness shown to them (Luke 14:13, 14). The bond between Jesus Christ and His faithful disciples is the most intimate (Eph. 5:30), which is why He instructed His followers that receiving them is equivalent to receiving Him (Matt. 10:40). The Lord associates the good deeds done for them with Himself, "humbling Himself to the likeness of one in need to lead us towards generosity and, through generosity, to joy" (St. Philaret of Moscow). St. Philaret also stated that the actions of humanity are truly pure and worthy before the Lord only when performed in the person of another for the Lord Jesus: “Pure faith sees the Lord in all things and through all things, recognizing Him as the center of every intention and act, acting for His sake and seeing Him in those who are benefited, as His brothers.”