Matthew 25:39Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Lord of the universe certainly does not require such a trivial debt, both for Himself and for those He references; yet, in His astonishing goodness, He humbles Himself to take on the appearance of a debtor, aiming to inspire you to charity and, through that charity, to blessedness. He borrows from you the trifles, the dust, the perishables you call material wealth, to grant Him the opportunity, without compromising His justice, to repay you with genuine goodness, immortality, and unfathomable joy that you cannot even begin to measure.' 'The Lord refers to the poor as His brothers,' states Nicephorus, Archbishop of Astrakhan, 'because He truly shared in our flesh and blood, having become Man and sanctified the human nature. Thus, He is unashamed to call them brothers, declaring, I will proclaim Your name to My brothers (Hebrews 2:11). He calls them lesser brothers due to their humble state, just as He Himself lowered His station by being obedient even unto death, and the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).' 'What a brief journey it is,' says St. Philaret, 'and yet how far it leads! What a simple walk, and yet how high it elevates you, swifter than a chariot! With the thought of Christ, you offer a mere crumb of bread, and you are granted access to the kingdom; you clothe the naked with fading garments and receive an everlasting ribbon of truth; you approach a stranger, visit the sick or imprisoned, and with those very steps, you find yourself on the right hand of the Judge coming in the glory of Christ, joining the assembly of the blessed of the heavenly Father. If you tenderly console a beggar and provide him charity, even if it is small or seemingly insignificant, you are aiding the Lord in preserving and saving that beggar. Thus, your kindness towards the poor is a gift to the Lord. Redeemed by the great Savior, you become an instrument of salvation, a small savior for these little ones, and, if I may be bold enough to say so, in some sense a benefactor to your Savior, for He stated, 'Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' However, this blessed fate can belong only to those who act wisely and with discernment. A charitable act devoid of genuine and heartfelt engagement with the afflicted is like a body without a soul. Reflect deeply on the words of the world's Judge: inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me. If you help the unfortunate solely out of natural compassion, it is merely an act of sympathy. For your charitable deeds to be spiritually virtuous, worthy of Christ, you must perceive the needy one as His lesser brother. With this perspective, the heart of a Christian exclaims, How wonderful it is that your gratitude and love for Christ can be demonstrated towards one whom He calls His lesser brother. For you, Christ descended from His heavenly throne to earth, endured the trials of human life, suffered, and died; will you not descend to aid His lesser brother, no matter how deep his humiliation or calamity? Would you not be delighted not only to fill his void with your abundance but also to share in his deprivation and willingly alleviate his suffering? Therefore, for your acts of compassion to be pure, worthy of the Lord, justified, and blessed, they must be performed as unto the Lord Himself. Some may believe that at the Last Judgment, the Lord will only seek out acts of mercy; thus, no other virtues are necessary for salvation: no fasting, prayer, or penitential practices... Do not deceive yourself with such thoughts, beloved; they stem from the adversary's deceit. Remember that acts of mercy will please God and secure your salvation only when performed in profound humility of heart, where you do not regard them as commendable or measure their worth. Just as the righteous will be astonished at the mercy of the Just Judge, questioning why He shows favor to them. But if you attach a value to your good deeds, know that such deeds will lose all significance in God’s sight. To learn what true Christian mercy is, and the kind of mercy one might hope to receive from God, first embrace spiritual poverty, mourn over your transgressions, cultivate a meek heart, and earnestly desire the righteousness and justification that comes from Christ. Only then will you be able to present to God works of mercy that are truly salvific.' 'Will there be individuals,' St. Philaret wonders, 'who shun this easy and gratifying path, too lethargic to embark upon it? Reason would swiftly deem this improbable, yet unfortunate experience reveals that this is quite common among many. Oh, poor wanderers of the earth! Where do we go if we do not pursue the way of Christian charity unto the charity of Christ? For we face but two paths: the path of drawing closer to Christ and the path of distancing ourselves from Him.'

This solemn global judgment will be the definitive assessment, determining every individual's fate for eternity. The initial event of this judgment will occur once the Son of Man manifests in divine splendor, joined by His holy angels, and all nations are brought before Him. He will then separate the righteous from the wicked, placing the righteous on His right and the wicked on His left. Subsequently, the Lord will invite the righteous into the eternal joy that has been prepared for them by God from the foundation of the world, while the wicked will be eternally separated from Him and cast into everlasting fire, an enduring torment prepared for all those who oppose God, especially for the devil and his angels.

They recognize the smallness of their contributions compared to what they ought to have accomplished and ardently pursued; viewing themselves as unworthy servants who have done nothing but their duty, they are astonished when their good deeds are regarded as remarkable. With the same humility and genuine astonishment, they will respond to Christ at the Final Judgment, "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 did we see You sick or in prison, and visit You?" And the King will reply: "Indeed, you did not do these things to Me directly; however, did I not declare that whoever receives one of these little ones receives Me? Truly, you did not turn away anyone who sought your help in My name; you fed the hungry, offered drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, welcomed the stranger, and comforted the sick and imprisoned. All the kindness you extended to the poor, the needy, and the afflicted was as if you were doing it for Me. Go forth and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven!"

The King responded, "Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me." The least of the Lord's brothers include the poor, the disabled, the blind, the downtrodden, and the suffering, those who cannot repay kindness shown to them (Luke 14:13, 14). The bond between Jesus Christ and His faithful is profoundly intimate (Ephesians 5:30), as He assured His disciples that welcoming them is akin to welcoming Him (Matthew 10:40). Acts of kindness performed for them, the Lord credits to Himself, "humbling Himself to the state of our debtor in order to inspire us towards charity and through charity towards happiness" (St. Philaret of Moscow). In essence, as St. Philaret of Moscow articulated, human deeds are pure and deserving of the Lord's recognition only when they are performed in service to the Lord Jesus: "true faith sees the Lord in all things and through all things, acknowledges Him as the focus of every intention and action, performs good deeds for His sake, and recognizes Him within those who receive kindness, as His brothers."