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2026 Special Lecture 2 February 1, 2026

The Way We Love Jesus: Loving the Least

Matthew 25:31-46

Key Verse: 25:40

1. In this parable, how is the coming of the Son of Man described (31, 34)? What will he do? How is the universality of this final judgment expressed? What two kinds of people are there (33)?
2. What does the King say to the sheep on his right hand (34)? What is their inheritance and why do they receive the inheritance (35-36, Rev 21:1-5)? Does the King use different criteria for the salvation (35, Eph 2:8)? Why does Jesus call those on his right-the sheep “the righteous” (37)?
3. What questions did they ask the King (37-39)? What truth does he reveal to them (40)? Why did the King identify our love for his brothers and sisters as love towards him (Gal 2:20, John 14:20)? How can we love Jesus? Who are “the least of these”? What shows that their inner lives have been changed?
4. What is the sad news the King tells those on his left–the goats (41-43)? Why must they depart and why were they cursed (42)? Why didn’t they even know what they had failed to do? What reveals their unchanged hearts–their selfishness (1 John 4:20)?

2026 Special Message 2 February 1, 2026

The Way We Love Jesus: Loving the Least

Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Last year, we studied Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes the Kingdom of God. Though we could not cover chapters 24 and 25 due to time restriction, these chapters are known as the Olivet Discourse, for it took place on the Mount of Olives (Matt 24:3). So, Jesus’ first sermon in Matthew’s Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount, and his last sermon is the Olivet Discourse. In Chapter 24, Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Temple and signs of the end times. In Chapter 25, Jesus delivered three parables in connection to the last judgment: the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Parable of the Talents, and lastly the Sheep and the Goats. Only Matthew recorded these three parables. Todays message is the final segment of his last sermon. Through this message, May God bless us to learn about how Jesus will judge people and how we prepare for the final judgment while living in this world!

Today’s passage is known as the parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Picture#1). Sheep and goats are so cute and we would like to play and cuddle with them. The title also sounds like a bedtime story for our children. But in verse 31, Jesus used his own Messianic title, the Son of Man. Generally, Jesus used other symbols in parables like a bridegroom, a master, an owner, a farmer, etc. Symbols mean there is room for interpretations. However, in this parable, Jesus directly used his Messianic title: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory”. It means, literally, that Jesus will come again in his glory to judge people as it is written in this passage. There is no other interpretation. Therefore, we have to take this passage very seriously. In a sense, today’s passage is not a parable but a revelation about the final judgment.

Look at verse 31. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.” In his first coming, Jesus was placed in a manger. He was a man of suffering, despised and rejected by people. But when he comes again, Jesus will come in his glory with all the heavenly angels surrounding him and sit on his glorious throne. He will dress in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.  His face will be like the sun shining in all its brilliance. In his right hand he will hold seven stars, and coming out of his mouth is a sharp, double-edged sword.  His blazing eyes will penetrate all the hypocrisy of the people and see their inner most thoughts. When he speaks a word, all evil powers and death will be destroyed. When he speaks a word, even the dead in their graves will come out and stand before him to be judged.

Look at verses 32 and 33. “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

In Israel, shepherds like to pasture sheep and goats together (Picture #2). Sheep cannot see well and they tend to not move. But goats are independent and curious. They actively search for grass and sheep follow them eating the grass. So, if goats and sheep are mixed together, they mutually benefit. But at night, shepherds would separate sheep from goats to have them rest. They would separate them perfectly with each other, without any mistake.

Likewise, we live in mixed world: believers and non-believers, good and evil together. Many times, evil prevails and the believers suffer. But it is beneficial for the believers, for these mixed societies sanctify the believers as disciples of Jesus Christ. But when the time comes, our Lord Jesus will perfectly separate one from another: one for eternal life and the other for eternal judgment.

At that time, all the nations will be gathered before him. No one is outside of his jurisdiction. It is inescapable. No matter who you are and what you did, you have to stand before him. There is no immunity from this judgment. So, the US President would stand there along with the homeless people sleeping on the Number 1 subway train. The US Supreme Court Judges would stand there along with felony charged prisoners. Husband and wife, parents and children would stand there to be judged. There is no way around this judgment.

Also, I want to mention that this final judgment is not like a trial court where prosecutors or defense attorneys are arguing or plea bargaining or negotiating. This final judgment is not about negotiation but execution of judgment, which is final and irreversible. Nobody could say, “Have mercy on me.” It will be too late for that. Nobody can change or reduce their judgment.

Look at verse 34. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Here the kingdom refers to the kingdom of God, the eternal life. Why do the people on his right enter the kingdom of God? What is the reason? Verses 35-36 states “35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

As we read these verses, it sounds like that in order to enter the kingdom of God, we have to do philanthropic services like feeding the homeless, or serving hospice or prisoner ministry. Those services are absolutely good to do. But at the same time, we know that performing philanthropic services, or any other good deeds itself do not give us salvation. We are saved only by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. And salvation is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 states “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

Then how can we know that these people are saved by God’s grace and not by their good deeds?

First, the King called them, “You who are blessed by my Father.” How can we be blessed by God? Matthew 5:3 states “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Who is the poor in spirit? The poor in spirit are the ones who acknowledge their sins. They have felt and writhed in pain with sins they have committed. They are earnestly seeking for righteousness. God blesses those poor in spirit by giving them our Savior Jesus Christ, who shed his blood for sins of the world.

Second, the King called them “the righteous” in verse 37. Giving to the needy is a righteous act. But doing something righteous does not make us righteous. We cannot make ourselves righteous by doing righteous deeds. The Bible told us that no one is righteous, not even one (Ro 3:10). Righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile (Ro3:22). Therefore, we know that these people became righteous through their faith in Jesus Christ.

Third, the King told them, “Take your inheritance” We do not “earn” inheritance by our work. We “earn” wages because we work hard, day and night. In contrast, we are to “receive” or “take” our inheritance because it is freely given. By the way, what is inheritance? Inheritance is a transfer of property to an heir or heirs upon the property owner’s death. Inheritance generally involves family. The achievement you accomplished does not matter. If you think you are ugly, it does not matter. As long as you are born in the family, you are entitled to receive the inheritance of your family.

You may think, “How can I get God’s inheritance. I am already born in my own family.” Don’t worry. God already made a way for all of us to be born again through Jesus Christ. John 3:3 and 5 states, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again… no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Jesus who created the eternal kingdom of God, died on the cross to give us the eternal kingdom as our inheritance. Whoever repents their sins and accepts Jesus as their Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit will dwell in them and they are to be born as the children of God. Whoever becomes children of God are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ for the eternal kingdom (Ro 8:17).

Look at verse 35-36 again “35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

However, astonishingly, in this passage, the King did not ask the people; “Do you believe in Jesus?” or “Are you a born again Christian?” to decide to enter the eternal kingdom. Why?

In Christian culture, many people confess that they believe in Jesus and go to church on special occasions. Yet, their daily lives are the same as that of non-believers. Even so, they firmly believe that they are going to heaven. Even, a book titled “Christians going to hell” was published to reflect our current Christian culture. A confession without transformation cannot guarantee the eternal kingdom. God does see not only our confession but also our actual life. We cannot deceive God with empty words. God cannot be mocked. God sees our actual life and its fruits. Previously I said, “Doing something righteous does not make us righteous.” But if we are righteous, we will do righteous deeds. Whether people recognize it or not, whether we are in a public or private place, we will do righteous acts. If we become righteous by having faith in Jesus, then we will come to follow and obey the righteous word of God. It may take time. But eventually and definitely, we are going to bear the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ (Philip1:11).

Therefore, we should not give up on our race of faith. Jesus will make us grow and bear fruits of eternal life. Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Jesus himself endured the cross, scorning its shame and finally sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb 12:1-2). May God bless each of us to persevere in our race of faith to the end and receive the crown of life and enter the kingdom of God!

In this passage, the righteous people bore the fruit of love by giving to the needy. They gave something to the needy whenever they had a chance: food, drink, clothing, etc. To them, these righteous acts were so common and routine. It was nothing special. So, the righteous asked the King, when did we do it to “you”? When did we meet you?

Look at verse 40. “Then the King will answer ’Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Here we see that Jesus identifies himself with His brothers and sisters. In Acts, Saul persecuted the believers. Jesus Christ appeared to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul never met Jesus and never persecuted him personally. But Jesus took the persecution of the believers as his own persecution.

Being a Christian means we accepted Jesus in our hearts. As we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. John 14:20 states, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” Therefore, each of us who accepts Jesus in our hearts is like a little Jesus. Also, Jesus prayed for non-believers who will believe in Jesus in his high priest prayer in John 17. Therefore, we have to treat our fellow Christians and non-believers like we treat Jesus.

In this passage, Jesus indicates that “one of the least of these brothers and sisters.” There are so many interpretations about who the least of these is. The least could be the homeless or the patients in hospitals. The least could be campus students who are helpless without knowing Jesus. The least could be our own family. The least could be our own enemy. The least could be the ones that we do not want to love or is hard to love. Though I cannot identify a specific group as a representative of Jesus, but one thing is clear that the least is near us who is in need. The least is among our neighbors.

Jesus taught us the greatest commandment of the Law.

“37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Mat 22: 37-40).”

Also, our church’s key verse this year is that “5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deut 6:5).”

How can we love God? How can we love Jesus? They are all invisible. According to today’s passage, we can love Jesus through loving the least of these. Jesus deems the love we do for the least as our love for him. This is the criteria that lead us into the kingdom of God!

Also, it is worthy to mention that to enter the kingdom of God, we do not need to do something big or special. In these two verses, the King enumerated six types of services, which are all basic needs: a meal, a cup of water, visiting or attending the sick or prisoner. They are all small enough to mention, but big enough to have us enter the Kingdom of God. Yet, they are not empty words but all actual services.

I really thank God that I have grown in our church community. Our NY coworkers are struggling with the high cost of living. Despite their suffering from high taxes, rent, and mortgage, when someone is in need, they are willing to help. When someone needed food, our coworkers fed them; when someone was sick, they visited and looked after; when someone lost their parents, they supported them; when some needed rides, they drove them; when guests came, they opened their houses and invited them in. Last year, our church was able to help sick co-workers and many missionaries in Latin America who were in need, specifically in Bolivia, Panama, Venezuela, and Paraguay. I believe that our King Jesus would remember each of our coworker’s love, and is willing to accept them into the eternal kingdom. May God continue to bless us to expand our services throughout NY, North America, Latin America, and whole world!

Look at verse 41. 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The King turns to his left and judges them to eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Wow! Why are they punished so severely? Why are they so cursed? Did they commit a felony or serious crimes? Did they kill someone? No. The reason they are punished is that they did nothing to Jesus. Look at verses 42-43. “42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” They asked, “Lord, when did we see you, and not help you?” In this question, what they said was, if we had seen you, we would have helped you. But we did not see you and we could not help you. But the King responded, “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Then without any further questions, they were sent away to eternal punishment.

It means they saw not only the least, but many people around them who were in need, but they ignored them. And Jesus took it as they ignored Jesus.

That is the same criteria Jesus will use at the gates of eternal fire.

Therefore, at the final judgment, it does not matter how hard we worked in this world. It does not matter how great achievements we accomplished. It does not matter how much money we made in this world. It does not matter what high position we took in this world. But it is matter how we treated the least of these and how we loved our neighbors. The way we treat the least of these including our neighbors, is the way we treat Jesus.

In this passage, what was the most repeated word? It is “I” and “You.” “I” was hungry and “you” gave me something. “I” was thirsty, and “you” gave me something, “I” was a stranger and “you” invited me in. It is all about “I” and “You.” The word that we shall not hear from Jesus at the gates of heaven is “’I’ do not know ‘you’.” If we ignore the relationship between “I” and “You,” Jesus will also say, “I do not know you.” But if we serve and love with one another even the least of these, Jesus will say to us, “I know you.”

At the last day, Jesus will ask us, what did you do for me? We have to prepare an answer while we are living in this world. I pray that we may love the least of these so that we may love Jesus. I pray that all of us may hear the welcoming remarks from Jesus “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” May God richly bless each of you this week and this year!