Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 25:45
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.
45. Inasmuch as ye did it not ] Men will be judged not only for evil done, but for good left undone.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Inasmuch as ye did it not … – By not doing good to the followers of Christ, they showed that they had no real love to Him. By not doing good to the poor and needy, to the stranger and the prisoner, they showed that they had not his spirit, and were not like him, and were unfit for his kingdom. Let it be observed here that the public ground of their condemnation is the neglect of duty, or because they did it not. We are not to suppose that they will not also be condemned for their open and positive sins. See Rom 2:9; Eph 5:5; Col 3:5-6; 1Co 6:9-10; Rev 21:8; Psa 9:17. But their neglect of doing good to him and his people may be the public reason of condemning them:
- Because he wished to give pre-eminence to those virtues, to excite his followers to do them.
- People should be punished for neglect as well as for positive sin. Sin is a violation of the law, or refusing to do what God commands.
- Nothing better shows the true state of the heart than the proper performance of those duties, and the true character can be as well tested by neglecting them as by open crimes.
If it is asked how the pagan who never heard of the name of Christ can be justly condemned in this manner, it may be answered:
1.That Christ acknowledges all the poor, and needy, and strangers of every land, as his brethren. See Mat 25:40.
2.That by neglecting the duties of charity they show that they have not his spirit are not like him.
3.That these duties are clearly made known by conscience and by the light of nature, as well as by revelation, and people may therefore be condemned for the neglect of them.
4.That they are not condemned for not believing in Christ, of whom they have not heard, but for a wrong spirit, neglect of duty, open crime; for being unlike Christ, and therefore unfit for heaven.
One of the least of these – These on my right hand. My brethren. Those who are saved.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Then shall he answer them,…. With a stern countenance, in great resentment, as one highly offended, and with the authority of a judge:
saying, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me: since they had given no food not to the least of his brethren and friends that stood at his right hand, no not to anyone of them; not so much as the least bit of bread to them when hungry, nor a drop of water to them when thirsty; had not taken them into their houses, nor provided the meanest lodging for them, when they were exposed in the streets to the inclemency of the weather, and insults of men; nor gave them the least rag to cover them, when they were almost naked, and ready to perish; nor did they minister to their wants, either physical, or food, or give attendance, when on sick beds, and in prison houses; therefore he reckoned this neglect of them, and want of compassion to them, all one as if he himself in person had been so treated: and if then judgment will righteously proceed against men for sins of omission, much more for sins of commission; and if such will be dealt with in this manner, who have taken no notice, and shown no respect to the members of Christ; what will the end be of those, who are injurious to them, their persons, and properties, and persecute and kill them?
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
45. Ye did it not to me He here imputes an infinite demerit to their character and conduct. All their sins of omission and commission were against the very person of him of him, the incarnation of the infinite mercy of God. By the infinite dignity of his person does he measure the infinite demerit of their sin. Hence eternity alone can measure the length of their penalty.
We have already shown clearly to our readers, we trust, that the phrase “these my brethren” refers to the apostles and messengers of the Gospel of Christ. The rejection, by these wicked ones, of these was a rejection of the Gospel and a rejection of all faith in Christ. No positive crimes, no murders, treasons, sacrileges are in this colloquy imputed to them. Their primal and all-comprehensive sin is the rejection of Christ through the ministration of his Gospel. From this cause, whatever sins they have committed stand all unforgiven. They stand without a cover in all their life’s guilt, in complete exposure to the full unrestrained measure of justice without mercy. There is no need then for our Saviour to call over their catalogue of sins.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Then will he answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of these least, you did it not to me.’ ”
And His reply is that it is because they have failed to reveal their love and compassion towards the followers of Christ, whom they see as ‘the least’, and have therefore failed to demonstrate it towards Him. In the end it is because by doing so they have rejected Him. It is because their hearts are not truly right towards God.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Ver. 45. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one, &c. ] Omissions then are damnable sins. Ammonites and Moabites were bastardized and banished the beauty of holiness, the tabernacle of God, to the tenth generation, because they met not God’s Israel with bread and water in the wilderness, Deu 23:3-4 , Not to do justice is injustice; not to show mercy is cruelty. Where then will oppressors appear, that grind the faces of the poor, that quaff their tears, and make music of their shrieks? “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl,” &c.,Jas 5:1-3Jas 5:1-3 . If not relieving of the poor damns men, what shall robbing do, but double damnation?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 25:45. , of the least of these) Our Lord does not add, My brethren, as in Mat 25:40. The wicked are ignorant of the relation which the righteous stand in to Christ, and will remain so.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Inasmuch: Mat 25:40, Gen 12:3, Num 24:9, Psa 105:15, Pro 14:31, Pro 17:5, Pro 21:13, Zec 2:8, Joh 15:18, Joh 15:19, Act 9:5, 1Jo 3:12-20, 1Jo 5:1-3
Reciprocal: Gen 3:17 – Because Gen 27:29 – cursed Job 31:32 – The stranger Isa 63:9 – all their Mat 5:18 – verily Mat 10:40 – He that Mat 12:50 – the same Mat 18:5 – receive Mat 28:10 – my Mar 9:42 – it Luk 8:21 – My mother Luk 9:48 – Whosoever shall receive this Joh 2:2 – his Act 9:4 – why Act 22:7 – why Act 22:8 – whom Act 26:15 – I am 1Co 8:12 – ye sin against 1Co 13:1 – have not 1Co 16:22 – love 2Co 8:4 – the ministering
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Verse 45
Our Savior teaches, by the preceding instructions, that a heart of kindness and compassion, and a sincere regard for the welfare and happiness of others, totally diverse from the spirit of unfeeling selfishness which reigns generally in the world, is necessary to prepare us for heaven. By what means past sins were to be remitted, and the human heart formed into the new image which he thus describes, was more fully explained by his apostles, after he had risen. In fact, in all our Savior’s conversation and instructions, it seems to have been his design simply to bring this image of moral excellence to view, and to give it a permanent and conspicuous position before mankind. This was a necessary preliminary step. The way was afterwards revealed, through the writings and preaching of the apostles, by which this new spiritual condition was to be attained,–viz., by reliance upon the death of Christ, as an expiation for past sins, and upon the power of the Divine Spirit to work the great change in the desires and tendencies of the soul.