Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 25:44
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Verse 44. Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, c.] It is want of faith which in general produces hard-heartedness to the poor. The man who only sees with eyes of flesh is never likely to discover Christ in the person of a man destitute of the necessaries of life. Some pretend not to know the distressed because they have no desire to relieve them; but we find that this ignorance will not avail them at the bar of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Then shall they also answer him,…. As well as the righteous, being likewise astonished at what he had said, but on a different account;
saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Hence it is clear again, that these men were nominal Christians, who had made a profession of Christ: they own him as Lord; and suggest that they had seen him, and known him, though never in such circumstances; for if they had, such was their love to him, and great respect and veneration for him, as they pretend, they would, to be sure, have ministered unto him; and if ever they had seen him in such a case, which they could not call to mind, they could not believe, but they must have supplied him with all things necessary and convenient.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
44. Then shall they also answer him. The same kind of striking delineation which Christ had formerly employed is now repeated, in order to inform the reprobate, that their vain excuses, by which they now deceive themselves, will be of no avail to them at the last day. For whence comes the great cruelty of their pride towards the poor, but because they think that they will not be punished for despising them? To destroy this self-complacency, our Lord gives them warning, that they will one day feel—but when it will be too late—what they do not now deign to consider, that those who are now so greatly despised are not less esteemed by Christ than his own members.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(44) When saw we thee . . .?There is, as before, an unconsciousness of the greatness of the things that had been done for good or evil. Men thought that they were only neglecting their fellow men, and were, it may be, thinking that they had wronged no man. It is significant that the sins here are, all of them, sins of omission. As in the case of the parable of the Talents, the opportunities (here those that are common to all men, as there those that attached to some office or ministry in the Church) have simply not been used.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
44. They also answer him Such is the answer that wicked men’s hearts are now prepared to give him. Jesus puts it into their mouths here to show of how little worth it is in the trying time. What wicked man now believes he is deserving everlasting fire? What great hurt has he done? How cruel it is, and impossible to believe, that the everlasting company of the devil and his angels is a fit destiny for him? Christ shows in the answer what is his view of the solemn matter.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Then will they also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ”
Again they ask the question which reveals that they are ignorant of what they have done wrong, for to them Jesus Christ is irrelevant, and thus what happens to His followers does not matter. They cannot understand it. Here is this great Judge and He is ignoring all the good that they have done. What can He mean?
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 25:44 . Self-justification, by repelling the accusation as unwarranted.
] they too ; for their answer is in exact correspondence with that of the righteous.
. ] when saw we Thee hungry , etc., without ministering to Thee ? What was the occasion on which, according to Thy accusation, we saw Thee hungry, and did not give Thee food? Such an occasion never occurred; as we have never seen Thee in such circumstances, so can we never have refused Thee our good services. In this self-justification it is assumed that if they had seen Him, they would have shown their love toward Him.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Ver. 44. Lord, when saw we thee, &c. ] They were sand blind, and could not see Christ in poor Christians, , 2Pe 1:9 whom they should have looked upon as the only earthly angels, the dearly beloved of Christ’s soul, Jer 12:7 ; the house of his glory, Isa 60:7 ; an ornament of God, Eze 7:20 ; a royal diadem in the hand of Jehovah, Isa 62:3 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
44, 45. ] See note on Mat 25:37 .
The sublimity of this description surpasses all imagination Christ, as the Son of Man, the Shepherd, the King, the Judge as the centre and end of all human love, bringing out and rewarding his latent grace in those who have lived in love everlastingly punishing those who have quenched it in an unloving and selfish life and in the accomplishment of his mediatorial office, causing, even from out of the iniquities of a rebellious world, his sovereign mercy to rejoice against judgment.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 25:44 repeats in summary form the reply of the , utatis mutandis , rapidly enumerating the states of need, and disclaiming, with reference to all, neglect of service, ; Mat 25:45 repeats Mat 25:40 with the omission of and the addition of before .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
44, 45.] See note on Mat 25:37.
The sublimity of this description surpasses all imagination-Christ, as the Son of Man, the Shepherd, the King, the Judge-as the centre and end of all human love, bringing out and rewarding his latent grace in those who have lived in love-everlastingly punishing those who have quenched it in an unloving and selfish life-and in the accomplishment of his mediatorial office, causing, even from out of the iniquities of a rebellious world, his sovereign mercy to rejoice against judgment.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 25:44. , …, they also, etc.) The process is distinctly described: they will answer either altogether or one by one.-, …, When, etc.) The ignorance of the wicked, and their endeavour to justify themselves, will remain up to that time.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
when: Mat 25:24-27, Mat 7:22, 1Sa 15:13-15, 1Sa 15:20, 1Sa 15:21, Jer 2:23, Jer 2:35, Mal 1:6, Mal 2:17, Mal 3:13, Luk 10:29
Reciprocal: 2Sa 14:32 – if there Job 31:32 – The stranger Psa 26:9 – Gather not Mat 20:26 – minister Luk 6:46 – General 2Co 8:4 – the ministering 1Pe 4:10 – minister
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4-45
The ones on the left will have the same misunderstanding about the personal treatment that the others had, and they will be given the same explanation. They might have sometimes professed an interest in the needs of their brethren, but their expressions of sympathy were not accompanied with anything practical and hence no good was accomplished. In Jas 2:14-16 is a statement on this angle of the subject.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 25:44. When saw we thee, etc. A self-righteous plea of ignorance, implying that they would have done such good works, had they seen Him. The answer of the Lord in Mat 25:45, repeats the principle of Mat 25:40. Many fancy they would do good to Christ, who fail to see Him in the person of His followers; and the deceitful fancy often continues until the day of retribution.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 25:44-46. Then shall they answer, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, &c. So their endeavour to justify themselves will remain with the wicked even to that day! Perhaps, however, it may not be intended here to signify that the wicked shall make this answer in words: it is probably, rather, to be considered as the language of their hearts, which Christ perceiving, shall reply to as in the next verse. Multitudes will, no doubt, remember that they had often heard what reply will be made to such a plea: God grant that none who read it here may be in the number of those to whom it will be made! These shall go away into everlasting punishment So the word properly signifies, and not destruction, or annihilation, as some would understand it; and the righteous into life eternal Either, therefore, the punishment is strictly eternal, or the reward is not; the very same expression in the original being applied to the former as to the latter. It appears, that the Judge will speak first to the righteous in the audience of the wicked; and then to the wicked, who shall go away into everlasting fire in the sight of the righteous. Thus the damned shall have no view of the everlasting life, but the righteous will see the punishment of the ungodly. It is not only particularly observable here, 1st, that the punishment lasts as long as the reward: but, 2d, that this punishment is so far from ceasing at the end of the world, that it does not begin till then. To conclude, the issue of the judgment, as it is represented in this paragraph, is awful beyond description. If the meaning of this last short sentence were fully understood and duly considered, what an impression would it make upon the minds of men! Everlasting punishment! Eternal life! What is there that is not comprehended in these words? And how miserable are they who dare to venture their souls on the supposition that the important word , which is the same in both places, signifies a limited duration in either!