ESV Study Bible | English Standard Version
Psalm 14:4
Psalm 36:3
Job 21:14-15
Matthew 25:41-43
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, e ‘Depart from me, you f cursed, into g the eternal fire prepared for h the devil and his angels. 42 For i I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Matthew 25:45
45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, j you did not do it to me.’
Matthew 23:23
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Matt. 24:1–25:46 The Delay, Return, and Judgment of Messiah. These two chapters are often called the “Olivet Discourse” because Jesus “sat on the Mount of Olives” (24:3) when he spoke these words. It is the fifth of Jesus' five major discourses recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (see Introduction: Key Themes; Literary Features). Addressed to his disciples, it is intended to give them a prophetic overview of the events to transpire in both the near and distant future.
Matt. 25:31–46 Judgment at the End. Jesus' disciples are to wait patiently in anticipation of reward at his return, when the unprepared and unrepentant will receive only judgment.
Matt. 25:41–46 Then he will say to those on his left. In contrast to the sheep (who will “inherit the kingdom”; v. 34), the goats are condemned to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The reason for their condemnation is that they are guilty of sins of omission—that is, they have refused to show compassion to the least of these, which is the same as if they failed to have any care for Jesus himself. Given the evident unrighteousness of their hearts, they are condemned to eternal punishment. Some interpreters hold that this judgment (these will go away) will occur prior to the inauguration of Jesus' earthly millennial kingdom, and that the “sheep” (v. 33) are those blessed to enter and live under Jesus' dominion. Others equate this judgment scene with that which closes the earthly age, just prior to the eternal state (Rev. 20:11–13). The most important point, however, is that judgment will come.
Matt. 21:1–23:39 The Messiah Asserts His Authority over Jerusalem. Jesus' authority over Jerusalem is revealed in his triumphal entry (21:1–11), actions in the temple (21:12–17), cursing the fig tree (21:18–22), debates with religious leaders (21:23–22:46), and woes pronounced on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (23:1–39).
Matt. 23:13–36 Woes of Judgment against the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Jesus now addresses the scribes and Pharisees directly, declaring a series of seven “woes” upon them that echoes the criticisms he has repeated throughout his ministry. These seven woes stand in contrast to the first seven “blessings” that introduce the Sermon on the Mount and describe Jesus' true disciples (5:3–9). (For a similar list of woes, see Luke 11:37–54.)
Matt. 23:23 Fourth woe: neglecting the weighty matters of the law. tithe. The Mosaic law required giving a tenth of all that one produced for the ongoing work of the Lord through the Levites and priests (e.g., Lev. 27:30–33). mint, dill, cumin. The Pharisees were so scrupulous in following this injunction that they paid a tithe even from their smallest garden crops. Jesus does not say that they were wrong in this (“These you ought to have done”), but that they should do this without neglecting the far more important matters.
