Matthew 25:40
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me.’”
Halleluyah!
Jesus was a practical teacher. He lived as he taught, demonstrating the culture of God’s kingdom. Often times we think of the kingdom of God as a place of eternal bliss, where all our needs are met, a place with no worries and no struggles. While this is an understanding we share about the kingdom, we cannot make the mistake of thinking we exist in a mindless state in the kingdom of God. The eternal bliss that is the kingdom of God, where all our needs are met, where worries and struggles don’t exist is due to the fact that we now exist in a kingdom where we perpetually demonstrate the culture of God’s kingdom. In the kingdom we truly love one another, support one another, a place where we do not plot against each other and do things for each other for advantage or selfish gain. Can you imagine such a kingdom? Can you imagine what the accomplishments would be? That is the kingdom of God.
Matthew 25: 32-46 begins with a separation of sheep and goats. The story is of those deciding to DO works of righteousness especially to the least. The hungry, the thirsty, the naked, and the prisoners, are categorical examples of society’s least. They are the types most of us don’t spend much time thinking about let alone being around. Nevertheless, they exist and are with us every day. Jesus is explicit that when we do righteous works concerning the least of his brethren, we do it to him and are rewarded with eternal life but those who refuse to help the least are dismissed by Christ and banished into everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46). Why? The reason is because the kingdom of God IS righteousness (Romans 14:17) and is made so because of the type of persons who dwell there. Therefore, it will only accommodate those who desire and demonstrate righteous acts. The kingdom of God is not just a habitation; it’s a habitation for those with habits of righteousness.
God is the king of righteousness and Christ is our righteousness and we his people must abide and bear the fruit of his righteousness. Jesus said in John 15:2,
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away…”
The believer knows that the kingdom of God starts right here on earth by abiding in Jesus Christ and bearing fruit in him. To bear fruit in Jesus Christ is to DO the works of righteousness.
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