Understanding True Righteousness in Matthew 25

Daily Reflection: Matthew 25:37-40 — 11/26/2023

37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' — Matthew 25:37-40

Our tendencies to legalism cause us to read a to-do list into Jesus’s words. We see what the righteous did and their reward, then we hurry to a homeless shelter to serve “the least of these.”

This misses the point.

The righteous were the kinds of people who served with no thought of reward. They served the King without knowing it. This reveals something about who they were and, more importantly, where their righteousness was located.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬).

What kind of righteousness do the Pharisees have? Their righteousness was totally external; it was expressed in doing the right thing, keeping the law, cleaning the outside of the cup, etc.

What kind of righteousness exceeds that? Well, if the Pharisees righteousness is in doing good, the kind of righteousness that is better is in being good.

This is what characterized the righteousness in Matthew 25. They served the least of these because they were the kinds of people who would. They weren’t thinking of rewards, they were simply acting out who they were on the inside.

They experienced an inner transformation that caused them to see all people as worthy of serving. In other words, their righteousness “exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees” (Matthew 5:20), because it emerged from a righteous heart.

This parable is not meant to cause us to ask, “Am I serving the right people, doing the right things?” It’s meant to cause us to ask, “What kind of person am I becoming?”

Heavenly Father, you’ve sent your Spirit to do the necessary work of cleaning us up from the inside. Grant that we might be docile to the movements of your Spirit, as he shines a light in the dark spaces within us. And teach us to cooperate with him, to the end that we might become like Jesus in spirit and character. Amen.

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