of the world” (Matthew 25:34). This word of blessing from the Covenant of Grace will not be a pronouncement of self-righteous works. Rather, it will be a judgment grounded in the good- ness of the King and His relationship us—the Elect--in spite of ourselves. The evidence confirming the ver-


dict will be revealed: “For I was hun- gry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you in- vited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35-36). Objections will be raised, because these sheep will feel unworthy and now see so clearly how far short of God’s glory they really fall.


“Lord,


when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” (Matthew 25:37-39). But King Jesus will be undeterred. His judgment is true, and the truth has set them free! He will reveal the real, right basis of His judicial deci- sion. They hear this Gospel welcome: “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40). They are formally judged “Not Guilty” only because of Him! This Glorious King, before whom they now stand, did not remain at arm’s length far off from these sinners, but He identified with them and took on flesh. He lived a perfect life they could not live and died a perfect death, all on their behalf. This surprising sub- stitution is no deceptive game cheat: it flows from the astounding Covenant of Redemption in the Divine heart of God from of old. The Triune God has the perfect right as the Creator to de- cree substitutions, as we do in sports all the time. But the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are playing no game: in this way, God saves us from the hell


September/October 2020


fire which we so richly deserve for our sins, at unbelievable personal sacrifice. Only by union with Christ the Glorious King are we saved! This union is


real, not a fiction, and your future depends upon it. The whole heart and trajec- tory of the Reformation and the church’s future runs on these rails of our union and communion with Christ! He gets what is yours alone—your guilt and pun- ishment for sin. You get what is His alone—His foreign righteousness credited to your account, so that you don’t show up on that great day of judgment naked and ashamed. You will be forgiven and clothed in His righteousness, assured of heaven and fellowship with Him forever! Suddenly, the scene turns dark and shifts into a minor key. The Glorious King who saved His people from their sins, now turns and addresses the goats. His words are clear and solemn: “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eter- nal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me” (Matthew 25:41-43). The judge is the same: the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the


Blessed Trinity, the incarnate God-man, who drank the cup of His Father’s and His own wrath against our sins to the dregs. He suffered the pains of hell on Calvary: He knows firsthand of which He speaks. He is the only Mediator be- tween God and man. But these were not of His inheritance: they were passed over in God’s awe-


some, free, and righteous will, remaining outside of Him, unconnected to Him and His great salvation, other than the shared grounds of their common human- ity of flesh and blood. That incarnational connection honored them greatly—the angels do not enjoy such distinction. But what should have made them blush and fall before Him in praise only hardened their hearts, moving them farther from Him and His life eternal. They remained outsiders at enmity against Him. Objections flood from them: they are used to getting their way, no matter


what truth or persons they crush in the process. “I am invincible!” is the cry of their hearts, and so they speak with one raspy voice: “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?” (Matthew 25:44). The Glorious King always judges rightly by the rule of truth. He is more


than fair, seeing through to the core every claim in His courtroom. So He splits open the lie from their true father the Devil, for all to see: “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me” (Matthew 25:45). The echo of His words will ring through all the earth. No truer words have


been spoken. Their lives were characterized by Gospel rejection. In their souls they knew it was so. They had pushed back, turned away, and resented every time the crucified Christ had been held out to them as their only way of salva- tion. To them, the Free Offer of the Gospel was more an offense than Good News. Their minds recoiled and their teeth ground the hope of salvation to dust. Even when they only shook their heads and walked away, they robbed Him of the glory and thanks He was rightly due. The rationale of the Judge’s judgment is infallible. His parallel of language is crystal clear, though we have not yet seen His gesture towards His offended Bride. The sheep on His right are truly “these brothers of mine, even the least of them.” He repeats this key reference and His glorious union and communion with them when He says “one of the least of these” to the goats. The “least of these” are none other than His Brothers and Sisters—the Body of whom He is the Head! On the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus heard the same. He intended to


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