Christ’s Suffering Followers: The Measure of Judgment

March 10, 2025 - Monday of the First Week of Lent

Matthew 25:31-46

The theme of divine judgment over the nations appears early in the Old Testament, where the criterion for judgment was how these nations treated Israel. In today’s Gospel, Matthew deepens this idea. The standard for judgment is now how the nations have treated Christ’s followers—“the least of these my brothers” (Mt 25:40, 45).

Matthew places this vision of the Last Judgment just before Christ’s Passion and Resurrection (Mt 26-28). The very one who is about to be condemned and crucified is also the one who, seated on the throne of his glory, will judge all nations (Mt 25:31). This reversal echoes Paul’s words: “Because he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death on a cross, God highly exalted him” (Phil 2:9). The nations now stand before him to hear their eternal verdict.

The Great Separation

“He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Mt 25:32; cf. Ezek 34:17). The image recalls the prophetic tradition: Assyria and Babylon—nations that destroyed Israel—were condemned (Nahum 3:1,5,19; Jer 51:64), while those who joined themselves to the Lord were blessed (Zech 2:15). If we were to apply this today, who would stand on the right and left in God’s judgment?

Christ Identifies with His Followers

“For I was hungry, and you gave me food” (Mt 25:35). Christ’s identification with his suffering disciples is deeply rooted in Scripture. The Lord declared of Israel, “He who touches you touches the apple of my eye” (Zech 2:12) and warned the nations: “Do not touch my anointed ones, nor harm my prophets” (Ps 105:15; Gen 20:3-7). The suffering of God's people is inseparable from God himself (Isa 57:15; 63:9).

Jesus makes this point unmistakable in his words to Saul, the persecutor of the Church: “Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul’s actions against Christ’s followers were, in reality, actions against Christ himself—just as in the Last Judgment, when nations will realize too late that their treatment of Christ’s least brethren was their treatment of Christ (Mt 25:37-39, 44).

Who Are ‘The Least of These’?

Jesus explicitly calls "the least of these" my brothers (Mt 25:40). This phrase indicates not just the poor in general, but Christ’s own followers—those who belong to him, who are “made alive at his coming” (1 Cor 15:23). Unlike the nations, they are not subject to judgment in this passage because, through faith and baptism, they have already “passed from death to life” (John 3:18; 5:24).

But their earthly journey has been marked by suffering. To follow Christ often means becoming “the scum of the world”—hungry, thirsty, homeless, sick, and persecuted (1 Cor 4:11-13; Gal 4:13-14). They have endured all things for the sake of the Gospel. And now, before all nations, the Son of Man directs attention to them, revealing them as the standard by which the world will be judged.

The Final Destiny

“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25). These enemies include the ruler of this world and death itself. The “eternal fire” (Mt 25:41) was prepared not for people, but for the devil and his angels (Rev 20:14), and if anyone finds themselves in it, then it will be at their own choosing (CCC 1037). For people, God from the foundation of the world has prepared the Kingdom and the flock of Christ together with those who have shown her mercy will inherit it. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32); “Come, you who are blessed by my Father... inherit the Kingdom” (Mt 25:34-36).

Final Thoughts

The Parable of the Last Judgment offers a glimpse into the life of the first Christians. They were the ones who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned—not metaphorically, but in reality. They endured suffering for the name of Christ, often rejected by society and persecuted by authorities. And yet, it was through their faithfulness in hardship that the Gospel spread.

Nothing has changed since then. Jesus still identifies himself with his contemporary followers who suffer for his name—those persecuted for their faith, marginalized for their beliefs, or enduring hardship because they remain faithful to him. The measure of judgment remains the same: how the world responds to those among us today who suffer for Christ’s sake will shape its destiny.