Today’s Gospel (Mat 25:31-46) presents us with what our Lord gifts to us as prophecy related to His return, His ‘Second Coming.’
His words are clear. There can be no misinterpretation.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory… Not “if”, but when. Not this time in humility, but in His glory. With all power. With all authority.
And all the holy angels with Him… Jesus has been very careful to explain to His Apostles (and thru them to us) that His return will not be something that can be overlooked, misconstrued, or misrepresented. During the week of the Publican and Pharisee in the Gospel readings from Mark Chapter 13 Jesus says to them if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. If each of us has a guardian angel, and the total population of the earth since creation is estimated to be over 100 billion, and there are additional other myriads of angels whom God has created for other purposes, then when Jesus returns with ALL the angels, it will indeed be something not to be misconstrued!
All the nations will be gathered before Him… Not some, all. Not from today, but from all time. All will stand for judgment.
He will separate them one from another… He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left… Sheep are docile animals, willing to follow their Shepherd unconditionally. Goats are stubborn, independent, and not easily or willingly led. It prompts the question to myself, “What can I do to change myself from being a goat to becoming a sheep?”
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… This is the first mention of “King” - but it shows Jesus for Who He is, and it shows His ‘status’ at His return! The description gives no relative size of the gatherings of sheep and goats. Based on our Lord’s sayings (For many are called, but few are chosen…) we can imagine that there are far more goats than sheep! To those whom the Lord calls the blessed of My Father, He speaks to the fact that the heavenly realms were created for this day, and have been in the ready from the foundation of the world, or more precisely, from the time of creation.
Counter to this blessing given to the sheep, the Lord says Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels… This ‘depart’ is different from others in scripture. St. Simeon’s prayer uses the English word ‘depart’, but St. Simeon's 'depart' is different from the 'depart' in the Greek from Matthew 25. St. Simeon's depart means ‘dismiss’. In today's Gospel, with this depart there’s a finality with the word, which translates to ‘travel’ or ‘remove’. In short, it carries the meaning of “Leave forever!”
These will go away into everlasting punishment… Here’s the proof of this absolute removal. Like a figurative goat, these have been stubborn, refusing to be led by a loving Master, and in fact rejecting Him at every turn. Removal from His eternal presence is the sentence for this cursed state.
But the righteous (will be received) into eternal life… Like the figurative sheep, these have always followed the Lord’s voice, and in showing their heartfelt desire to live accordingly, this is the blessing bestowed upon them.
Lord, as we together traverse the days of the Great Fast, let us seek to change our hearts to conform to Your Holy Will. The Aposticha for this day says it all: O Good Shepherd, deprive me not of a place at Your right hand in Your great mercy.
May this Great Fast lead us all ever toward the Kingdom, and placement at His right hand!
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