Mat 26:2 You know that after two days is [the feast of] the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Alternative: You see that within two day is the pascal [feast], and the Son of man is to be given over and staked.

While the English in this verse is designed to conform with our emotional responses to the events, the original Greek is more poetic and evocative of many different ideas. While we may see Christ's being "given over" or "handed over" as a betrayal, Christ saw the event more simply. He was giving up the freedom in his life and being put under the authority of others.

This entire chapter is about his acceptance of authority, both the earthly authority and divine. In Mat 17:22 (discussed here), Christ first mentions his being handed over to "the deeds of men," using the same vocabulary as is used here.

I also find the term used for "crucified" (and "cross") interesting because it doesn't relate to a physical "cross." The term means a "driving in stakes," which means building a fence or palisade of stakes and driving in piles for a foundation. Our term meaning "to have a stake" in something, comes from the stakes that were used to designate the boundaries of a land claim, which relates to the idea of building a fence and a foundation.

The most powerful symbol in modern Christianity, that cross of two elements, is never used by Christ himself. Though he foretells the manner of his own death, he doesn't use the term for "cross," which in Greek would have been something like chiazô. What is likely is that, in the era, the term the people in the region used to describe the particular form of death was being "staked" rather than being "crucified" though the term "crucified" was generally used in Rome itself.

In reading the two earliest references to the "cross" (Mat 10:38 and Mat 16:24) both use the term that means "stake" in the context of "taking up your stake" (airo staros) and "following" him, which could easily be translated "pulling up your stakes" and following Christ in a very modern sense.

In Jhn 3:14, Christ uses another term instead of airo for "lifting up," (hupsoo), which carries the idea of being raised up and exalted, which is also alternative meaning for airo. Interestingly these two terms about as a kind of opposites: lifted in the sense of something being taken away and lifted in the sense of being exalted are very similar ideas to Christ. These opposite states leads to one another. In Mat 23:12, those who are exalted by others are those who humbled themselves, but in Mat 23:12, those that have less have it "taken away" while those with more are given more. While these seem like very contradictory ideas, for Christ the difference was whether or not your were serving yourself (lifting yourself up) or serving others (humbling yourself. Those who try the later are brought down, while those who use what they have to serve others, get still more.

"Betrayed" is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means "to give over to another," "to transmit," "to hand down," "to grant," "to teach," and "to bestow."

"Crucified" is from stauroô (stauroo), which means "to be fenced with poles" or "piles driven into a foundation. From the root, staros, which means "an upright pole or stake." This term was used for a stake (or "pale") used for impaling and with the Christian era, the cross.

Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Alternative: And these will go away into the correction of ages but the virtuous into the life of ages.

As we usually see, the Greek is not nearly as damning as the English. The term for "eternal" is ambiguous, referring either to the end of an age or to something everlasting.

What is particularly interesting is the term translated as "punishment," which means literally "pruning." In the context of the theme of productivity, which is the focus of this chapter, the term is well chosen. Trees (like fields) are Christ's symbols for the productivity of wealth. The pruning is either to burn away the character flaw in the soul or to eliminate the unproductive souls from society. I choose to think both ideas are intended.

I have noted before that there are indications that Christ is subtly teaching reincarnation (John the Baptist was Elijah come again.), Read in that context, the ideas here make more sense that the Christian idea of eternal punishment or pleasure.

"Go away" is from aperchomai (aperchomai), which means "to go away," and "to depart." In the special case of its use with eis (as it is here), it means "departure from one place and arrival at another."

"Punishment" is from kolasis (kolasis), which primarily means "checking the growth of trees," and from that idea, "chastisement" and "correction." This is the only time this word is used in the Gospels.

Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did [it] not to one of the least of these, you did [it] not to me.
Alternative: Then he shall respond to them saying: I tell you honestly that because you produced nothing for the least of these, you produced nothing for me.

In the previous verse, the six tasks are reduced to a single idea: providing service. Here, Christ futher reduces this idea further to being productive with our lives. Our need to be productive has been, until this verse, just inferred. In writing about productivity in analyzing the previous verses in this story, I did not know that Christ was going to end up using the actual word, but here he does, removing all doubt about what we can do right and wrong in our lives.

Again, the English translation disguises much of the meaning. The word translated as "did" here hide a lot throughout the Gospel. It is also often translated as "make." Its more complete meaning is "to produce" (see bottom) with a very strong economic sense of doing work to get something accomplished. It is one of the most common words used by Christ in his stories, but its hidden by the much blander and less specific verbs, "to do" and "to make." We can do a lot of things that aren't productive. In English, we can even make mistakes. This translation drains out a lot of the meaning from the Greek word.

As we approach the end of this chapter, the use of this word specifically bring its three stories together.

Which of the wise and foolish version were productive in their mission? Though the foolish virgins started well, the were not prepared to go the whole distance. 90% of a bridge takes you nowhere.

Which of the servants were productive in their mission? Those that realized that money was stored value that need to be made productive and that there is nothing "cruel" about putting money to work and making it grow. Nor is their anything cruel in realizing that some are more talented than others and rewarding them more for their ability to produce more. Everyone is rewarded when we do that. We cannot let our fear of loss of money get in the way of our job of putting it to work and making the world (and ourselves) wealthier. It is the attachment to money, trying to protect it rather than using it productively, that is wrong.

Finally, we have the sheep and the goats: those who care about others and those who do not care. Our productivity is measured by how well it serves everyone in our lives, not just the great. While many of these services can be economic, serving ourselves as well as others, many of these services come purely from the heart. What makes them meaningful is the happiness that they produce, the "meat" not just the bread. These are not faceless deeds. If a sick person or prisoner is visited by some stranger, it doesn't make them as happy as it does to be visited by someone the know. We all want to know that we are loved and missed and cared about as individuals.

To be of service and to be productive is Christ's purpose on earth, his end, and our purpose on earth, our end. As we approach the end of this sermon, this single word, brings it all together.

"Did" is from poieô (poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?
Alternative: And then they shall respond to him saying, "Lord when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or strange or naked or sickly or imprisoned and did not serve you?

In this verse, all the activities in this parable are grouped under a single term: doing service. Even though the term is used to indicate serving external needs, the focus is on serving the needs of others rather than serving yourself.

This idea goes back to Mat 20:26 (discussed here), where Christ first explains that we become great by doing service. Again, we have to look back to the previous parable about the servants entrusted with money by their master. Those who were the most productive in serving the needs of others were those who were the best rewarded.

The term uses here for "to minister" is first used by Christ as a description of his purpose on earth. His purpose is our purpose. Remember, this sermon started when the Apostles asked about the end of the age, which Christ turned into a discussion of his purpose on earth. That discussion has now come almost full circle, back to his purpose, which is providing service, and our purpose, which is providing, and the final judgment of that service as the measurement of the value of our lives.

"Minister" is from diakoneô (diakoneo), which means "to minister," "to do service," and "to render a service." From diakonia, which means "service," "attendence to duty," and "ministering to external wants" and diakonos, which means "servant" and as an adjective, "servile" and "menial." In Christ's period, this later term was also used to indicate an attendant or official at a temple. It is the source word for the English term "deacon."

Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not.

The vocabulary here is nearly the same as the positive versions ( discussed here and in more detail here). The only difference is that the verb for "visited" is used for both the sick and prisoner, instead of "visiting the sick" and "coming" to the prisoner. Though there are few new ideas here, there is still much more to say.

Did you notice that Christ does not expect us to give bread to those that are hungry but meat? (Apparently Christ was not a vegetarian or vegan.) In his cycle of symbols, seed becomes grain that becomes bread that become flesh. The cycle moves from spirit to mind to body to relationships and back to spirit. In Christ's use of symbols, if we give bread, we are just be meeting physical needs. If we give "meat," we are dealing with emotional needs as well. We are not just feeding people but making them happy.

This idea is important because this verse is not just about caring: it is about leading a productive life. A productive life is measured in how much happiness we can bring to the world.

Throughout the Gospel, Christ is challenging us to be productive. This is clearer in Greek where many of the words have a clear economic sense. For example, the verb usually translated as "to do" in English means "to produce" in Greek. He wants us to make each others lives better, but he realizes that we cannot do this by caring alone: we need to produce things to have anything to share. For this reason, Christ never says anything against any form of business (other than making money out of religion). Indeed, the heros in his parables are rich men, land owners, and people who are being productive in one way or another.

One of the "big lies" that Christ teaches against is the idea that the successful person is one who commands others. In Christ's view, the true success is the one who serves others. He is the person who produces what others value. Productivity does not only come from those who labor (as Marx would have it), but from those who own, develop, and simply manage their money productively, which was the exact point in the prior parable (Matt 25:14). Christ himself accepts that making money is itself a measure of our productivity: people do not voluntarily for things they do not value.

However, while productivity is necessary to lead a worthwhile life, it is not the whole story. We also must be caring. If we make money just to enrich ourselves as opposed to enriching the world, our lives have no real value. This is why Christ mentions a few activities here, visiting the sick and imprisoned, which are pure acts of caring. Our productivity is measured by how much happiness we create, especially among those with whom we deal with personally.

This doesn't seem to be a very demanding standard. Those who are not productive and caring cannot make those around them any happier. Those who are productive and caring must make those around them happy. You cannot make those around you happy if you are unproductive no matter how much you feel that you care. You cannot make those around you happy if you are not caring no matter how productive you are.

"Visited" is from episkeptomai, from which means "to look upon or at," "to observe," "to examine," and "to regard."

Mat 25:41 Then shall he said also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Alternaative: And then he said to those on his left, Go from me, you who have have had curses called down on you, to the fire, lasting for the age, readied by the deceiver and his messengers.

Christ only discusses the "deceiver," which is translated as "devil," three times in Matthew: during the three temptations of Christ (Mat 4:1-11), during the parable of the sower (Mat 13:39) and in this verse. It is interesting that Luke uses it only in the three temptations, and a different parable of the sower (Luk 8:12). John uses the word to refer to Judas twice, (Jhn 6:70, Jhn 13:2) and as the "father" of the Jewish religious leaders who argued with Christ (Jhn 8:44).

While we can connect this deceiver with the "devil" in the Old Testament, who was most prominent as the "tester" (better translation) of Job, Christ uses the idea to personify the idea of an opponent of truth. This idea is very important in his temptations where Christ is telling us that our physical, mental, and emotional desires can mislead us from what is true. In both "sower" parables, the "seed" is the truth. The opponent of truth either sows weeds to choke out the truth or destroys the seeds before they take root.

My alternative in bold here is meant to point out that the "prepared" clause has two very different potential meanings. I don't espouse either one of those interpretations but point out that they both exist. In these situations, I suggest that all interpretations have value rather than one is right and that the other are wrong. This is why I point out those meanings that are overlooked in the common English translations.

Is the fire prepared "for" the deceiver or "by" the deceiver? We cannot tell from the original text. I usually don't get this technical, but the reasons are complicted. The word, diabolo, is in the dative form. Dative usually indicates someone receiving something, but in ancient Greek, there is a form called "the dative of agent," that is, the doer of an action. In classical Greek, the doer is usually genitive, but in the special case, where the verb is perfect or pluperfect passive, the dative is used. The verb here hetoimazô is in the perfect passive. The dative of action is not only possible but strongly suggested by the form.

While God is the cause of all things, the absence of God and the absence of truth "prepares" its own fate. The punishment is in a very real sense, created by the crime. In Christ's words, the root crime is always the same: acting on the illusions that are meant to test us rather than acting on the basis of truth.

As I said, I think both versions are true. The fire (of the junkyard or the bread oven) is created for the deceiver by God and by the deceiver, despite God. The deceiver is a personification of the "trials" we face in life, and those who claim those lies are truth, either in their words or actions, are the messengers of the deceiver. Those on the left here, have condemned themselves by acting on and spreading a great lie: that productivity and caring do not matter.

"Depart" is from poreuô (poreuomai), which means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed." It is almost always translated as "go" in the NT.

"Cursed" is from kataraomai (kataraomai), which means "to call down curses upon."

"Everlasting" is from aiônios (aionios), which means "lasting for an age," "perpetual," and "eternal." From "aion" which is used in the bible to mean an "age."

"Prepared" is from hetoimazô (hetoimazo), which means in the passive, "to be prepared."

"Devil" is from diabolos (diabolos), which means "slanderous," "backbiting," and "slanderer."

Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you a hungred, and fed [you] ? or thirsty, and gave [you] drink?
Mat 25:38 When did we see you a stranger, and took [you] in? or naked, and clothed [you]?
Mat 25:39 Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to you?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done [it] unto me.

Is Christ foretelling the future or is he giving us another parable, an analogy? While it is easy to take this story as prophesy, it can't be literal prophesy. Can you see why? The righteous (or, as I prefer, the virtuous) seem to recognize Christ, but, if the scene were real, at least some of them would recognize the parable from the Gospel.

So what is Christ trying to tell us? Why does he make the virtuous appear ignorant?

It has to do with motive. For Christ, having the right "spirit" is the same as having the right purpose. The point here is that true virtue does not come with the ulterior motives. In other wods, the virtuous were virtuous without thinking about reward. They helped others out of their genuine caring for others, not out of the fear of God or a desire for heavenly reward.

While most of the vocabulary here echoes that of the previous three verses, the virtuous insert the word "see" into each phrase. The point here is that they (and Christ) are not talking about some a good deed performed by giving money to a charity or, more absurdly, by the social serves performed by paying taxes which are complete involuntary. Christ always uses the terms used here for "see" (eido) to indicate physical knowledge and presence. The idea is the same as his use of helping "neighbors," that is, those who are close-by."

The response of the King indicates two things.

First, that all people are his brothers, sons of the same parents: humanity and the Father. Christ describes himself as the Son of Man, which makes him a brother of all of us. When he talks about his Father, he sometimes describes him as "his" father but he also describes him as "our" Father, most famously in the Lord's Prayer.

Second, that we are judged how we treat the least among us. Why the least? For the same reason that the virtuous are not familiar with this parable. We cannot help others with the hope of some reward from it. By definition, "the least," have little to offer us in return. We cannot help them out of a desire for status or recognition.

Just the opposite: Christ would say that we show the most virtue in helping those who create problems for us or cause us to be condemned by associating with them.

"Righteous" is from dikaios (dikaios) which means "observant of rules," "observant of customs," and "observant of duty." Later it means "well-balanced," "impartial," and "just." In Matthew, it is first translated as "the just" and later always as "the righteous."

"See" is from eido (eido), which means "to see," "to examine," and "to know." Not to be confuses with another world translated as "to know," gignôskô (ginosko) which means "to learn to know," "to know by reflection or observation," and "to perceive."

"Least" is from elachistos (elachistos), which is the superlative form of elachus which nmeans "small," "little," and "short." It means "the smallest," "the shortest," "the least," and "the fewest."

"Brethren" is from adelphos (adelphos),which means "son of the same mother," "kinsman," "colleague," and "brother."

Mat 25:36 Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me.
Alternative: Naked and you covered me. Sickly and you saw me. I was under guard and you came to me.

Now that we have completed all six of these needs that Christ addresses, we can see the complete pattern and, as usually, it follows Christ's cycle of the physical, the mental, and the emotional.

In the first two, Christ addresses purely physical needs, eat and drink. Everyone has these needs, rich or poor, wise or foolish. These are the easiest to understand since they are basic needs that everyone has. Providing for these needs shared physical needs is the basis of all financial economies.

The next two on the list are strangeness and nakedness. These are both fall into the mental realm. People are naked for only one of two reasons. Either they have a mental disorder or they are very poor. The word used here for "naked" also means "destitute." As we have explained before, Christ puts success in business and wealth into the "mental realm." Christ uses clothing particularly as a metaphor for wealth. (The word translated as "clothed" here is the same used to describe Solomon, the wealtiest king, comparing him to the lillies of the field.) Wealth is usually mentioned as a positive trait, but there is also a negative side of things. By extension we can deduce that those who could not provide for themselves can be seen to have a type of mental disorder. (This was especially true in Biblical times when a destitute person could sell themselves into slavery and at least get food, shelter, and clothing. A mentally ill person did not have that option.)

The last two types of needs are purely emotional involving relationships. (In discussing this, I wish English had words that separated emotions relating to caring for others and emotions such as anger and fear, which relate primarily to oneself. Christ's emotional realm is all about personal relationships.) Caring for the sick and visiting a prisoner are both tasks that only have meaning in a personal relationship.

In these six tasks, Christ reflects each of the three realms (phyical, mental, and emotional) in The words he chooses.

Eating and drinking are primarily physical, but eating is also emotional, since it usually involves family and friends. Drinking is more connected to the mental world because it refreshes you and helps you think more clearly.

Stangeness and nakedness are primarily mental, but stangeness is more of an emotional judgment while nakedness is more physical.

Sickness and prison are both primarily emotional needs in this context, but sickness is physical while prison is emotional, that is, dealing with human relationships.

Christ choice of these exact types of needs here cannot be explained in any other way except as this fine shading of physical, mental, and emotional needs. Some of these ideas, such as eating, drinking, and clothing are common metaphors, used frequently by Christ and the subject of many parable. However the other three needs, strangeness, sickness, and being in prison, are only referenced here.

One other basic need, the need for shelter and housing, which Christ also uses frequently as a metaphor, isn't used here. I have to assume that this is intentional. Christ uses housing as a symbol for personal relationships, but it doesn't work here. I challenge my readers to figure out for themselves why.

"Naked" is from gumnos, which means "naked," "unclad," "unarmed," "destitute," "bare," and "stripped."

"Clad" is from periballô (periballo), which means "to throw around," "to put on," "to encompass," "to surround," and "to bring under one's power."

"Sick" is from astheneô (astheneo), which means "to be weak," "to be feeble," and "to be sickly."

"visited is from episkeptomai, from which means "to look upon or at," "to observe," "to examine," and "to regard."

"Watch" is from phulakê (phulake), a form of phulax, which means a "watcher," "guard," "chain," "keeper," and "a place where people are watched." The phulakê form is found only in the NT. In Matt 18:30, it is clearly used to mean prison.

Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:

Alternative: For I hungered and you gave me to eat, For I was thirsty and you refreshed me, I was truly foreign, and you came together with me.

This is an important verse because it brings together several ideas than have been articulated elsewhere, but putting them in light of the previous discussion about leading a productive life.

The "hungry" and "thirsty" here are the same Greek words that appear in the Beatitude describing those who "hunger and thirst for justice." Remember this in two verses where this relationship to the fourth Beautitude arises again. The word for "strange" is used nowhere else in the Gospel except in the related verses in this section.

This is the first of six needs that Christ lists with the appropriate responses to them. I probably should cover them all together, but they contain a lot of new vocabulary. We haven't seen a pattern of six repetitions before. Christ's normal pattern is three repetitions (body, mind, relationship) or as four repetions (adding spirit). The beautitudes may be similar in that they are the stadard four repetitions repeated twice (first as weaknesses and then as strengths). However, we don't see that same pattern here.

The topic in this first verse of the two is physical needs, hunger and thirst. However, the key need is the last, a stranger where the person being helped is a stranger. In Christ's main commandment regarding helping people (Mat 22:39) the focus is clearly on "neighbor," which is from plêsios (plesion), which means "close," "near," and "one's neighbor." As we cover in the discussion here, Christ wants our assistance to others to be personal and individual not anonymous and general. Christ makes it clearer that this is about physical distance rather than a relationship in Luk 10:33, the story of the Good Samaritan, who did exactly as Christ instructs here: help a foreigner who was near him. As Christ makes clear in Mat 5:46 and Mat 5:47, their is no reward for helping those you have relationships with and love. When you help those you love personally, you in doing so, you are just helping yourself.

What Christ is talking about here is the connection between all people: our natural reliance on each other, even when we are technically strangers and have no commitments to one another. This is why he describes the people on this right are sheep. Sheep have a flock mentality. Goats are more independent. Sheep pursue their connection to each other. Goats prefer their own interests. The emotional realm that interests Christ is our feeling for others, rather than our feeling for ourselves. That is why I often call this emotional realm that of caring about relationships and what you can do for others as opposed to what others can do for you.

How does this idea connect with the discussion of being productive with what we are given?

It connects on many levels, but the first is clearly about how we are economically productive. We have a choice about our economic relationships and how we do business. Feeding and clothing people is a primary economic activity. We can limit this economic activity to our family or tribe (what Christ describes as our "house") or we can be open up our productivity to all, even to strangers.

This help we give others doesn't have to be charity. Nothing here is talking specifically about charity: providing things without any return. Indeed, I think that Christ see that there is always a return in providing things for each other, even if we don't ask for money. If we do this personally, to those we are close to, we must make a friend and create an emotional debt even (or especially) if we do not ask for payment. We create new connections. A connection with "strangers" creates "friends."

Notice that a correct translation of the verse doesn't say we need to take stranger in, but that we have to "come together with them." Specifically, we have to eat with them, drink with them and feed and cloth them as part of our extended family, not necessarily for free, but without prejudice against them for being different. After all, everyone has the same physical needs, which is the level we are discussing here.

Remember, taking and making money is not evil, at least not in Christ's world. It is no coincidence that this story follows the story of the productive servants and the useless one. Every business creates value for its customers. Every person working outside the home serves others. This is particularly apparent in a small business where we work face to face with our customers. Providing food and drink has been the primary economic activity for most of human history. However, the idea of producing and doing business with strangers is new and revolutionary. In Christ's time, as the world was changed by Greek then Roman conquest, and increased transportation brought more people together in travel and trade, Christ wanted to reform human society by insisting that we reach out to strangers, do business with them, and serve their needs as we would serve the needs of family members. The Jews were not unique in referring to outsiders as different, that is, "gentiles" or "ethniques," (our version of the Greek word translated usually as "gentiles") that is, those of different blood.

Of course in our era, less and less business revolves around food and drink, but our productive lives still revolve around serving peoples needs. And today, of course, we see nothing strange about serve mostly strangers. In big businesses, we can seem distant from our customers, but we also work with strangers, serving them by helping them be productive and earning a living. To do this, those within larger business have to also serve anonymous, distant customers, but it is the stangers, that are near to us, our co-workers, who are Christ's real concern. By working with them, we are feeding them and their families as well as our own.

"Hungry" is peinaô (peino), which means "to be hungry" or "to be starved," and it is a metaphor for desire and cravings.

"Meat" is from esthiô (esthio), which is a form of edo and means "to eat," "to eat up," "to devour," "to fret," and "to take in one's mouth."

"Thirst" is from dipsaô (dipsao), which means "to thirst," "to be thirsty," and "to thirst after" a thing.

"Give to drink" is potizô (potizo), which means "to give a drink," "to water," "to moisten," and metaphorically "to saturate one's mind."

"Stranger" is from xenos (xenos), which means "guest," "stranger," "refugee," "foriegner" "foreign," "strange," and "unusual."

"Took me in" is from sunagô (sunago), which means "to bring together," "to gather together," "to unite," "to draw together," "to narrow," "to pinch," "to conclude," and "to prove."

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Alternative: At that time, the king will saying to those on his right: Come, you who are worthy of the praise of my Father, the possession of the kingdom has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world order.

In this verse, we are confronted with the plan of the universe. That a kingdom has been prepared for those who are the most productive. That this kingdom is a possession. The purpose of the universe is to make sure that this kingdom is delivered to into the hands of those that deserve it. These favored are those that have lead productive lives, making the most of what they were given.

In the next few verses, we will see what "making the most of what we are given" means in a very specific way, but in light of the last parable.

"You blessed" is from eulogeô (eulogeo), which means "to speak well of," "to praise," and "to honor."

"Inherit" is from klêronomia (kleronomia), which means "inheritance," "property," and "possession."

"Prepared" is from hetoimazô (hetoimazo), which means "to get ready," "to cause to be prepared," "to prepare oneself," and, in the passive as it is here, "to be prepared," or "to be prepared with."

"Foundation" is from katabolê (katabole), which means "throwing down," "sowing," "nativity," "laying a foundation," "building," "foundation," "beginning," "set purpose," "detraction," and "abuse."

"World" is from kosmos, which mean "order," "good order," "ruler," "world order," "universe," and "the world of men." Matthew uses it when Christ is talking about the order in the universe, specifically the world of men, as it is designed to be. It is NOT the word translated as "world" in Mat 24:3, which is aiôn or Mat 24:14, which is oikoumenê.

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides [his] sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Alternative: But when the Son of Man comes into his popular renown, and all his godly messengers with him, then he shall be placed on the seat of honor. And all types of people shall be drawn together before him, and he shall set the boundaries between them as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. And he shall put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

These verses return us to the question of judgment. Christ describes this scene several times (so much so that it deserves its own article some day), first in Mat 16:27 (notes) and most recently in Mat 24:30 (notes)and Mat 24:31. In these descriptions, most of the same elements are repeated. Christ's reputation accepted in all corners of the globe. His being given a seat of honor based upon his reputation. The people of earth gathered and divided out. The only new element here is the idea of their being a right and left of sheeps and goats.

What is missing here is the specifics about the method by which people are divided. The scene is being set in a visual way to example this division in more detail. In his first reference of this scene in Mat 16:27, Christ gives away the ending, that we are judged solely by our works. This idea of the need for a productive life is the connective tissue between the previous analogy (about the useless servant) and the next section where Christ covers in detail what is useful and worthwhile in life.

Without understanding that this scene is connected to the previous story, the next view verses can be misunderstood as simply extolling the virtues of charity and helping those less fortunate. That limited reading misses most of what Christ is really saying about what separates the sheep from the goats, the beautiful from the worthless, the productive from the useless.

"Glory" is from doxa, which means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are found primarily in translating the Bible.

"Holy" is from hagios, which means "devoted to the gods." In a good sense, it means "holy" and "sacred." In a bad sense, "accursed," and "execrable." In humans, it means "holy" and "pure."

"Angels" is from aggelos, which means "messenger" and "envoy."

"Sit" is from kathizô (kathizo), which means "to make sit down," "to seat," "to place," "to sit," "to recline at meals," and "to settle."

"Throne" is from thronos, which means "seat," "chair," "seat of state," "chair of a teacher," and "judge's bench."

"Gathered" is from sunagô (sunago), which means "to bring together," "to gather together," "to unite," "to draw together," "to narrow," "to pinch," "to conclude," and "to prove."

"Nation" is from ethnos, which means "a number of people living together," "caste," "tribe" or "nation," and implies a foriegn group. It is almost always translated as "Gentiles" in the New Testament.

"Separated" is from aphorizo which means "to mark off boundaries," "to determine," and "to separate" in the sense of "distinguish" as well as "to banish."

Mat 25:28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] to him who had ten talents.
Mat 25:29 For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has.
Mat 25:30 And cast you, the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Alternative: So take the talent from him and give it to the [servant] who has ten talents. For all have been given the same and should go beyond: but from those who have not, what they havve shall be lifted. And throw out the useless servant into the external darkness where people cry and chatter their teeth.

Before getting into these verses and the justice of the fate of the "unprofitable" servant, notice that there is no servant in this story that takes the money and makes bad investments and loses it. This servant is not being punished for failure but for a lack of courage. This raises two questions. What would the master done if the servant had been courageous and unsuccessful? And why doesn't Christ address this possibility?

The answer is simpler than it might seem. From Christ's viewpoint, failure is not possible in the scenario outlined in the analogy. The message here is about making productive use of your life with whatever you are given. Over the long-period of time that the master is gone, EVERYONE can make productive use of their life if they simply try. The only way that they can fail is if they are afraid to try to improve themselves. So Christ does cover the only possible failure scenario: when we choose not to be productive.

Christ only gives one possible reason for this failure: fear that makes us afraid to try. Someone's lack of ability doesn't matter. The story starts by admittng that people have different levels of ability. More interestingly, the story also doesn't cover the other primary cause of worthless lives: the pursuit of pleasure. Again, there is a simple reason. Christ just covered that problem in a similar story of the truly evil servant in Mat 24:48 (discussed here and note that the adjective used to described the servant really means "evil" unlike the "useless" and "fearful" adjectives that are really used here.)

This gets us to the point where we can discuss the fate of that servant, which is really interesting.

First, his money was taken away and given to the servant was the most productive. Christ says outright that this is the natural and right order of things. Echoing Mat 13:12 (discussed here), Christ says that those who do the most get rewarded for it. However, there is one important change in this version: where the first version use the word for "those" while this version uses the world that means "all." Christ is saying that all have been given gifts. We are all in debt to the Father for the gifts we are given (see our discussion of the Lord's prayer). We are all expected to do the most we can with those gifts in the time we are given.

This brings us to the final verse where the useless servant is thrown on. This servant's fate is identical to that of the evil servant and the improperly dressed wedding guest. He is tossed into the outer darkness. He remains ignorant and is made an outcast full of regrets and, if we want to interpret the "chattering teeth" that way, his fear. Of course, darkness and the unknown is always the source of fear.

"Every one" is from the Greek pas, which means "all," "every," "the whole," and "everything."

"Shall have in abundance" is a single word, perisseuo, which means "to be over and above," "to go beyond," "to abound in," "to be superior," and, in a negative sense, "to be superfulous."

"Shall be taken away" is from airo, which primarily means "to lift," and also means "to raise up," "to take up," "to raise a child," "to exalt," "to lift and take away," and "to remove."

"Cast" is from ekballô and means "throw out," "cast out of a place,"and "expose." Ek means "out of," "from," and "away from." Ballo is "to throw" or "to scatter." The general idea of ballo is "to throw without caring where something falls," so it isn't like putting something into a specific place.

"Unprofitable" is from achrêstos (achreios), which means "useless," "unprofitable," "do-nothing," "non-effective," "unwarlike," "unkind," "cruel," "obselete," and "not used."

"Darkness" is from skotos, which means "darkness," "gloom," "blindness," and "dizziness." It is a metaphor in Greek for ignorance.

Mat 25:27 You should therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Alternative: You really needed to put my cash on deposit with the bankers and then when I returned I could have gotten it back with interest.

The word translated as "usury" primarily means "childbirth." You can see how the specific meaning of bank interest arose from the original idea as a kind of slang. Money gives birth to more money. The word itself is a good summary of this parable.

Christ's focus here is on productivity. This entire analogy is about being productive in the time we are given with what we are given. He takes this opportunity to give us another view of the value of money. He sees money as useful. In this story, he says that we must use it productively.

There is a difference between using money productively and worshipping it as an object that allows consumption. Much is made of Mat 6:24, where Christ says we cannot serve both God and "mammon." The word used in that earlier verse, mammonas, an Aramaic word that was a personification of money, has nothing in common with the Greek words for sums of money used in this parable. Nor does Mat 19:24, the camel through the eye of a needle verse, also doesn't condem successful men. It condemns the "opulent" (plousios), that is, those who are ostentatous consumers rather than productive people.

Worshipping money is bad. Overconsumption is bad. However, not using money productively is also bad. Criticizing people because they work with money is bad. Not understanding the value of money is bad.

Money is both a physical thing, a mental idea, and part of our relationship with other people. As such it can play an important role in our cycle of thoughts, deeds, and feelings. However, Christ sees it as a tool to build something through that cycle. It is not an end in itself. The goal is not to make money, but to produce value. The goal is not to spend money on pleasures, but to use it for what we need to fulfill our purpose on earth.

Remember, this section of Christ's words (Chapter 24,25) began with a discussion of Christ's purpose and his role in the purpose of the age. From there, it has gone on to discuss the purpose of the age as and analogy for the purpose of life in general and our individual lives. In this discussion, Christ says that we must meet both manmade and natural tragedies, but we must also remember that it all has a purpose, a goal. Everything has meaning.

Our job is not only to stay vigilant, but to prepare and to build. We don't know when our end will come. With that in mind, we must accomplish all we can in the time we have.


"Should" is from dei (dei), which means "there is need," "it is needful," "one must," and "it is fitting."

"Therefore" is from oun (oun), which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "then," and "therefore."

"To have put" is from ballô (ballo), which means "to throw," "to cast," "to let fall," "to put," "to place," "to place on deposit," "to put for oneself," and "to lay as a foundation."

"Money" is from argurion (argurion), which means "a small silver coin," "a sum of money," "cash," and "silver."

"Exchanger" is from trapezitês (trapezites), which means "money changer," "banker," and "broker."

"Received" is from komizô (komizo), which means "to take care of," "to provide for," "to receive," "to treat," "to carry away as so to preserve," "to convey," "to get back," "to recover," and "to return."

"Usury" is from tokos (tokos), which means "childbirth," "the time of childbirth," "offspring," "produce of money," and "interest."

Mat 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, [You] wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Alternative: Responding to this, his lord told him: Cowardly and timid servant: You saw that I harvested where I had not planted and pinching from what I hadn't harvested.

Two things are interesting here in the Greek that are lost in the English.

First, it brands the servant as cowardly and timid, rather than wicked and lazy. The "wicked" is from poneros, which is usually translated in KJV as wicked or evil, but which is better translated as "worthless." However, it also means "cowardly" and given the context of the master responding to the servant's statement that he is afraid, this seems like the better choice. Especially since it is coupled with a word that means primarily "diffident" and "timid" rather than lazy.

As we showed in the last verse, a major element of Christ's message is "fear not." He is saying here that those who act solely out of fear are worthless. An interesting question for readers: does this sentiment extend to those who act out of fear of damnation? My sense is that Christ wants us to be more concerned about accomplishing our purpose than about avoiding error. I maintain that many get this wrong simply because sowing fear is in the best interests of religious leaders. Remember, Christ accuses (Mat 23:4) the religious leaders of his era of putting burdens on people. The ideas of being burdened and being fearful and worthless come together in the word poneros.

The second interesting change here is in how the master repeats what the fearful servant said. The servant used one word for know, gignôskô, and the only change is that statement made by the master is to change that word to eido. The first indicates learning and reflection, but the second primarily means "to see." In other words, the master is saying that the servant didn't learn from reflection but that the servant only saw what he thought was obvious.

The timid servant's observation was right: the master did not sow or harvest for his share. However, what the servant refused to learn from reflection was that the master's contribution of land or money was as necessary ingredient in the result than the labor.

The deeper lesson here is that "doing" is not the same as accomplishment. Since Christ wants us to focus on being productive, we have to understand the complete recipe for productivity. This means we must think about ingredients and combine our actions with the desires and contribution of others. This bring us again to the three realms of the mental, physical, and emotional, the cycle of thought, action, and feeling.


"Wicked" is from ponêros (poneros), which we discuss extensively in this page. In a moral sense, "worthless," "base," and "cowardly."

"Slothful" is from oknêros (okneros), which means "diffident," "timid," "hesitant," and "shy."

"Know" is from eido (eido), which means "to see," "to examine," and "to know." It is not from gignôskô (ginosko) which means "to learn to know," "to know by reflection or observation," and "to perceive." Christ uses both words, sometimes in the same phrase, but he uses them to distinguish between what we can know from our senses--eido--and what we can know from reason (ginosko).

Mat 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid you talent in the earth: lo, [there] you have [that is] yours.

The issue here is fear. Christ has one consistent message when it comes to fear. He says to us over and over again, "Don't be afraid!" Don't be afraid of the unknown (Mat 10:26). Don't be afraid of death (Mat 10:28). Don't be afraid of not being of value (Mat 10:31). Don't be afraid because God is with us (Mat 14:27, Mat 17:7).

The worst servant acts out of fear. Because of fear, he hides and conceals. Because of fear, he is afraid of loss. Because of fear, he is afraid of his master. Because of fear, he doesn't produce anything. Instead he only seeks to hold what he has. He wants to maintain what he has rather than increase it.

Is this wrong?

"Afraid" is from phobeô (phobeo), which means "to be put to flight," "to fear," and "to be afraid."

"Hid" is from kruptô (krupto), which means "to hide," "to cover," "to bury," "to conceal," "to keep secret," and "to lie hidden."

"Have" is from echô (echo), which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to keep," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to bear," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do."

A Question from a Reader

Taking a break from our normal posts, a reader asks:

Why do we ask Gods forgiveness of our thoughts? If we have thoughts of evil but do not act on them,have we sinned? Because Christ rejected the tempations from the devil,does that in its self mean that Christ had evil thoughts, and if he did were the thoughts sinfull, if he did not act on them? In other words how did Christ know that the things that the devil tried to tempt him with were sins?

Christ's entire message is about the cycle of thoughts, actions, and feelings. He taught that those abilities were given to us for a purpose. We are meant to use them to fulfill that purpose. Worthless thoughts are only dangerous because they lead to worthless actions seeking instant but worthless rewards. The three temptations of Christ (see my side essay) illustrate the three types of worthless rewards: physical gratification (the bread), the mental egotism (testing God), and the emotional insecurity (earthly status).

Christ said consistently that religious leaders are interested in loading us down with sin, forgiveness, and evil, most extensively in Mat 23. However, Christ's message was clearly not focused on sin. which he mentions relatively rarely and then in a very different way than religious leaders. The Greek word that Christ uses in the Gospels that is translated as "sin" means "mistake" or "error." The word translated as "forgive" means "to let go." The word translated as "evil" means "worthless" or "burdened." There are plenty of Greek words that carry a real sense of evil with malicious intent--most commonly kakos, kakia--but Christ seldom uses those words and only to characterize someone in a parables (an evil servant, for example).

While religions teach us about how evil we are, how we sin and need forgiveness and redemption, Christ said something very different. He said that we make mistakes, that we must let go of those mistakes and stop doing what is worthless.

A mother once told me that this analysis really help her in relationship with her son who was gay. Though a devout Christian, she knew her son wasn't evil and couldn't relate to him as though he was evil. However, she could see that he was making a mistake and doing something that was worthless.

In Christ's view, the three areas of human sensibility--thinking, acting, feeling--are linked in a process. This process can produce one of two things: a result that is worthless or a result that is beautiful (the meaning of the word usually translated as "good" in the Gospels). Thoughts alone (temptations) create nothing. Actions without thought (accidents) create nothing. Feelings (desires) alone create nothing. Only when they are combined do they create something that is beautiful or something that is worthless. When we stop thinking/doing/feeling worthless, useless things, our lives become more beautiful. As more of our lives become more beautiful, the world becomes more beautiful, and our spirits become more beautiful. This is our purpose.