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."