Matthew 25:30

31–46 . The Day of Judgment 32 . all nations ] Either (1) all the nations of the world, including the Jews; or (2) all the Gentiles. The almost invariable use of τὰ ἔθνη to signify the Gentiles; the unconsciousness of service to Christ shewn by just and unjust alike; the simplicity of the standard proposed by the Judge, favour the second interpretation. On the other hand the special warning to the Apostles, and to the Jewish race, in the previous parts of the discourse render it probable that Jews and Christians are not excluded from this picture of the judgment. The unconsciousness of the judged may be referred not to ignorance of Christ, but to unconsciousness that in relieving the distressed they were actually relieving Christ. The simplicity of the standard may be intended to include what is called “natural” religion, as well as revealed religion. The nations are judged by a standard of justice which all recognise. (Read Romans 1:18-20 ; Romans 2:9-16 .) as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats ] “The sheep and goats are always seen together under the same shepherd and in company; yet they never trespass on the domain of each other.… When folded together at night they may always be seen gathered in distinct groups; and so, round the wells they appear instinctively to classify themselves apart, as they wait for the troughs to be filled.”—Tristram, Natural History of the Bible , pp. 89, 90.

Matthew 25:30. And cast ye the unprofitable servant — Who has so wickedly abused my goodness; into outer darkness — The darkness which is without the heavenly city, even the horrible darkness of hell. There, instead of the light and joy possessed by those who are admitted to the marriage- supper of the Lamb, shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth — Through the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched. There shall be the weeping of the careless, thoughtless sinner, and the gnashing of teeth of the proud and stubborn. See notes on Matthew 8:12 ; Matthew 13:42 ; Matthew 22:13 . But why does this servant meet with this punishment? What had he done? It is true he had not done good. But neither is he charged with doing any harm. Why, for this reason, for barely doing no harm, he is consigned to outer darkness. He is pronounced a wicked, because he was a slothful, an unprofitable servant. So mere harmlessness, on which many build their hope of salvation, was the cause of his damnation! Observe this well, reader; slothful servants, who do nothing with respect to the purpose of their being sent into the world, nothing to answer the end of their birth and baptism, who are no way serviceable to the glory of God, or the good of others, will be reckoned with as unprofitable servants. A slothful servant is a withered member in the body, a barren tree in the vineyard, an idle drone in the hive, that is good for nothing.

Matthew 25:30 . ἀχρεῖον , useless. Palairet renders injuriosum ; Kypke, improbum . Being useless, he was both injurious and unjust. The useless man does wrong all round, and there is no place for him either in this world or in the Kingdom of God. His place is in the outer darkness. Difference of opinion prevails as to whether this parable refers to the use of material goods for the Kingdom of God, or to the use of spiritual gifts. It is not, perhaps, possible to decide in ignorance of the historical occasion of the parable, nor is it necessary, as the same law applies.

Matthew 25:30 . Ἀχρεῖον , unprofitable ) sc. now and hereafter;[1097] cf. Gnomon on Matthew 25:21 , and Luke 16:11 .— ἀχρεῖος is in Attic Greek written ἄχρειος , according to Eustathius.— ἐκβάλετε , κ . τ . λ ., cast forth , etc.) There is a contrast between this and Matthew 25:21 . The Lord Himself commands [the good servants] to enter; He desires His attendants to cast out [the unprofitable one], as in ch. Matthew 22:13 .[1098] [1097] Even though he had caused no loss to his master.—V. g. [1098] Cf. Gnomon on ch. Matthew 7:24 .—(I. B.) Ἀχρεῖος , though translated by Bengel, unprofitable, useless , is not to be confounded with ἄχρηστος , which more strictly expresses that meaning. A slave that has done all that his master commands is ἀχρεῖος , not in the sense that he is worthless, useless , which could not be said of such a servant, but he is one οὗ οὐκ ἔστι χρεία , a person to whom the master owes nothing, with whom he could dispense, Acts 17:25 . God receives no benefit from man for which He owes a return, Luke 17:10 . Here, in Matthew 25:30 , though the servant had been also ἄχρηστος , unprofitable, useless , and slothful, yet the idea conveyed by the ἀχρεῖος is not this, but its consequence: for he who is useless by doing no work is not wanted (the latter expressing the true force of ἀχρεῖος :). The ἄχρηστος , besides being useless , causes also loss to his master. See Tittm. Syn. Gr. Test.—ED.

Ver. 28-30. God often in this life deprives men and women of those gifts which he hath given them, and they do not make use of for the glory of his name, and the good of their and others’ souls, the great ends for which he hath entrusted them with them. But this seems not to be here intended, this text referring to the day of judgment: all therefore that we are to understand by this is; That no man’s gifts, whether of nature or providence, of what advantage soever they have been to him in this life, will be of any profit to him in the day of judgment, unless he hath in this life used them to the ends for which God gave them. In that day he will lose all; and the glory of heaven shall not be the portion of them that have had great talents of learning, wit, riches, honours, spiritual gifts, or any thing of that nature, but of those only who have used these things to the honour and glory of God, and to the advantage of their own and others’ souls. For all those that have been unprofitable, hell will be their portion at last, where their misery will be, as of those that live in extreme darkness, continual weeping and gnashing of teeth. The substance of what is in Matthew 25:29 we met with Matthew 13:12 , To him that hath shall be given, & c.; but I think the proverbial speech here is applied differently from the application of it there.

There, him that hath seemeth to signify, him that hath an actual possession; for it is said before, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. So that I take that text to contain a promise of the increase of grace to those that have the seed of God; whereas the appearances of it in others shall not last, but vanish away. Here, plainly, him that hath signifieth, him that maketh a good and true use of what he hath; and thus the parable expounds it. So as the sense is, He that hath any talents from God, and maketh use of them, and improves them for the honour and glory of God, shall be rewarded with further gifts of grace or glory. But if a man hath not, that is, hath, but is as if he had not, making no use of what he hath for the glory of God, those gifts and talents which he hath shall be of no profit and advantage, but miserable disadvantage to him at last.

And cast ... - See the notes at Matthew 8:12 . The spiritual meaning of the parable may be thus summed up: 1. The servants of God are not all endowed with equal gifts and talents. 2. All, whatever may be their ability, are bound to employ their talents in promoting his honor, and in a proper improvement of them. 3. By employing their talents in a proper manner, they improve and strengthen them. 4. They will be judged according to the improvements which they have made. 5. All sinners look on God as a hard master, and as unreasonable and tyrannical. 6. People will be judged not merely for "doing wrong, but for neglecting to do right." 7. If the servant who kept the talent entire without injuring it, and who returned it to his master as he received it, was nevertheless judged, condemned, and cast away, what must they expect who abuse their talents, destroy by drunkenness and lust the noble faculties conferred on them, and squander the property that might be employed in advancing the interests of morals and religion!