Matthew 25:31-40

The Judgment

25:31 “When ¹  the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 25:32 All ²  the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 25:33 He ³  will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, ⁴  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When ⁵  did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 25:39 When ⁶  did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 25:40 And the king will answer them, ⁷  ‘I tell you the truth, ⁸  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ⁹  of mine, you did it for me.’

Matthew 25:2

25:2 Five ¹⁰  of the virgins ¹¹  were foolish, and five were wise.

Colossians 1:14

1:14 in whom we have redemption, ¹²  the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹³  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:3

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ¹⁴  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Hebrews 11:8

11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.

Hebrews 11:17-19

11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, ¹⁵  yet he was ready to offer up ¹⁶  his only son. 11:18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” ¹⁷  11:19 and he reasoned ¹⁸  that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense ¹⁹  he received him back from there.

James 2:14-26

Faith and Works Together

2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, ²⁰  if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith ²¹  save him? ²²  2:15 If a brother or sister ²³  is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, ²⁴  what good is it? 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” ²⁵  Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by ²⁶  my works. 2:19 You believe that God is one; well and good. ²⁷  Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. ²⁸ 

2:20 But would you like evidence, ²⁹  you empty fellow, ³⁰  that faith without works is useless? ³¹  2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 2:22 You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” ³²  and he was called God’s friend. ³³  2:24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 2:25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James 2:1

Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, ³⁴  do not show prejudice ³⁵  if you possess faith ³⁶  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ³⁷ 

James 1:8

1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ³⁸  unstable in all his ways.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ³⁹  a slave ⁴⁰  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁴¹  Greetings!

James 3:14

3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth.

James 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ⁴²  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ⁴³  from your passions that battle inside you? ⁴⁴ 

[25:31]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:32]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:33]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:37]  ⁴ tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:38]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:39]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:40]  ⁷ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:40]  ⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.

[25:2]  ¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Five of them.”

[1:14]  ¹² tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

[1:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:3]  ¹⁴ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[11:17]  ¹⁵ tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.

[11:17]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.

[11:18]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “in Isaac seed will be named for you.”

[11:19]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “having reasoned,” continuing the ideas of v. 17.

[11:19]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “in/by a symbol.”

[2:14]  ²⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:14]  ²¹ tn Grk “the faith,” referring to the kind of faith just described: faith without works. The article here is anaphoric, referring to the previous mention of the noun πίστις (pisti") in the verse. See ExSyn 219.

[2:14]  ²² sn The form of the question in Greek expects a negative answer.

[2:15]  ²³ tn It is important to note that the words ἀδελφός (adelfos) and ἀδελφή (adelfh) both occur in the Greek text at this point, confirming that the author intended to refer to both men and women. See the note on “someone” in 2:2.

[2:16]  ²⁴ tn Grk “what is necessary for the body.”

[2:18]  ²⁵ tn There is considerable doubt about where the words of the “someone” end and where James’ reply begins. Some see the quotation running to the end of v. 18; others to the end of v. 19. But most punctuate as shown above. The “someone” is then an objector, and the sense of his words is something like, “Some have faith; others have works; don’t expect everyone to have both.” James’ reply is that faith cannot exist or be seen without works.

[2:18]  ²⁶ tn Or “from.”

[2:19]  ²⁷ tn Grk “you do well.”

[2:19]  ²⁸ tn Grk “believe and tremble.” The words “with fear” are implied.

[2:20]  ²⁹ tn Grk “do you want to know.”

[2:20]  ³⁰ tn Grk “O empty man.” Here the singular vocative ἄνθρωπε (anqrwpe, “man”) means “person” or even “fellow.” Cf. BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8 which views this as an instance of rhetorical address in a letter; the pejorative sense is also discussed under the previous heading (7).

[2:20]  ³¹ tc Most witnesses, including several important ones (א A C² P Ψ 33 Ï sy bo), have νεκρά (nekra, “dead”) here, while Ì⁷⁴ reads κενή (kenh, “empty”). Both variants are most likely secondary, derived from ἀργή (argh, “useless”). The reading of the majority is probably an assimilation to the statements in vv. 17 and 26, while Ì⁷⁴’s reading picks up on κενέ (kene) earlier in the verse. The external evidence (B C* 323 945 1739 sa) for ἀργή is sufficient for authenticity; coupled with the strong internal evidence for the reading (if νεκρά were original, how would ἀργή have arisen here and not in vv. 17 or 26?), it is strongly preferred.

[2:23]  ³² sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[2:23]  ³³ sn An allusion to 2 Chr 20:7; Isa 41:8; 51:2; Dan 3:35 (LXX), in which Abraham is called God’s “beloved.”

[2:1]  ³⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:1]  ³⁵ tn Or “partiality.”

[2:1]  ³⁶ tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

[2:1]  ³⁷ tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[1:8]  ³⁸ tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[1:1]  ³⁹ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[4:1]  ⁴² tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”