This parable which Jesus told, describes the judgment between those people who have obeyed Him in truth from a place of Christ like love (these are His sheep), compared to those who did not (the goats). Jesus is our good Shepherd, and those who follow Him in obedience and truth are called His sheep. This parable has got hidden spiritual meaning and significance, which is based upon spiritual conditions. I would really love to share with you what I believe the Holy Spirit has taught me regarding these.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV

Let’s explore the hidden spiritual meaning behind each point:

• I was hungry and you gave Me food

Food in Scripture can refer to spiritual food (which is the written Word of God) given to satisfy spiritual hunger, as well as providing nourishment for spiritual growth and development. The following Scripture from the book of Acts is such a great example showing us that food in Scripture can be a reference to spiritual food.

Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

Acts 14:17 NKJV

We can fill our stomach’s with physical food, but we cannot fill our hearts with physical food, therefore the food referred to in this Scripture is a reference to spiritual food. I believe that when Jesus commanded us to feed the hungry, He wasn’t only referring to physical hunger. He was also speaking about sharing our bread (the written Word of God) with the spiritually hungry, so that they can be filled and nourished spiritually – which has eternal value.

• I was thirsty and you gave Me drink

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 4:13-14 NKJV

I believe that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit in this Scripture. We know that Jesus is the One who baptizes people with His Holy Spirit. Living water, or rivers and streams in Scripture is usually a reference to the Holy Spirit. Also in John 4:10 (a few verses prior), Jesus said to the woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The word “gift” in this Scripture is specifically referring to the gift of a person – the Holy Spirit. If we look at the original Greek word from this Scripture, it is the word “Dorea”. Wherever this word “Dorea” is used in Scripture, it is always speaking about the gift of a person (like Jesus or the Holy Spirit).

Therefore, I believe that when Jesus asked us to give drink to the thirsty, He is referring to those people who are thirsty for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

• I was a stranger and you took Me in

Before we were born again, the bible tells us that we were strangers and foreigners (spiritually speaking), meaning that we had not yet have citizenship with the saints.

That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:12-13 NKJV

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Ephesians 2:19 NKJV

When Jesus gave us the command to take in the strangers (spiritually speaking), I believe that He meant helping people come into God’s kingdom by being born again, so that they too can receive spiritual citizenship. I believe He is wanting us to help people understand what it truly means to be born again according to the Word of God (See John 3:3-5). In love, we can help people understand that they need to repent of their sins and understand the gospel message, so that they can be baptized in water and receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

• I was naked and you clothed Me

We are all spiritually naked before we are clothed in Christ. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and shame follows as a consequence of sin. But, just like God provided a covering for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness after the fall, God has provided a covering for us so that we can stand in His presence unashamed, fully clothed in Christ. When we repent of our sins, the blood of Jesus Christ washes us clean from all sin and unrighteousness. His blood blots out our transgressions so that we will not be ashamed in His presence. God promises us that when He forgives us, He also forgets our sins.

God provides us with spiritual clothing so that we will not be found naked and ashamed. This happens when we are baptized in water to Jesus Christ. Thank You Lord!

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:27 NKJV

The Scripture in Isaiah also tells us that God clothes us with the garments of salvation, and He covers us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a robe. Thank You Lord.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10 NKJV

I believe the instruction from the Lord is to also help clothe those who are spiritually naked.

• I was sick and you visited Me

God has opened up my eyes to the fact that not only can we receive physical and emotional healing, but we can also receive spiritual healing. There is an extremely important hidden message for us to understand within this context of Scripture. Sin is spiritual sickness, and when Jesus took our sin upon Himself, it was so that we could also receive His perfect healing from sin (spiritual sickness).

Let me put it this way, because of what Jesus did for us, not only can we receive healing from pain and diseases such as cancer, migraine headaches, diabetes, heartache, etc. but we can also receive healing from spiritual sickness such as jealousy, hatred, pride, rebellion, lust, greed, etc.

When Jesus instructed us to visit the sick, I believe He also meant that we can share the good news of the kingdom of God with others. We can bring them to Jesus so that He can heal them of spiritual sickness when they turn to Him in repentance, thereby allowing them to walk in freedom from the power of sin, and experience victory in their lives.

• I was in prison and you came to Me

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal (bind up) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”

Isaiah 61:1 NKJV

We were all slaves to sin before Jesus set us free. We were all in spiritual bondage, under oppression and in need of a Savior because we knew that we couldn’t save ourselves. Even though it is good to preach the gospel message to those who are in a physical prison, we can also preach the good news to everyone who is in a spiritual prison which cannot be seen with natural eyes. The good news is that Jesus came to set us free from spiritual bondage and oppression. He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26). Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

This spiritual understanding became such a reality for me when we were at a kickstart a few years ago. There was a lady there, who heard the gospel message and wanted to be baptized. After she had confessed and repented of her sins, she said that she felt like she had just walked out of a prison. Hallelujah – praise Jesus! Thank You Lord.

When we understand the spiritual connotations of this Scripture (Matthew 25:31-46), it should excite us, because it means that we can share spiritual truths with others straight away. I would really like this message to be one of encouragement and not condemnation. We know that the enemy likes to bring condemnation with thoughts like, “Are we doing enough?”

I would like to encourage you with this: “What do you have in your hand right now?” Perhaps you have limited time or resources, but you can use what is available to you right now.

For example: Most of us go shopping. We can share about Jesus with the cashier while we pay for our groceries. We can share about Jesus with the petrol attendants when we fill up with fuel. We can share Scripture on WhatsApp or Facebook. It might not seem like a lot, but God can use anything to get a message through to someone. That one message or scripture you send someone can mean so much to them. Every time you share Jesus with someone, you are planting a seed, or watering a seed which has already been planted. God tells us in His word that He will bring the increase, He will cause the seed to grow.

God is looking for a willing heart and willing hands. If you are willing, may I encourage you to pray and ask Him to use you for His kingdom and His glory. Ask Him to bring people to you and to send opportunities your way. But just know that if you do, He will answer that prayer. If you are concerned about what you should say, know that God will help you. We have a promise from God in His word which says that He puts His words in our mouths, meaning that He will help us by giving us His words to speak.

“As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.”

Isaiah 59:21 NKJV

May the Lord bless you, and use you for His kingdom and His glory.

Until next time – goodbye.