But what do we see in the Scriptures? We see that the church of Jesus Christ is to be a Word and deed ministry. And when these two are working together, they are reflecting the work of Jesus Christ in this world. Mercy is something that the church is to show. And in the life of the church, as mercy is reflected, this is something that we will give account for on the last great day. Jesus told us that in Matthew 25:1–46. Jesus tells us that how we respond to the least of these will be brought into our judgment. Jesus doesn't say, This is how you are saved, but He uses those works as a test of whether we have trusted in Jesus Christ. We are to respond to the people of God with mercy in a special way. Jesus says:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 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. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.

Is Jesus preaching against justification by faith alone? Absolutely not. But what Jesus is telling His disciples is what James will pick up on later: If you say you have faith and you have no works, what value is that (James 2:1–26)? As Martin Luther says, When we are justified by faith alone, it is a faith that is not alone. When we have been converted to Jesus Christ, our lives will reflect that in what we do. And Jesus looks to mercy as the reflection of that. And you will notice that the individual being judged that does these works is not doing them because he or she is hoping to be justified. It is not a conscientious, I have to do these to be made right with God. Because how do they respond to the shepherd? They say, Lord, when were you hungry? When were you in prison? When were you naked? And what does Jesus say? He says, As you did it to one of the least of these (and then He defines who they are) my brothers, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40b).

You see, this isn't just a broad, Be kind and hand out water at marathons in the name of Jesus sort of ministry. What is being spoken of here in Matthew 25:1–46 (and what James later picks up on) is a mercy that happens within the church – within because it is the people of God. It is those that Jesus says, These are my brothers that you have shown mercy to.”¹

Nathan Eshelman