Abstract
In the powerful conclusion to Matthew's apocalyptic discourse, reward and punishment are made to depend on what is done, or not done, for "these least" (25:45; cf. v. 40). No reference is made to a need for faith in order to withstand the coming judgment. The implication in this passage of a "righteousness by works" has made it a favourite with humanitarian causes, such as Oxfam and Amnesty International, as well as with liberation theologians. How responsible is such a reading of the text? An initial response might be that a humanistic understanding of the passage ignores its contextualization in Matthew's gospel. But this is not the end of the matter. Tensions in the narrative indicate that the evangelist has taken over and adapted earlier traditions. Moreover, the possibility cannot be excluded that some form of the parable of the sheep and the goats goes back to Jesus himself. Does our modern interest in this passage find support in attitudes of Jesus which have been obscured by later ecclesiastical concerns?
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