20260324 [새벽묵상] 인자께서 사람을 심판하시는 기준 | The Criteria of the Son of Man’s Judgment (마/Mt 25:31~46)

25:31 인자가 자기 영광으로 모든 천사와 함께 올 때에 자기 영광의 보좌에 앉으리니

25:32 모든 민족을 그 앞에 모으고 각각 구분하기를 목자가 양과 염소를 구분하는 것 같이 하여

25:33 양은 그 오른편에 염소는 왼편에 두리라

[The Sheep and the Goats]

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

25:34 그 때에 임금이 그 오른편에 있는 자들에게 이르시되 내 아버지께 복 받을 자들이여 나아와 창세로부터 너희를 위하여 예비된 나라를 상속받으라

25:35 내가 주릴 때에 너희가 먹을 것을 주었고 목마를 때에 마시게 하였고 나그네 되었을 때에 영접하였고

25:36 헐벗었을 때에 옷을 입혔고 병들었을 때에 돌보았고 옥에 갇혔을 때에 와서 보았느니라

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

25:37 이에 의인들이 대답하여 이르되 주여 우리가 어느 때에 주께서 주리신 것을 보고 음식을 대접하였으며 목마르신 것을 보고 마시게 하였나이까

25:38 어느 때에 나그네 되신 것을 보고 영접하였으며 헐벗으신 것을 보고 옷 입혔나이까

25:39 어느 때에 병드신 것이나 옥에 갇히신 것을 보고 가서 뵈었나이까 하리니

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

25:40 임금이 대답하여 이르시되 내가 진실로 너희에게 이르노니 너희가 여기 내 형제 중에 지극히 작은 자 하나에게 한 것이 곧 내게 한 것이니라 하시고

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

25:41 또 왼편에 있는 자들에게 이르시되 저주를 받은 자들아 나를 떠나 마귀와 그 사자들을 위하여 예비된 영영한 불에 들어가라

25:42 내가 주릴 때에 너희가 먹을 것을 주지 아니하였고 목마를 때에 마시게 하지 아니하였고

25:43 나그네 되었을 때에 영접하지 아니하였고 헐벗었을 때에 옷 입히지 아니하였고 병들었을 때와 옥에 갇혔을 때에 돌보지 아니하였느니라 하시니

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

25:44 그들도 대답하여 이르되 주여 우리가 어느 때에 주께서 주리신 것이나 목마르신 것이나 나그네 되신 것이나 헐벗으신 것이나 병드신 것이나 옥에 갇히신 것을 보고 공양하지 아니하더이까

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

25:45 이에 임금이 대답하여 이르시되 내가 진실로 너희에게 이르노니 이 지극히 작은 자 하나에게 하지 아니한 것이 곧 내게 하지 아니한 것이니라 하시리니

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

25:46 그들은 영벌에, 의인들은 영생에 들어가리라 하시니라

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

                24장에서 제자들의 질문으로 시작된 “주의 임하심과 세상 끝” 에 대한 예수님의 가르침은 오늘 본문 말씀으로 결론을 맺습니다. “주의 임하심과 세상 끝” 이라는 말 그 자체처럼 예수님께서는 인자가 영광 가운데 다시 오실 때 일어날 마지막 날의 심판에 대해서 알려주십니다. 그 때가 되면 예수님께서 만왕의 왕으로 모든 천사와 함께 오셔서 당신의 영광의 보좌에 앉으실 것입니다. 또한 모든 민족을 그 앞에 모으고 마치 목자가 양과 염소를 구분하는 것 같이 사람들을 둘로 나누실 것입니다. 아마도 이 말씀을 들은 제자들은 ‘그러면 그렇지’ 라면서 예수님께서 유대인들의 대적들을 심판하실 것이라고 생각했을 것입니다. 그런데 예수님께서 말씀하시는 인자가 사람을 심판하시는 기준은 그들의 생각과는 전혀 다른 것이었습니다. 오늘은 본문의 말씀을 통해 “인자께서 사람을 심판하시는 기준”이 무엇인지 함께 살펴보기 원합니다.

[Introduction: The Conclusion of the End Times Discourse]

Jesus’ teaching on “the coming of the Lord and the end of the age,” which began with the disciples' questions in chapter 24, reaches its grand conclusion in today’s passage. Just as the title suggests, Jesus reveals the final judgment that will take place when the Son of Man returns in His glory.

On that day, Jesus will arrive as the King of kings, accompanied by all His angels, and sit upon His glorious throne. He will gather all nations before Him and separate them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The disciples, hearing this, likely thought, “Of course! Jesus is finally going to judge our enemies.” However, the criteria Jesus uses for this judgment is completely different from what they—and perhaps we—expected. Today, let’s examine “The Son of Man’s Criterion for Judgment.”

                오늘 말씀은 모든 민족을 영광의 보좌에 앉으신 인자 앞에 모은다고 말씀하십니다. 그러나 그들을 구분하는 것은 민족으로 구분하는 것이 아니라 한 사람씩 각각 구분하신다고 말씀하십니다. 마치 목자가 양과 염소를 우리에 들여보낼 때 한 마리씩 구분하는 것 같이 말입니다. 이것은 마지막 때에 모든 인류가 인자 앞에 서게 되지만 우리 각 사람이 각자의 믿음으로 의인과 악인으로 구분되는 것을 말해줍니다. 또한 우리는 인자 즉, 사람 되신 예수님 앞에 서게 될 것인데 우리를 심판하실 때 예수님께서는 임금, 즉 세상의 모든 주권을 지닌 왕으로서 우리에게 영원한 벌과 영원한 생명을 심판하실 것을 알려줍니다.

1. An Individual Appointment with the King

The text says that all nations will be gathered before the Son of Man on His throne. Yet, the separation is not by nation or group, but individual—one person at a time. It is exactly like a shepherd leading animals into the pen one by one. This tells us that while all humanity will stand before Him, each of us will be judged as either righteous or wicked based on our individual faith and life.

Furthermore, we will stand before the "Son of Man"—Jesus, who became human for us. Yet, in this moment of judgment, He is also the "King"—the one with absolute sovereignty over the universe, holding the power to decree eternal punishment or eternal life.

                그렇다면 본문에서 양으로 대표되는 의인들에게 주어지는 상은 무엇입니까? 34절에서 임금이 이들을 부를 때에 ‘내 아버지께 복 받을 자’ 라고 적고 있습니다. 마치 미래에 복을 받을 사람들처럼 표현하고 있지만 그 본 뜻은 내 아버지로부터 이미 복을 받은 자라는 뜻입니다. 왜 그렇습니까? “창세로부터 즉, 세상의 기초를 놓을 때부터 이들을 위하여 예비된 나라” 가 있기 때문입니다. 이것은 이들이 이 나라를 이들의 행위로 얻은 것이 아니라는 것을 말해줍니다. 하나님의 오래된 계획 속에서 은혜로 물려받는 것, 상속받는 것임을 말해주는 것이지요. 이 부분이 중요한 것은 이 다음에 나오는 내용들이 마치 이들의 행위로 이들이 구원을 얻은 것처럼 비춰질 수 있기 때문입니다.

2. A Reward Prepared by Grace

What is the reward for the righteous, represented by the sheep? In verse 34, the King calls them “those blessed by my Father.” While it sounds like a future blessing, the original meaning implies those who have already been blessed by the Father.

Why? Because there is a kingdom “prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” This is crucial: they did not earn this kingdom through their deeds. It was prepared in God’s ancient plan and is received as an inheritance through grace. I emphasize this because the verses that follow can easily be misunderstood as saying we are saved by our works. We must remember: salvation is a gift we inherit, not a wage we earn.

                그렇다면 이 다음인 35-36절의 내용은 무엇입니까? 바로 임금이 말하는 이들이 양으로 구분되는 기준입니다. 그들은 임금님이 어려울 때에 임금님을 돌보았습니다. 그런데 재미있는 것은 이들은 자신들이 언제 임금님을 돌보았는지 자각이 없다는 것입니다. 무슨 말입니까? 이들은 댓가를 바라고 긍휼을 베푼 것이 아니라는 것입니다. 우리는 참 간사해서 항상 계산을 하지요. 끊임없이 손익을 따집니다. 내가 십일조를 하고 헌금 생활을 열심히 하면 하나님께서 내게 재정적인 축복을 해주시겠지. 내가 선행을 함으로 교회 사역을 함으로 지역사회에 긍휼을 베풂으로 천국에 복을 쌓으면 그게 다 나와 내 가족이 복을 받는 길이야. 물론 그렇지 않다는 말이 아닙니다. 하나님께서 오늘 말씀에서도 이들을 의롭다 하시고 돌보아 주시지 않습니까? 다만, 제가 말씀드리고 싶은 것은 이들의 긍휼과 돌봄이 어떤 보상이나 계산을 염두에 두고 이루어졌던 것이 아니라 이들의 마음이 이미 변화되었기 때문에 자연스럽게 일어나는 행동이었다는 것입니다. 이 올바른 마음에서 우러나오는 긍휼이야말로 이들이 천국 백성임을 증명하는 것이지요.

3. The Unconscious Mercy of a Transformed Heart

In verses 35–36, the King lists the reasons these people were categorized as sheep. They cared for Him in His time of need. But the fascinating part is their reaction: they have no recollection of doing so.

They ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry...?" This means they didn't show mercy because they were hunting for a reward. We humans are often calculating; we constantly weigh our "return on investment." We think, “If I tithe faithfully, God will bless my finances,” or “If I serve the community, I’m racking up points in heaven for my family.” While God does bless our service, the righteous in this parable weren't calculating. Their mercy flowed naturally from a heart that had already been transformed by God. This "unconscious" mercy is the greatest evidence that they are truly citizens of Heaven.

                자신들이 언제 임금님을 돌보았느냐고 물어보는 이들의 질문에 임금님은 이렇게 대답하십니다. “너희가 여기 내 형제 중에 지극히 작은 자 하나에게 한 것이 곧 내게 한 것이니라” 바로 이 말씀이 오늘 말씀의 핵심입니다. 이것이 인자께서 사람을 구분하시는 기준이기 때문이지요. 당시 사회는 명예를 되돌려 줄 수 있는 자들만 선별하여 호의를 베푸는 문화였다고 합니다. 그런데 명예를 되돌려 줄 수 없는 ‘가장 낮은 자’ 를 돌보는 것이 바로 온 우주를 주관하시는 임금님에게 한 행위라는 말씀은 제자들에게 당시 시대의 상식을 뒤집어 엎는 가르침이었을 것입니다. 그런데 이 말씀은 특별히 교회 안에서 더욱 유효합니다. 예수님께서 말씀하시는 ‘내 형제’란 12:50에서 말씀하시듯이 “하늘 아버지의 뜻대로 하는 자” 즉 제자들을 가리키는 말이기 때문입니다. 또 ‘지극히 작은 자’라는 말은 18장의 말씀처럼 어린아이와 같이 자신을 낮추는 신자를 말하는 것이기 때문입니다. 그래서 우리는 교회 안에서 어려움을 겪고 있는 지체가 있다면 더욱 신경 써서 돌보아야 합니다. 하지만 그렇다고 해서 우리의 돌봄을 교회만으로 한정해서는 안됩니다. 갈라디아서 6:10이 그것을 잘 말하고 있습니다. “그러므로 우리는 기회 있는 대로 모든 이에게 착한 일을 하되 더욱 믿음의 가정들에게 할지니라” 우리는 기회 있는 대로 모든 이에게 착한 일을 하여야 하는 것입니다.

4. The "Least of These": The True Test of Faith

When asked when they served Him, the King replies: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” This is the heart of the message.

In that ancient culture, people only showed favor to those who could "return the honor." To care for the "least"—those who have nothing to give back—was a radical concept. Within the church, this is even more specific. “My brothers” refers to those who do the will of the Father (Mt 12:50), and the “least” refers to believers who humble themselves like children (Mt 18).

We are called to look after our struggling brothers and sisters in Christ with extra care. However, as Galatians 6:10 reminds us, while we prioritize the household of faith, we must “do good to everyone” whenever we have the opportunity.

                자 그렇다면 이제 그 반대되는 사람들에 대해서 알아보기 원합니다. 임금님께서는 이들을 이미 저주를 받은 자들이라고 부르고 있습니다. 이들을 마귀와 그 사자들을 위해서 예비된 영원한 불로 내모십니다. 참으로 무서운 형벌이 아닐 수 없습니다. 그런데 이들을 염소로 구분하는 기준을 보면 의문이 생깁니다. 이들은 딱히 잔혹한 범죄를 저지른 사람들이 아닙니다. 이들은 그저 선을 행할 기회가 주어졌을 때 아무것도 하지 않은 것 뿐이지요. 단지 남의 일처럼 무관심하고 방관자로 남았을 뿐입니다. 그런데 주님께서는 바로 이것이 주님 앞에 영원한 형벌에 처해질 만큼 심각한 범죄라고 말씀하고 계시는 것입니다. 우리가 가만히 생각해보면 앞에서 말씀하셨던 어리석은 다섯 신부도 그리고 달란트 비유에 나오는 한 달란트 받은 종도 딱히 악한 일을 한 것이 없습니다. 그들은 다만 해야 할 것을 하지 않았기 때문에 심판을 받았습니다. 그리고 임금님께서는 이들에게도 같은 기준을 말씀하십니다. “지극히 작은 자 하나에게 하지 아니한 것이 곧 내게 하지 아니한 것이니라” 우리는 자주 남에게 피해만 주지 않으면 괜찮다고 생각합니다. 그러나 오늘 예수님께서는 긍휼을 행해야 하는 우리들이 아무것도 하지 않는 것이야 말로 저주를 받은 것이라고 말씀하십니다. 그것이 우리의 완악한 마음을 그대로 드러내는 것이기 때문입니다.

5. The Sin of Omission: The Silence of the Goats

Now, look at the other group. The King calls them "accursed" and sends them into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. This is a terrifying sentence. But when you look at the criteria for being a "goat," a question arises: What did they actually do?

They didn't commit heinous crimes. They weren't necessarily murderers or thieves. Their sin was simply doing nothing. When given the opportunity to do good, they remained indifferent spectators.

Think back to the previous parables: the five foolish virgins didn't "do" anything evil—they just failed to prepare. The one-talent servant didn't "lose" the money—he just failed to use it. Now, the goats are condemned because “as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” We often think we’re fine as long as we don't hurt anyone. But Jesus tells us that failing to show mercy is a curse in itself, because it reveals a heart that is still hardened and unchanged.

                말씀을 맺습니다. 우리 크리스천은 주의 임하심과 세상의 끝을 기대하는 사람들입니다. 예수님께서는 오늘 말씀을 통해 당신께서 영광의 모습으로 천사들과 함께 우리에게 오실 것을 분명히 말씀하셨습니다. 그리고 당신께서 만왕의 왕으로 그 영광의 보좌에 앉으실 때에 우리는 모두 그 보좌 앞에 불려나가 구분될 것입니다. 인자께서 사람을 심판하시는 기준은 이것입니다. “여기 내 형제 중에 지극히 작은 자 하나에게 한 것이 곧 내게 한 것이니라.” 여러분, 여러분께서는 그 자리에 서실때에 무슨 대답을 하시겠습니까?

[Conclusion]

As Christians, we are people who look forward to the coming of the Lord and the end of the age. Jesus has clearly promised that He will return in glory. When He sits on that throne, and we are called before Him, the criterion will be this:

“Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me.”

When you stand in that spot, what will your answer be? I pray that we would live lives of "natural mercy," reflecting the heart of our King every single day.

Let us pray.