Matthew 25:31-40
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 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. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His 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 something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read all of Matthew 25 · Words of Christ are set in red.
9 songs meet this passage
“And the Lord asks me what I did with my life”
My Love Is Your Love · Whitney Houston
strains against Matthew 25:31-40
Jesus describes judgment day in terms of how we loved others in need, not simply romantic devotion; the song narrows a weighty image to personal love.
Chain Gang · Sam Cooke
strains against Matthew 25:35-36
Jesus calls his people to give water and visit the imprisoned; the song's unmet thirst highlights the care these men are denied.
I Never Said That (RedWords) · JoshM
resonates with Matthew 25:35-36
The closing verses about the stranger and refugee summarize the whole song's thesis that love for the marginalized is love for Christ himself.
“Where will the people go without enough to eat”
In This House · Tracie Spencer
resonates with Matthew 25:35-36
The song's concern for the hungry and homeless mirrors Jesus' teaching that caring for the vulnerable is caring for Him.
“Wanna house the people, livin' in the street”
Fly Like an Eagle · Seal
resonates with Matthew 25:35-36
Jesus identifies caring for the homeless and needy as caring for Him directly; the lyric's compassion lands close to this call.
Another Day in Paradise (2016 Remastered) · Phil Collins
resonates with Matthew 25:35-40
The whole song's unresolved ache points toward Jesus' teaching that caring for 'the least of these' is caring for him.
“I saw a man with no clothes, no money, no plate”
Mr Wendal · Arrested Development
resonates with Matthew 25:35-40
Jesus identifies with the hungry, naked, and poor; the song's encounter mirrors this call to see Christ in the marginalized.
“I wear it for the prisoner”
Man in Black · Johnny Cash
resonates with Matthew 25:36
Jesus names visiting the prisoner as an act done to Him; Cash's solidarity with the incarcerated mirrors that command.
Hands · Jewel
resonates with Matthew 25:40
Being 'God's hands' for the voiceless and poor reflects Jesus' teaching that serving the least is serving Him.