§ 1 The text
NASB
Matthew 25:41-45, NASB“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’”
“How a nation treats the most vulnerable is not a matter of ultimate, national judgment.”
§ 2 The argument
Christ judges the nations by their treatment of 'the least of these.' The unborn are the most vulnerable and voiceless class; a nation that fails to defend them fails Christ Himself. This grounds the abolitionist claim that abortion is a matter of national, eschatological judgment, not mere policy.
§ 3 Context & notes
The speaker uses the sheep-and-goats judgment to argue nations are judged by justice toward the vulnerable — 'whatever you did not do for the least of these.' Read alongside Leviticus 20 (national complicity) it frames abolition as obedience under coming judgment.
§ 4 Themes
least of these judgment of the nations the vulnerable sheep and goats
§ 5 Discussion questions
- Who are 'the least of these' in a society that permits abortion?
- If nations are judged by their care for the most vulnerable, how does abortion policy factor into that judgment?