Bible Verse of the Day for November 5, 2026

The verses beside it

Matthew 25:38. When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

Matthew 25:39. When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

Matthew 25:40. 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.’

Matthew 25:41. 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.

Matthew 25:42. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,

Where this verse sits

Matthew 25:31–46 is the judgment of the nations, the last of Jesus’ teachings in this discourse before the passion narrative. The Son of Man sits on a glorious throne and separates people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep are welcomed for feeding, welcoming, clothing, and visiting. They ask when they did it. Verse 40 is the King’s answer. Verses 41 through 45 reverse the scene for those who withheld the same care. Read the whole judgment scene. The verse is a verdict, spoken about the least, in a parable of the King’s return.

Reflection

The King is separating the nations, and the surprise on both sides is the same: they do not remember seeing him hungry, foreign, unclothed, sick, or imprisoned. He tells the sheep that whatever they did for one of the least of these brothers of his, they did for him. The sentence binds the King’s identity to people who were easy to overlook. “Brothers of mine” keeps the saying inside Jesus’ own words rather than turning it into a vague compliment for kindness. The goats are judged for what they withheld from the same people. Care for the least is not a side project added to faith in the King. In this parable it is where the King says he was.

A prayer from this verse

“King Jesus, I have looked for You in impressive places and walked past You in the person who needed bread, a visit, or a coat. Open my eyes to the least of these, and let what I do for them be done as if for You. I do not want the surprise of the goats. Amen.”

One action: Meet one concrete need this week for someone hungry, foreign, poorly clothed, sick, or in prison — food, a visit, a letter, or a gift — and do not post about it.