What Is the Outer Darkness that Jesus Talked About?
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No one enjoys discussing eternal punishment. Even those who believe it’s biblical would rather avoid the topic, focusing instead on Jesus’ love, servant leadership, sacrifice, and resurrection. While Jesus was truly meek and humble of heart, it may surprise you that Jesus spoke about the topic of hell more often than any other biblical figure. This article will examine the concept of “outer darkness.”
It can feel counter-intuitive that Jesus, who welcomed sinners, ate with tax collectors, and forgave those who nailed Him to the cross, will one day exclude some people from His light and eternal life. This fact brings up all kinds of questions. Jesus, who became one of us? Jesus, who died for us? Jesus, who included Jewish believers and Gentiles in His plan… will one day close the door of His kingdom to some people? While it’s uncomfortable and unpopular to discuss that truth, reading any of the gospels will lead to the truth that Jesus does, in fact, discuss eternal punishment.
Where Does Jesus Mention an Outer Darkness?
Jesus told three parables, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, in which He referred to the “outer darkness.” In these stories, it’s clear the outer darkness isn’t a pleasant place. Jesus described a situation in which we wouldn’t want to find ourselves. Is it hell? Is it a “suburb” of Heaven? Why are people sent there? Why is it dark?
Matthew records Jesus referring to the outer darkness in Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13, and Matthew 25:30. Each verse mentions the activity of people sent there as “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That’s not something people do unless they are in great inner or outer torment.
The verses are very straightforward:
“while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12 ESV, emphasis added)
“Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 22:13 ESV, emphasis added)
“And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 25:30 ESV, emphasis added).
So, what was the context of these verses?
In Matthew 8, Jesus was approached by a Roman centurion, a Gentile, who told Jesus his servant was lying at home, paralyzed and suffering. When Jesus offered to go to the centurion’s house to heal the servant, the centurion felt his home was too humble to receive Jesus. He told Jesus to simply give the word, and because he was a man who gave orders and they were obeyed, he knew the illness would obey Jesus and leave his servant.
At the man’s great faith, Jesus proclaimed that He had not seen such faith in any of the “sons of the kingdom,” meaning the Israelites. In verses 11 and 12, Jesus declared, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus then healed the servant.
This was a message to the Jews that Jesus would eventually include all of humanity in His plan of salvation, but that salvation comes through Him alone. There were Israelites who rejected Jesus as Messiah. He was warning them that they risked being shut out of His kingdom.
In the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, Jesus was speaking pointedly to the children of Israel again. He told of a king who gave a great feast for His Son. When those invited were called to come, they made excuses about why they couldn’t be there. So, the king ordered the invitation to be spread wider.
When the king greeted his guests, he noticed one man who did not have the proper wedding clothes. He was thrown out into the outer darkness.
This may have referred to Zechariah 3, where God provided clean garments for Joshua the high priest, who appeared in filthy rags. We cannot come before God clothed in our own righteousness but must be dressed in the righteousness we receive from Jesus Christ alone. Only by His righteousness are we granted entrance to the great wedding feast of the bridegroom. Those who try to enter by their own righteousness will be banished to the outer darkness.
The final parable recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 is the parable of the talents. The faithful servant who wisely invested his talents was allowed to “enter into the joy” of his Master. The worthless servant who hid his talent in the ground was cast into the outer darkness. This parable is closely followed in Matthew 25:31-46 by the story of the judgment, where the “Son of Man” separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep go away to eternal life, but the goats go into eternal punishment.
Clearly, Jesus was trying to indicate that decisions about who He is will impact our eternal future.
Is the Outer Darkness Hell?
Some struggle to associate hell with the idea of “outer darkness” because, in other places, unyielding fires are associated with hell. In our current thinking, fires are associated with light, so how can hell fires coincide with outer darkness?
We do well to remember that Jesus is the Light of the world. Whatever else hell is, it is certainly eternal separation from Jesus, who is light, life, and love. Perhaps some fires burn, but the darkness is so aggressive they give no light. In either case, banishment outside the kingdom of God for eternity is hellish enough to equate to hell.
Universalists would have us believe that everyone, in the end, is saved, but the parables of Jesus describe a time of judgment where some are separated from Him forever. In these references to outer darkness, it doesn’t seem to be a neutral place, simply apart from God, but a place of great suffering and anguish (weeping and gnashing of teeth). Jesus did refer to fires in hell in Matthew 5:22.
The utter darkness of separation from God is referenced in other biblical passages such as Job 10:21-22 where it is described as “utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is darkness.” Nahum 1:8 says, “he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness. Jude 1:13 refers to “wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Revelation 16:10 refers to “kingdom plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony.”
This is not the dark of night we experience where there are stars, moons, candles, and warm fires with the promise of coming dawn. This is like being buried alive or thrown into a deep pit with no escape.
How Should We talk about the Outer Darkness?
It is right that Christians who love God with all our hearts, souls, mind, and strength and who love our neighbors as ourselves should be reluctant to talk about hell, outer darkness, or eternal damnation. Eternal separation from everything good, loving, beautiful, fair, kind, light, and life is a serious, sober business. It should always be approached reverently, seriously, and without ghoulish fascination, because God loves the souls who end there.
2 Peter 3:9 reads, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God’s heart toward all of us, His mercy and compassion, should tell us this is not a topic we should joke about.
Instead, we should be careful to share Jesus’ parables and talk about the good news that Jesus has made way for all of us to live eternity in the presence of God, who is goodness, light, love, mercy, holiness, and righteousness. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. We escape the outer darkness through Him and sit down to His great feast to enjoy Him forever.
We should pray without ceasing for salvation for those who don’t know Jesus and for boldness in speaking the light of the gospel in a dark world.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Maxim Antonov
This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy-to-read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. We hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in your life today.