Sheep and Goats – Matthew 25

When confronted by a teacher of the law trying to trap Him in His words, Jesus answered with a truth we can all live by. The man asked:

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)

In the previous meditation, we saw how Jesus addresses the first of these two main commandments with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. The grace of God draws us in love to pursue Him in faith, such that He is able to fill our hearts with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the oil that fuels our lamps to shine as a testimony to Him and a blessing to those around us.

In a later parable, in Matthew 25, Jesus addresses His second great commandment, as given here – to love others as we would love ourselves. He seems to indicate that the sum of our thoughts, actions, and motives towards others in life reveal our true nature and the authenticity of our faith.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. ³⁴ 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.

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 took Me in;
³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me;
I was sick and you took care of Me;
I was in prison and you visited Me.’

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 take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’  Matthew 25:31-40 (HCSB)

This is the relatively easy part of the parable, as even the hardest of people can think of times when we shared something in kindness, or reached out to give aid or comfort to someone going through a difficult season. But Jesus did not stop here.

⁴¹ Then He will also say to those on the 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 didn’t take Me in;
I was naked
and you didn’t clothe Me,
sick and in prison
and you didn’t take care of Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’

⁴⁵ “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’

⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:41-46 (HCSB)

I must be frank – this section of the parable has always challenged my theology. Virtually the entire New Testament rests on salvation through a living faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By grace, we are saved through faith, and not by works, as Paul explicitly writes in Ephesians 2, verse 8. Yet, this parable implies that our salvation rests on whether or not we sought to share with and comfort others in their times of difficulty and trial.

So, are we saved by faith? Yes. Are we saved by works? The apostle Paul says “not by works”. But Jesus’ younger half-brother, James, born of Joseph and Mary, has some critical insight in his biblical book, the book of James.

 ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:26 (NASB)

Whatever the case, Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats is an important reminder for me to keep the needs of others in the forefront of my mind. I need to refocus daily on being like a “sheep”, following the Good Shepherd, with a genuine faith that reflects His compassion for others. And whenever I find myself thinking like a goat, looking out only for my own welfare and interests, I need to quickly readjust. Jesus’ parable emphasizes just how important this refocusing is.

Reflection

When or where am I most prone to think like a “goat”, thinking only of myself?

Father God, help us to take this vital parable to heart today, to reflect Your love and compassion to those around us, exhibiting patience and tolerance with them. Help us to be generous and tender peacemakers, rather than always seeking to win every potential conflict we face. Help us to forgive those who have hurt us, and to make amends to those we have hurt or offended. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have a beautiful day walking with the Lord today.