How to Interpret the Themes of the Sheep and the Goat
Delve into the five key elements of The Parable of the Sheep and the Goat, from the unfolding cosmic reality to the sobering truth of eternal condemnation. Understand how this scripture reveals the cosmic glory awaiting believers, the clarity in Jesus' words, the certainty of the coming separation, the gift of a grand inheritance, and the stark reality of eternal condemnation.
-
The Final Judgment
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but 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 food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Interpreting Five Realities To Behold About The Parable of the Sheep and the Goat.
1) Behold the Unfolding Cosmic Reality
JESUS: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne; before Him will be gathered all the nations…” Matthew 25:31-32a (emphasis added)
This parable reveals the cosmic glory that is coming. It points to the culmination of the work of the Great Mission that Jesus entrusted to the Church (Matthew 28:18-20). All believers are called to make disciples of all nations. One day, all ethnic groups of the planet will be gathered and judged at the judgment seat of Christ. This is a symptom of our work that we’ve been entrusted with as Christians.
JESUS: “This gospel shall be preached to every nation and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
This is where the arc of history is headed; the culmination of the ultimate reality.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…” Revelation 7:9
This is a fulfillment of a cosmic reality akin to taking the pill that reveals reality in The Matrix.
2) Behold The Clarity That’s Often Overlooked
JESUS: “Whatever you did for one of these least of these brothers of MINE, you did for ME.” Matthew 25:40 (emphasis added)
Who is Jesus talking about here? Who are His brothers and sisters? Well, in Luke 8, He declares that whoever does the will of God is His brother and sister. Jesus is identifying Himself with His followers, brothers, sisters, and those who have trusted in Him.
Before the Apostle Paul was on mission for Jesus, he was Saul, a fervent persecutor of the Church. In Acts 9, Jesus called out to him and asked, “Saul, why are you persecuting ME?”
Verse 40 of our passage tells us, “…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.” So, in other words, Jesus was saying, “You mess with them, and you’re messing with Me.”
We are encouraged to love and serve non-Christians, but that is not the specific point of this passage. This parable calls us to examine whether we are serving Christians in need whom God has put around us.
There needs to be some context added to that statement too. We’re living in a 300-year anomaly of Christian history. For the majority of the 2000 years of Christianity, if you were a follower of Jesus, you were persecuted, and that’s still the case in some parts of the world.
We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for His glory and cause. Thus, we see the high relevancy of Jesus’ words in this passage.
3) Behold the Certainty of a Coming Separation
The process of Christ’s judgment will include the absolute and unerring separation of the saved from the unsaved.
“…He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:32b (emphasis added)
There’s a subtle theme that runs through Jesus’ words in several of His parables. Such as, we can note that in The Parable of the 10 Virgins, they were indistinguishable. We also see that in other parables, such as The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.
When sheep and goats travel together in a herd, they are virtually indistinguishable. Jesus paints the picture that there’s a distinction between an inward reality and an outward form.
In Matthew 25:33, Jesus declared that “He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.” Biblically, being at the right hand of God is always a place of honor. When Jesus ascended, it was to the right hand of the Father. Scripture declares that for those in Christ, a day is coming when we will share in that place of honor with our Lord.
4) Behold the Gift of a Grand Inheritance
JESUS: “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 food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25:34b-36 (emphasis added)
“Inherit the Kingdom” is not a reward for good works; but because of a saving relationship with the Father. Those who enter the kingdom will not do so on the basis of service they have performed for Christ but on the basis of their being blessed by the Father because of their trust in His Son.
Their righteousness comes from their transformed hearts in response to Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom, as evidenced by their compassion for the least of these. The good deeds commended in this passage are the fruit, not the root, of salvation.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly that these good works are not on the basis of entrance into the kingdom. If a person has not trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, no amount of seemingly good works done in His name will avail to any spiritual benefit. To such people, the Lord will say, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
Nevertheless, the righteous deeds Jesus mentions in verses 35-36 are measurable evidence for salvation, and He therefore highly commends them for their faith is alive and active.
The response by those whom the King commends in the parable is remarkable and is another proof of their salvation. Because they ministered in a spirit of humility and selflessness and not to be honored by people.
JESUS: “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did new see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” Matthew 25:37-39
Jesus answers them by saying, “Truly, I say to you, as you did at one of these least of these brothers of mine, you did it to Me.”
Their testimonies of “Christ in them” give evidence of their being God’s divine “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Nothing more evidences conversion than a life marked by the compassion of God and the meekness and love of Christ. Whatever believers do for others, they also do for their Lord Jesus.
You serve Christians whom God has put around you not because you want to get to heaven but because Jesus has changed your heart.
5) Behold the Sobering Reality of Eternal Condemnation
As a pastor, I like to end on a high note. However, to be true to the text, that is not where Jesus takes this parable.
JESUS: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41
We are all products of the Enlightenment. We are educated, and many of us like to read. As products of the Enlightenment, and particularly by living in an age where there are many narratives and worldviews, we can read a passage like this and think it comes with our categories. We can create categories such as:
I am conservative. I am liberal. I am progressive.
We could go on and on, but while those lines may work well at a cocktail party, those are not lines that are going to work with Jesus. When a person hears the words of Jesus, words that stir discomfort, and you start labeling yourself so you can be dismissive of Jesus.
It’s a reflection of a darkened heart that needs the Light of the Savior.
It’s not a reflection of being enlightened as much as it’s a reflection of one’s desire to live life independent of God = Pride.
When we pervert the Gospel into Gospel Lite, it’s not the Gospel. Christ does not condemn these people because they failed to serve Him. Christ does not save people because they did serve Him (i.e., the thief on the cross). Our works don’t justify us. We need a savior, and that’s only found in Jesus. Their rejection of Christ left them in a state where they were not able to do righteous deeds.
JESUS: “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Matthew 25:45
To fail to serve Jesus’ people is to fail to serve Jesus, and to fail to serve Jesus is to prove that one does not belong to Him. It is significant that the marks of lostness Jesus mentions here are not gross sins committed but rather simple acts of kindness not committed. The person who is shut out of the kingdom of God is not condemned because of the greatness of his or her sin but because of the absence of his or her faith.
JESUS: “And these will go away intao eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46
Either you will bear your sins, or Jesus will bear your sins. Those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will bear their own sins, which are spiritual death and eternal damnation.
God has expressed consequences for sin before Adam and Eve, the days of Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, and even the sacrifice for our sins. It would demand the very death of God’s one and only Son.
Throughout history, God has chosen to judge certain people, cities, and nations. Yet nothing Jesus said or did was inconsistent with His gracious love. He wept at the impending punishment coming on Jerusalem’s people. Out of love’s supreme expressions also comes protection from harm, and He went there because He is rooted in love.
For those who seek Him, they will find Him. However, we must seek Him in His way and come to Him by His grace, not by works. Jesus paid the price through His death and burial so that we have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.
The work of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus has paid the price for our sin so that we have the opportunity of being reconciled to God.
“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.” 2 Peter 3:9
One of the reasons you’re still breathing is because God is giving you space and time to turn to Him with your heart. This is why Jesus wraps up the parable by saying, “…But the righteous will go away into eternal life.”
Let us make much of that.
TL;DR
This blog delves into Matthew 25:31-46, The Parable of the Sheep and the Goat, examining five crucial elements.
The impending cosmic reality as foretold by Jesus.
The clear yet often overlooked messages in His words.
The definite separation of the righteous from the unrighteous at the final judgment.
The profound inheritance that awaits believers.
The stark, sobering truth of eternal condemnation for those who reject Christ.
Related Reading
Are You Prepared to Meet God Right Now? by Rev. Paul Lawler
But God by Bro. Chris Carter
A Caution for How We Approach God by Rev. Paul Lawler
