The Sheep and the Goats

Let us Pray!

Heavenly Father, the entrance of Your Word gives light! We ask that You will shine the light of Your Word into our hearts, so that it may be reflected in our lives and illuminate the world around us. Amen

The Purpose of Parables

The purpose of the parable is to serve as a commentary on the Scriptures, or upon some principle that can be found in the Old Testament. It often draws upon Scriptural imagery to make its point. In this case the purpose of the parable is to teach us something about the Kingdom of Heaven. But I should add that not everyone is convinced that our passage for this morning is a parable. It has been described as a brief eschatological discourse.

Whenever I read a parable, I look for the underlying message and the twist in the tale that is there to get our attention and stimulate discussion.

It is characteristic of parables to use a hint of humour, or as one writer put it, an element of the unexpected. They use caricatures that can be recognised as such, that help the story communicate its message.

The majority of parables that we know about were communicated in the Hebrew language, and there is some internal evidence that Jesus’ parables were also communicated in Hebrew.

A Parable With 4 Dimensions

It is possible to look at this parable from several different perspectives.

1) We might use this parable to look at Christology, and how we understand Jesus to be the Judge of all the nations.

2) We could also use this parable as a window into eschatology or apocalyptic mysticism, and consider what it has to say about the ongoing cycle of events and the end times.

3) We could also consider what this parable has to say to the nations about the way they treat Christians and the suffering Church in Communist and Muslim lands.

4) I have focused upon what this parable has to say about how we treat people and what we do about the poor and disadvantaged in our community and elsewhere. That is going to be the main point of our exploration today.

When the Son of Man Comes!

Matthew 25:31–33 NIV

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Whenever Jesus used the phrase ‘Son of Man’ it is a reference to Daniel 7:13-14, which is one of the most quoted verses from the Old Testament. This parable may also refer to Ezekiel 34:11-24. It may also relate to Zechariah 14:5 and Psalm 110.

The image of the shepherd is reminiscent of Moses and David, both of which figure prominently throughout the Bible. Jesus was portrayed in the New Testament as the prophet like Moses, the priest like Melchizedek, and the King from the line of David.

In the well known story of Jacob and Laban. Laban’s sheep and goats appear to have been kept together, and this is consistent with both ancient and modern practice in the Middle East. The only way to tell the difference between the sheep and the goats was that the tails of sheep go down, and the tails of goats stand up. I should point out that animal breeds and methods of husbandry were quite different in the ancient Middle East to those that we employ in the Modern West. Some of these differences are still retained today in parts of the Middle East.

This parable deals with the issue of distinguishing between the righteous and the unrighteous. It uses its illustration to show the difficulty that can arise in attempting to make such a distinction, but does not deny that the distinction exists.

This parable relates to the final judgement. Its meaning is clear. There is an element of accountability. Failure to care for the needs of the community is failure to care for the King, and a rejection of Christ. It sometimes makes me wonder if my contribution, such as it is, is enough. Fortunately, the expectation of care for those in need is not excessive, and the absence of a specific measure invites us all to ask this question without any unnecessary judgemental undertones. We are called to do what we can.

In Matthews Gospel this is the final parable before the crucifixion narrative begins. It serves to reinforce the message that the one whom Rome will condemn to a humiliating death will ultimately be their judge and rule as King of Kings. This was a message that would definitely upset the Romans.

We are given a brief glimpse of the supreme power of the Messiah over all the nations prior to the narrative relating his suffering and humiliation for the sins of world. The Gospels relate both the power and cost of divine forgiveness. For those that doubt the use of ‘Son of man’ as a messianic title related to Daniel 7:13-14 we have this parable where Jesus describes himself as both ‘Son of man’ (25:31) and King (25:34).

Sheep and goats played important roles in ancient Israel. They provided meat and milk, and were essential for the Old Testament priestly sacrificial system. Ownership of these animals was regards as a measure of wealth and authority. It seems likely that the people who cared for these animals developed affection for them, and called them by name.

The skins of these animals played a key role in the spread of literacy. One of the most important Greek manuscripts of the Old Testament is Codex Siniaticus.

Codex Sinaiticus, “a parchment manuscript that originally contained the entire Greek Bible, is estimated to have required the hides of approximately 360 sheep and goats.”

Andrew David Naselli

Caring for the King

Matthew 25:34–40 NIV

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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 invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

In this parable Jesus is identified both as ‘Son of man’ and King.

The opportunities to care for others that are identified within this parable reflect the call of the Old Testament prophets to care for those in need [Isaiah 58:6-9; Ezekiel 18:5-9, 18:15-17; Leviticus 19:10, 19:33-34, 25:35-37; Exodus 22:21, 23:9, Deuteronomy 10:14-22, 24:17-22, 26:12:15].

The actions listed in our parable include actions performed by Jesus and the Early Church that are recorded in the New Testament.

I am sure that we could all think of other ways to be active in care for our community, and may well be putting them into practice.

The words of this parable are addressed to communities and all of the verbs indicate this (YOU in the 2nd person plural). So I interpret this to mean that caring for others should be a community focus, but that we can also pursue this ideal of caring for others as individuals.

So don’t worry if you feel that you cannot be all things to all men, because there are a variety of gifts and abilities within the Church Community. What is not done by you, may be done by another, but we all have a part to play in building a more caring community.

Turning away the King

Matthew 25:41–46 NIV

“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. 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, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Many of us struggle with the idea that not everybody is going to heaven. This parable makes it clear that there is accountability, but fortunately we don’t get to make those kind of final decisions. They are all in the hands of the One who died to save us.

When the Son of man comes in his glory he will not be concerned about the rich and famous. He will be concerned about the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those imprisoned unjustly. The Sovereign Lord of the universe cares about the vulnerable and the outcasts of society. He calls us to edify one another [Romans 15:1-2, Ephesians 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:11], and to raise up those who are in need. This is the list of Christs VIPs.

No true Christian can live a life that is entirely unconscious of the needs of the world around them. God so loved the world that he gave, and that is what he calls his children to do. To give time, attention, love, money, and care to those around them. Sometimes openly and sometimes in secret, but always willingly.

One commentator wryly observed that at the final judgement one learns what one should have known all along [ICC Matthew 25:41]. So we learn that there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. God is just as interested in what we fail to do as he is in what we do.

In our parable the righteous see more than they realise and the unrighteous see less than they realise [ICC]. There seems to be some irony there, since Christians and Jews are often considered to be narrow in their perspectives by those who are not religious.

It is my privilege to belong to a church that takes the Scriptures seriously. We count among us those who open their hearts and their homes to others, those who give their time and money freely. I am sure that there are other things that could be listed that we as a congregation participate in. We can congratulate ourselves on this, but I know that we will not become complacent.

We need to pray that the Lord will help us to build a more caring community here in Efford that embraces the Creator by embracing his creations.

There is much more to this parable than the contrast between the saved and the lost. I suppose that this could be a fifth perspective.

Our parable does not dwell on the fate of the wicked, for the Lord takes no pleasure in punishment. But the parable serves as a timely reminder of our duty of care for the local and wider community.

The Greatest Commandment

This Parable may be seen as yet another expression of the greatest commandments.

Matthew 22:37–40 NIV

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Somewhere on a gravestone the following words appear.

“What I spent I had, what I saved I lost, what I gave I have.” John Ploughman’s Talk, Page 147

Charles Spurgeon

Love the Lord Your God!

Our Lord does not require spectacular acts, immense monuments, or showy gestures that gain public recognition. Perhaps the greatest act of devotion to our Lord that you will ever perform is an act of simple human kindness for someone who may not be able to fully express their feelings, but will thank with their eyes.

How we treat each other is also an important measure of our devotion to our Lord. If you have ever prayed a simple prayer that God would enlarge your heart to love him more and serve him better, then there are ways that you can help this to happen.

We can open our hearts to those in need around us, and we can try to treat each other better than we did before.

As the beloved apostle John said:

1 John 4:20–21 NIV

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

I am proud to belong to a Church that takes this sacred principle of ‘loving God by caring for our neighbours’ seriously. Going beyond prayers and noble sentiments, by putting their hands in their pockets to give, by giving their time to others, by opening their hearts and even their homes . This is a Church that knows how to worship the Lord, a Church with a commitment that can be seen in action, and the love for God can be seen at work in the community.

Some have tried to draw a line between our spiritual service in the community and giving practical help. Describing acts of generosity and kindness as a social Gospel. But I do not think that Jesus made any such distinction. The most powerful sermon you may ever preach may be a simple act of human kindness. The most devout act of worship that you may ever undertake may be revealed by your care for the community.

This is not just a parable about how we treat those in need, it is about how we treat each other, and how others treat us. God is interested and affected by our care for the community.

The Way of Worship by A P Daw Mon 7th Nov 2023

There is a way of worship, a way to change the world. to build a better future for all the boys and girls.

With kindness that cost nothing, but may mean everything, can there be a finer way to glorify the King?

So let us love our neighbour and show him that we care, that the message of the God of love may travel everywhere.

Please take some time to pray for the Suffering Church.

Prayer for the Suffering Church

Heavenly Father, we lift to You our intercessions on behalf of the suffering Church in China and throughout the Middle East, also in Asia and Africa, and wherever our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer for the name of Christ.

Help us to support them in their time of need. We thank You for a World Church that embraces all nations, and pray that Your children may be safe to worship You and share the message of the love of God in Christ without fear wherever they may be.

For we ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,

AMEN!