Judgment: Sheep or Goat

One of the more alarming aspects of Jesus’ parables is that many of them seem to be all about showing us that not everyone who considers themselves a Christian will go to heaven. The parables of Matthew 25 do this more than any other passage I can think of.

All the maidens (25:1-13) consider themselves friends of the bridegroom, and all the servants in the parable of the talents (25:14-30) consider themselves in the employ of the Master. Most shockingly, the sheep and the goats (25:31-46) all seem to recognize the lordship of Jesus.” The judgment displayed in all three of these parables does not separate Christians from the rest of the world. It separates genuine Christians from imposters.

Let us imagine the scene as one of heaven’s angels stands at the gate announcing, “Sheep to the right and goats to the left.” I can only imagine the confusion, questions, surprise, shock, and sighs of relief the angel hears daily. Many questions come to mind for me: (1) Do all sheep know that they are sheep? (2) Do goats know they are goats? (3) Do they get confused? (4) Do people often go and stand in the wrong line? (5) Do people argue and debate as they stand in line as to who is a goat and a sheep?

Referring to the other parables, Jesus ends the parable of the maidens by saying, “… and the door was shut. Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you; I don’t know you!’” (Matthew 25:10-12).

He ends the parable of the talents by saying, “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! …. throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 25:26-30).

To the goats in the last parable he says, “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!” (Matthew 25:41) I don’t think it could get any clearer: When we talk about judgment, we’re not dealing with simply “loss of reward.” We are talking about heaven and hell.

This is a big deal, because there are a lot of people in churches today who think they are Christians that are tragically mistaken. What exactly is the difference between those who go to heaven and those who go to hell?

According to the parable of the sheep and goats, it had little to do with how much they went to church or more surprising what they believed. There isn’t a single word about that. The only difference in the sheep and the goats is what they did or did not do: whether or not they were actively, tangibly engaged in the mission of God and generous toward the poor, particularly poor believers. Apart from that, all other religious activity is useless.

In Isaiah 56 and 58, God told Israel, “You’re doing all your religious exercises, but those things mean nothing if you ignore the poor. You claim to know me, but you turn a deaf ear to the poor. You don’t know me.”

James says it this way, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” There are two signs of a true believer: You love the people God loves, and you are busy rooting sin out of your life.

You may say, “Well, doesn’t the Bible teach that salvation is by faith alone, through grace alone? Isn’t saying it is determined by how we respond to those poor brothers and sisters a contradiction?”

No, it’s not. Jesus is showing us that real faith—the kind of faith that saves you—is more than intellectual acceptance and church attendance. Saving faith transforms you from the inside out, and then you demonstrate that transformation by engaging in the mission of God.

“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). In other words, intellectual beliefs without a change of heart that results in good works is like a body with no breath in it. We are saved by faith, not works, but saving faith will always work.

This is where it helps to reflect on the fact that the ones Jesus specifically identifies with are Christians—particularly Christians who are suffering because of their commitment to the gospel. He is saying that if you believe this message at all, of course you are going to be moved to action by the stories of those who are suffering for their commitment to this message.

In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out his disciples on their first mission as his representatives to preach what he preached and heal like he healed. He told them they were going to be dependent on the hospitality of the villagers wherever they ministered: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Matthew 10:42 NIV).

In the ancient world, taking someone into your home was a sign of friendship, intimacy, and support for what the person stood for. So, Jesus equated the welcome of his representatives with acceptance of their message. He’s saying the same thing in Matthew 25: If you really believe the gospel, how can you not be moved by the suffering of those who are suffering because they are committed to my message?

Jesus is not saying that we will be saved by our giving to the poor (or any other good deed). He’s saying that there is no way we can be saved if we do not give to the poor. If we are really saved, we will show that by our kindness and generosity to others, especially those who represent Jesus himself. As the Apostle John put it, it’s simply not possible to love God and hate others (1 John 4:20).

You see, there are two ways to tell what you believe: what your mouth says, and what your life says. And one of them never lies.

If what your life says you believe differs from what your mouth says you believe, God’s not fooled: He always accepts the candid testimony of your life.

There is no indication that one needs to hear the call of God to carry out this commission—we just need to be obedient.

Out of our comfort zone? Absolutely!

Necessary? Non-negotiable!

God the Father inspired this verse, Jesus the Son said it empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is not me talking, this is the heart of God.

We can make ourselves feel better for a moment by saying we aren’t called to do it, but make no mistake—it is God we will answer to on that judgment day. There is no reason to expect a mysterious calling if God has already made it a command for all.

All of us will stand before the judgment seat of the king to answer for our treatment of others, especially fellow believers. Minister to the needs of others as though you were ministering to Jesus the king. To ignore a need you can meet is equivalent to ignoring Jesus the king.

So, I must be honest with myself and ask the questions—Where is my heart? Am I a servant who goes

where God leads me—someone who, without a second thought gives a cup of water, new clothing, my best coat, my car to someone in need? Or am I a person who makes myself feel better by saying, “I am willing to go wherever God tells me to go, and give whatever He tells me to give,” but never hears Him telling me to do anything? Never hears a calling?

This is an important question because, according to Jesus in Matthew 25, this is a big deal. The final judgment we all face will be a time of separating the goats from the sheep.

I’m going for the sheep. You?