Matthew 25:31-46 The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of 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 took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, 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?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Now Jesus is getting down to fundamentals. Disciples of Jesus will always be known for their love, mercy, and good works, particularly to those who cannot repay them in any fashion. But why does Jesus use the example of shepherds separating sheep from goats? Google gives this answer.
In Jesus’ time, shepherds would separate sheep from goats primarily because of their different grazing habits and behaviors: sheep tend to be more docile and follow the shepherd closely, while goats are more independent and can be disruptive to the flock, often straying to forage on different vegetation; this separation also helped manage different needs for grazing areas and allowed for better care of each animal type.
Key points about the separation:
- Different grazing needs: Sheep prefer short grass and lie down after eating, while goats browse for a variety of plants and can be more aggressive in their grazing habits.
- Territorial behavior: Goats can be territorial and may push sheep away from good grazing spots.
- Easier management: Sheep are generally more compliant and follow the shepherd, making it easier to herd them together.
Here the sheep represent obedient disciples who do the Will of their Heavenly Father while the goats persistent in disobedience. (Here GOAT is NOT an acronym for “greatest of all time.”)
Goats are rebellious. Throughout the Bible, God warns about rebellion. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 tells the sad story of how King Saul lost a kingdom through disobedience. Saul was supposed to have utterly destroyed the Amalekites, but he failed. The prophet Samuel told Saul, ““Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we exchange our goat nature for His sheep nature. How do human goats behave? Galatians 5:19-21 tells us, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Sometimes people pride themselves on being rebellious, feeling that by so doing they are standing up for themselves. Such people pride themselves on being ba-a-a-a-ad! But such an attitude is like going through life with the emergency brake stuck on; you can’t make much forward progress spiritually that way because you are rebelling against the One who created you.
So, what are the characteristics of faithful disciples? Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Whose law are we talking about here? God’s law. God is the One who has created the universe and God is the One who gives us righteous laws.
Galatians 5:24-26 concludes: “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Goats are territorial, selfish, and obnoxious, trying to rule over the sheep and preventing them from the grazing they like most.
The lesson for would-be disciples is crystal clear: live lives that demonstrate the Holy Spirit lives within you. Don’t be a goat, for people with goat-natures will never become disciples.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please fill us with Your Holy Spirit and help us to be faithful so that we will live lives pleasing to our Master Jesus. In Jesus’ mighty and precious Name. Amen.
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