The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

"The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats" was the focus of our study last evening.  We saw how the judgement of God will be universal and no one can escape it.  God will divide the people into righteous and unrighteous, depending on their actions or lack of actions in this life.  Whatever we do to other people, whether good or bad, is something we have done to God.  We can rest assured that we will receive the reward or the punishment for what we have done or not done.

Enjoy the notes from our discussion.

January 30, 2012

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

Opening question: What is your favorite farm animal and why?

Today, we are going to look at a parable Jesus taught, which involved farm animals.  The Hebrew society at the time when Jesus walked this earth was mostly agricultural, so the examples he gave of sheep, goats and shepherds were very vivid and pertinent to their lives.  Perhaps there were some shepherds even among the people listening to him as he spoke.

The parable known as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is found in Matthew 25:31-46.  Earlier in this chapter, we find that Jesus has talked about the Kingdom of Heaven by using two other parables.  He is continuing the same thought here.  In this passage, we read:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “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. 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 invited me in, 36 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.’

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 invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “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.’

41 “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. 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 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.’

44 “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?’

45 “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.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I would like us to discuss a few things from this parable today.

A.        The Judgment of God is Universal

Many people do not believe in God or do not believe that God will judge all people.  Verses 31-33 tell us that when the Son of Man, that is Jesus, comes, the King, or God, will judge all nations.  Everyone who has ever lived will come in front of God and give an account for what they have done or not.  We can rest assured that all actions that we have done in this life will be made known to God, and we are going to give an account for them.

How does this affect us?

B.        Why are the sheep considered righteous?

Jesus will divide all the people from the nations in two groups.  One of them, the sheep, are considered righteous. 

Why?  What have they done to deserve such a reward as blessings from God and the Kingdom of Heaven?

In verses 35-36, we read that these people had shown kindness to God.  Even though they had not seen God in person, they had done these works (fed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, be friendly to the strangers, giving to the people in need and visiting the sick).  All the people in these categories are in need of something that is difficult for them to meet on their own.  The people who are considered righteous had fulfilled these needs of these people.  God considers these acts of kindness as done toward Him.

What does this tell us?  What does it encourage us to do?

In 1 John 3:16-18, we read that: 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

This verse has a direct command for us, that we need to show our love with actions and in truth.

C.        Why are the goats considered unrighteous?

In verses 42-43, we read that these people had not shown kindness and generosity.  They did not do any of the things that the righteous people did.  No reasons are given here and no excuses are accepted.  They just did not love God.

What does this tell us?  What does it encourage us to do?

Conclusions

While we do not see God today, we are still expected to show our faith and love for Him by dong acts of kindness, goodness and generosity toward the people around us, whom we can see.  God sees everything and considers all actions that we do take as actions directed toward Him.  And, at the end, God will give us the reward for our actions or the punishment for our lack of compassion and generosity.