“In the end, that Face which is the delight or the terror of the universe must be turned on each one of us . . . either conferring glory inexpressible or inflicting shame that can never be cured or disguised.”
C.S. Lewis
For me, the Bible’s consummate message is found in the 25th chapter of the Book of Matthew – specifically verses 31-46.
Prophecy, Not Parable
Some characterize this passage as the parable of the sheep and the goats. My quibble with such a characterization is that I believe this episode is not a parable at all, but a prophecy of what the Lord’s return for His faithful will engender.
The parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13, NKJV) begins “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins…” Verses 14-30 of the same chapter explain the parable of the Talents and commences “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country…”
But nowhere in the prophecy of the Sheep and the Goats will you find the words “like” or “likened.” It begins instead with a definitive statement of what will happen upon the second advent of Christ Jesus:
“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.”
Matthew 25:31
A statement of facts – when and then – not simply a story to illustrate a moral lesson.
The Chasm between the Saved & the Unsaved
The prophecy continues:
“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.”
Matthew 25:32-33
The separation of such a multitude is a logistical impossibility for anyone but God. I picture the Lord creating a chasm – sheep on one side, goats on the other. Dictionary.com defines chasm as (1) a yawning fissure in the earth’s surface, or (2) a sundering breach in relations, as a divergence of opinions, beliefs, etc., between persons or groups.
Both definitions are relevant. Certainly, there is a divergence in beliefs between those on the right and those on the left. But it is also likely that the Lord will create a physical barrier.
How will that chasm be created? Three biblical verses might offer some insight into the Lord’s plan.
As we learn in Revelation 1:16:
“He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.”
Perhaps one swing of that sword is the instrument with which Jesus will create that chasm. Isaiah 66:16 tells us:
“For by fire and by His sword the Lord will judge all flesh.”
Ultimately, it is God’s Word upon which – and by which – judgment will be rendered.
“…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17
To paraphrase the cohesive message of these verses: out of the Lord’s mouth proceeds the word of God, the virtuous judgment and perfect discernment that will separate the sheep from the goats.
Blessed are the Sheep
And for the sheep, that judgment will be good.
“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.“
Matthew 25:34-36
One might infer from these verses that getting into heaven is all about good works. After all, we’re talking about feeding, clothing, sheltering, visiting. But such an inference misses the point.
“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?’”
Matthew 25:37-39
In other words, the righteous did not even know they were doing good works! Good works become dead works when they are done for the wrong reasons – such as to boast or gain favor. But if one is oblivious to the fact that he or she is doing good works, they certainly aren’t being done for the wrong reasons.
The Great Commandment
Good works flow out of authentic faith. It is faith and obedience that will be rewarded; faith in Christ Jesus and obedience to His commandments – the greatest of which are set forth in Matthew 22:37-40. When asked which is the great commandment in the law, Jesus responded:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40
There are two small words in this reply to the Pharisees that I find curious: “like it.” How, we must ask, is the second commandment like the first? I can only answer that it is like the first in its intensity – in its passion. It is like the first because it is equally great, equally vital.
Am I saying that we must love our neighbor with same intensity and the same passion with which we love God? Perhaps Jesus did when he instructed His disciples:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John 13:34
Of course, we do not worship our neighbor. We do not pray to our neighbor. We do not evangelize about our neighbor.
But our neighbor is made in the image of God. If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, should we not love our neighbor in the same way?
The concept of vertical love flowing out to horizontal love is wonderfully characterized by theologian Kent Hughes in his commentary on the first chapter of Philippians:
“Paul prayed that the Philippians’ love would overflow all dimensions in a lavish, ongoing, limitless love — an unremitting geyser of love up to God and a flood of love out to others.”
How We Love God
Crucially, the prophecy of the sheep and goats makes it absolutely clear that loving our neighbors is how we love God:
“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
Matthew 25:40
Having been justified – declared righteous by the Lord – for their faith that has been manifested in love, vertical and horizontal, the sheep are sanctified by God – set apart for His special purpose.
The Fate of the Faithless
Jesus then turns to the goats in verses 41-43:
“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.’”
The Bible defines sin as a transgression of God’s law. It seems the goats will look to Old Testament law – including the Ten Commandments – for their definition of what constitutes wickedness. Their perspective will be that sin is an act of commission, such as murder, theft, adultery or taking the Lord’s name in vain.
But that is not the case here. As we see in Matthew 25:44-46:
“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.”
Sins of Omission
The condemned will be separated not on the basis of what they do, but on the basis of what they do not do. These sins are acts of omission rather than commission. It seems apparent the goats will fall short of the Lord’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” and, in so doing, fail to love Him.
Like the goats, it is not difficult for us to minimize sins of omission through rationalization or ignorance. Each time we do so, however, minimizes what Jesus did for us on the cross. Instead, we must see all sin as disobedience to God and glorify Him for having saved us from it.
The Upward Call
In conclusion I believe this episode represents the essence of Christianity – and the manifestation of each God-inspired word written by every contributor to the Bible.
In Philippians 3:13-14, the apostle Paul has eloquently articulated the end game for the faithful:
“One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus has promised to return for His sheep and to make that call. This prophecy of the sheep and the goats makes the basis for that call irrefutable: faith in Jesus Christ that manifests in love – love of God and love of others.
