Of Sheep and Goats

11.26.13

Matthew 25.32 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (ESV)

Jesus used examples from everyday life to help make His point: we call them parables; Jesus simply used them to help us understand what He was saying. In Matthew 25 Jesus used the parable of sheep and goats to illustrate what things would be like, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” (V. 31) The Lord will separate all people into two groups like a shepherd would separate goats from sheep.

Goats are interesting creatures: they are intensely curious, will eat just about anything, and will climb up on things like rocks, small buildings, cars, and occasionally the right kind of tree. Goats do not clump in flocks like sheep do but rather they spread out and kinda go it on their own. Goats will charge when threatened; male and female alike grow horns. Goats tend to be separate and, not so much selfish, but certainly independent.

Sheep on the other hand hang together in flocks. Where there are natural predators, sheep clump together which offers protection and some defense. Sheep are docile, easily led, and need direction to pasture and water. The rams grow horns but the ewes never do. Sheep basically do what they are led to do; it’s their nature.

Jesus made the comparison of sheep and goats, not to give us a lesson on animal behavior, but to illustrate human behavior. The sheep are favored while the goats are not. Naturally, sheep are easier to care for than goats. Sheep are more dependent, while goats tend to be more independent. Humans are not separated by breed, but by the heart. The “sheep” Jesus favors are the ones who hang together and look out for one another and do what He tells them to do. The “goats” go it alone, and much like the animal, the goat, tend to be self-determined. Jesus’ listeners all knew the difference between sheep and goats.

When I examine my life; my comings and goings, my doings and sayings, I see more goat-ish behavior than sheep-ish. I tend to be more cynical rather than forgiving and optimistic. I tend to be more analytical and critical than blind to the faults of others. I tend to believe one gets what one deserves (except when the one is me and then I tend to whine that I’m being picked on).

Jesus looks at the heart and looks at the kind of people we are. He looks at how we spend our time and how we treat others. He hears what we say and hears our thoughts. He knows whether or not we’re repositories of His love.

Jesus, if ever I wanted to be sheep-ish – despite all of my goat-ish tendencies – it’s today. If ever I wanted to hear those words, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’, I want to hear them today. I ask You for a change in my life, and for me to accept that change by faith that You’ve done what You do: make darkness turn into light, make what’s dead come to life, and turn goats into sheep because of Your great love. Help me today, my Lord and my God. Amen.