Sheep and Goats

I spent some time yesterday morning looking at the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 and then shared it with our small group. Always powerful stuff.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 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. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"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. 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, 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.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"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. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 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.'

"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?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."


Christ points out six specific people groups in this parable that looks intently at suffering and our response to it. (Hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, imprisoned)

Which of these commands strike you the most? Which one of these is most difficult for you on a regular basis? How can you take action steps to change that?

Have you ever specifically failed in one of these areas? How has that failure changed your perspective?

One of the most important things for me to remember about these commands that Christ discusses is that none of them are done “in absence,” meaning they are all to be done directly to and with people. Nowhere does it say “When I was hungry you donated food to a food bank,” or “when I was in prison you rallied for prison reform.” Christ is directly challenging us to get out of our comfort zones, leave our secluded lives and love on people who are suffering. A challenge that is hard for me on a regular basis, yet one I am challenged with on a regular basis.