The Sheep and the Goats: Simple Sorting

 Read Matthew 25:34-46

The disciples have been with Jesus for a while. They are convinced that he is the long-awaited Messiah.  They even buy into some of his cut-through-the-red tape, straight-to-the-heart, turn-the-world right-side-up teachings.

Some of the teachings and courses of action chosen by the Lord still did not make sense, but the Spirit of God had not come upon them yet.

But there was this sense of wondering what was to come. The Messiah is right here, but how does all of this wrap up? What is it going to be like at the end of the age?

Matthew 25 contains three parables. One is about being ready for his return. One is about giving an account of what we did with what God gave us. And one deals with the administration of love and justice at the end of the age.

The first parable begins with at that time. What time? The end of the age.

The next parable begins with the word again. What does that mean? Here is another parable about the end of the age.

This third parable, however, begins with the King coming in glory—the Son of Man coming in his glory. He will be on his throne and surrounded by angels, the crescendo of the end of the age.

It’s not going to be like a man or like ten virgins. It’s when the Son of Man comes in his glory. This is first-person stuff.

What happens?

There is sorting. Jesus compares it to sorting sheep and goats. The people understood sorting animals. This was very much an agrarian society. Hence, there are other shepherd references in the gospels, as well as some of our favorite Psalms.

But there is a sorting here. Understand that sheep are not inherently good, and goats are evil by nature. But there will be a sorting. Mind you, the sheep get the better role here, but nobody left from this teaching and liquidated their holdings in goats.

Consider the sorting in this context: At the end of the age, God will sort the righteous from the wicked as easily as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

Don’t be allegorical and turn the goat into an evil creature. There will be a separation—a matter requiring no deliberation by the Lord—by the King.

So, salvation is by our deeds, then, right?

No.

But look at the next part about helping the least of these.

Those are about our fruit.  Righteous or wicked? How we got to righteousness remains the same. It is the blood of the unblemished Lamb who we know as Jesus and, in this parable, now stands in judgment of the world.

What we see in the last half of the parable is why this is a simple sorting—as easy as a shepherd sorting sheep and goats.

Our belief in Jesus will be so evident to God by our fruit.

We are supposed to discern the false teachers from the genuine ones by their fruit. We are practicing that. God doesn’t need practice.

It will be a simple righteous or wicked separation, and there will be no appeal. The evidence will be self-evident.

Do you need a litmus test for your belief, your faith? Do we live what we say we believe?

Do we put our Master’s words into practice? We don’t do them for show. God knows our hearts.

We do them because God’s nature has become our nature in this New Creature we have become.

There will be a sorting. Regardless of what we wrestle with, God will have no dissonance during Judgment time. For all the speculation of saints and sinners, God will be certain who goes where.

I trust that everyone here is on their way to claiming an inheritance. If you have never really surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, don’t end this day in that condition.

When Jesus is our Lord, there will be evidence. That evidence is clear and convincing in how we treat those who might be regarded as the least of these our brothers and sisters.

If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Know that the evidence will be self-evident in how we treat the least of these our brothers and sisters.

Amen.