Are you a Goat or a Sheep? I guess before one can decide, we would need to know the characteristics of each, specifically as it relates to a very important Bible passage. But, as choices go, this is a really important one.
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches of a final judgment in which He separates people like a shepherd would divide his flock, setting Sheep and Goats apart from one another.
In this teaching, the Sheep represent those people who are faithful and righteous and who treated others with love, kindness and compassion. The Sheep are those who lead from a place of love and who strive to do good and, be good.
The Goats however, represent those being “rejected” in the flock because they lived a life of selfishness and indulgence. The Goats are cold and cruel and they don’t share or help others. Goats say they follow Jesus, but in practice, they reject His teachings. The Goats you see, are all talk — quick to judge and condemn others and they have a mouth full of scripture, but a heart full of hate.
The Sheep and the Goats
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 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, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters 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, ‘Truly I tell you, 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.”
Our life in this world is short when one compares it to eternity. That’s why its vitally important to make the right choices and decisions here, so that we are able to spend eternity with God. Being a Sheep is immeasurably better than being a Goat.
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