The Sheep and the Goats

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew 25:31-46)

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is the final parable of preparation in Matthew 25. In it Jesus describes the day of judgment in which the faithful ones (on the right hand of God) are separated from the unfaithful (on the left), when the sheep are separated from the goats.

Shepherds in ancient Israel often tended their sheep with their goats. There were, however, advantages to keeping them separated. Sheep have a relatively pleasant disposition and tend to graze slowly and quietly, while goats are prone to wander off to what they suppose are greener pastures. Goats are simply high maintenance creatures. Jesus is obviously comparing people to sheep and goats; submissive and obedient sheep are placed on the right hand, while the rebellious ones are assigned to the left.

And what is it that makes the difference? Why are some people labeled as sheep and others as goats? Jesus indicates that the sheep are those who loved and served their fellow man, who fed the hungry, clothed the naked and accommodated the homeless, in many cases doing so spontaneously and without concern for recognition or reward. Further, service to our fellow mortals entails service to our God. The rebellious thereby missed opportunities to serve God by turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to those in need. The faithful are never too busy for people.